Every Now And Then Someone Needs A Replacement Passport

by garrett on September 17, 2011

Things happen and sometimes one of those things causes you to need replacement US passports. Maybe yours was stolen or lost. Maybe it fell into the active volcano while you were flying over in a helicopter or into the ocean while on an ocean liner.

When Did You Lose It?

Losing you passport while you are still home is less of a disaster than it might be. But it isn’t likely to happen when you have all the time in the world. If it’s missing you probably won’t notice until your departure date is looming. You will have done most of your shopping for smart-looking, comfortable clothes and sturdy but cute shoes. You will have made reservations and purchased tickets. About the time you actually start packing you will dig out the passports from the place where you kept them since your last trip. It is at this late stage of the to-do list that you realize that one of the passports isn’t there. Logically they would all be missing but in one of those last-minute panic situations the scenario would not be logical. So you start ransacking the house as the clock ticks away the minutes until your departure time.

Fill Out The Proper Forms

Someday you will learn that three years ago, little Rudolph took the cute little book to school for show-and-tell and never brought it back. Since finding it is now a lost cause you will need to hasten down to the closest passport agency or acceptance facility. Fill out the forms D 64 and D 11.

Other Required Documents

One of the docs is an application for a new passport. The other form reports that your old one is missing. You will need to have the same documents with you as the first time you applied. You will need ID, proof of citizenship and a photograph.

Expedited Processing

If time is running out and your departure date is too close for comfort, you can pay an additional fee to have your application process expedited. You will also want to pay for overnight delivery. It’s a nuisance and it will cost you some money and maybe some gray hairs but it isn’t the end of the world.

If Out Of The Country

The inconvenience is intensified if you lose your passport while you are traveling. If that happens, scurry to the US embassy or consulate. You will fill out the same forms as you would have back home. The tricky part is if you have also lost your ID and proof of citizenship.

Other Concerns

If your documents are unavailable, the consular official can verify your identity from your answers to questions. Or they can obtain satisfactory evidence by interviewing your traveling companions. If you have no companions or they are so annoyed with you they refuse to admit they know you, your family or friends back home can identify you long distance.

Invalidated

Once you have reported your old passport as missing, it is not longer valid. If you should find it, send it to the appropriate section of the State Department in Washington DC. If you want it back to add to your collection you can ask to have it returned to you after it has been cancelled.

It’s a nuisance and an added expense when you lose your little magic book. A little luck and planning can help you avoid such problems in the future. Keep the family passports and all other travel-related documents in a secure location. Keep your documents on your person when you are traveling. Purses and backpacks are too easy to snatch. If you do find you need a damaged passport replacement, don’t panic. You aren’t the first.

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