Lost or stolen passport abroad
Start with the passport issuer. Reporting the loss, obtaining a replacement and confirming onward travel are separate steps.
UK official examples are identified explicitly.
Confirm the rules for your own documents and route.
Report the missing document
Use your passport issuer’s official loss-reporting route. If a passport was stolen, ask about local police reporting and evidence needed by the issuer or insurer.
UK example: cancel a lost or stolen British passport promptly. If applying for a UK emergency travel document, cancellation is handled within that application.
Check the emergency-document route
UK emergency travel documents are for eligible British nationals abroad who need urgent travel and cannot obtain a replacement passport in time. Eligibility has additional conditions; use the official application guidance rather than assuming every urgent journey qualifies.
These documents usually cover a single or return journey, with a limited route. Check the proposed destination and every transit stop with the issuing authority and carrier before changing bookings.
Prepare your questions
Have your planned route and any available identity evidence ready for the authority. Ask what document you can obtain, when it could be available and whether local exit formalities need attention.
Keep the authority’s instructions with the booking details. A passport photo or copy may help an application, but do not assume it is accepted as a travel document.
Common mistakes
What to avoid
Reporting is not replacement
Completing a loss report does not issue a new travel document.
A changed route needs another check
Do not assume an emergency document covers an alternative connection.
Quick answers
Common questions
Does this cover every country?
No. This guide gives a preparation framework and clearly identified UK examples. Check your issuing authority and every relevant destination for the actual requirement.
Source record
Confirm with the authority
These official pages informed this guide. Open the relevant source again close to travel.
Links checked 8th September 2026