Is your US passport stolen? If it is, what are the steps you must take? When a person realizes their passport has been stolen or lost, it is normal for them to enter panic mode immediately, but that will not solve their problem. You may be in a far-off country with an urgent need to return home, so what should you do? What makes the experience even more frustrating is that getting a new passport and a long time takes a lot of effort and stress.
To help your situation, we have prepared a shortlist of what you should do immediately after you find out that your passport has been stolen. Keep reading to learn more.
US Passport Stolen: What You Should Do
Theft is a part of the human experience and can happen to anyone at any time, so what must you do if you can’t find your passport?
Search For It: Your first action should be to search for it. Start your search from where you kept it to where you last saw it. Then expand your search to the possible places it could be. If you keep your passport in your bag, search all holes, pockets, and corners in the bag, then search other bags you keep your belongings. Before making a complaint to the authorities, you want to make sure you have thoroughly searched for it. If you are certain that it is missing, the next step is to report it.
Report It: The next step is to report the lost or stolen passport to the authorities as quickly as possible.
This act is to inform them so they can investigate to know if someone else has access to the passport and is using it for criminal activity. Once you have notified the authorities, you are in the clear. There are three ways to report a stolen passport. You can fill out and submit a form online to the stolen passport unit, call a toll-free number to notify an official that your passport has been stolen, or send a completed physical form to the passport agency to notify them.
After you have notified them, you can proceed to apply for a new passport.
How To Know If Your Passport Has Been Stolen?
Violent Crime: If you were attacked during a criminal incident and your passport was with you at the time, but you couldn’t find it soon after.
Stolen Documents: If your home or house was robbed and your bag containing your documents and passport is missing.
The good news is that once you report a stolen passport, it becomes invalid, so whoever has it can do nothing with it.
How To Replace A Stolen Passport
After reporting the case of the stolen passport, you will be at peace, knowing fully well that no one can steal your identity and use it, but you still need a passport if you want to travel. In this situation, you will need a passport renewal. You will have to visit the passport agency or passport office nearest to where you live. Here are the few documents you will be asked to provide.
How Do You Apply for a Passport Replacement?
So how do you apply for a passport replacement? For starters you will have to submit the require documents to the passport agency. Original and photocopies of the documents are required so lets do a quick rundown of all of them.
Proof of Citizenship: Every applicant will be asked to provide proof of citizenship to prove they are US citizens. A naturalization or birth certificate can be used to prove one’s US citizenship.
Declaration Form: A form to declare that the previous passport is lost or stolen will be required. The DS-64 Form must be correctly filled with no field left unfilled.
DS-11 Form: The DS-11 application form is the official application form of the US government for new passport applications. This Form must also be correctly filled with accurate information and personal details.
Passport Photo: A passport photo taken on a white background and not older than six months showing the applicant’s face clearly.
Note: You must book an appointment with the passport agency before visiting them and ensure that you only provide valid documents not expired ones.
If you plan to travel soon because of an emergency, you can apply for an expedited service at the agency, but this service will cost you an extra $60, aside from the passport application fee, which is $130 for a booklet and $30 for a passport card.
US passport stolen? You can apply for VisaHQ passport service to assist you in expediting the process. Just visit the passport service page to know more.