This summer, on a hot Paris subway, one hour into our family vacation, my husband’s wallet — containing our passports, money and credit cards — was stolen. His initial reaction was unrestrained (“Daddy just said the F word six times,” our then-7-year-old daughter noted), and we didn’t know what to do.
We got lucky. Because our contact information was in the wallet, we received a call soon after that it had been found. We retrieved it just in time to make our train to Bordeaux, but as the doors shut, I discovered that my passport was gone.
It can happen to anyone. According to the U.S. State Department, almost 900,000 American passports were reported lost or stolen between January 2024 and the end of July 2025. If you’re unfortunate enough to be in that position, you aren’t alone — you can arrange for an emergency replacement.
Here are five steps you can take in case you suddenly find yourself passport-less in a foreign land.
Take stock of what’s missing
Take a deep breath and assess the situation. Backtrack to make sure your passport is gone. Once you’ve declared it lost or stolen, it’s no longer valid for travel. If it was stolen, see if anything else was taken.
“Do you have identification? Do you have credit cards?” said Harding Bush, associate director for security operations at Global Rescue, which provides travel risk and crisis management services.
If you’re the victim of a robbery, go to the local police immediately. That helps prevent unauthorized use of your passport, and it’s just one of the measures you should take to guard against identity theft. “If your passport is gone, particularly with credit cards or other identifying information, you’ll want to take all the steps that you would in the United States if that kind of thing happened,” said Elizabeth Gracon, who manages services for overseas citizens for the State Department.
You also might need a police report to leave the country — even if you have a replacement passport, some countries may want to know why you’re leaving with a different one. If you have travel insurance, a report may be required to file a claim.
Contact your nearest embassy
If you weren’t the victim of a robbery, contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. The State Department’s website has a list.
“This is the No. 1 reason that our embassies and consulates exist overseas, the safety and security of U.S. citizens,” said Ms. Gracon. “We are going to get you home.”
The process for requesting an emergency passport varies slightly by country, but you’ll need to call the embassy or go to its website to start the process, which consists of two steps. You report the passport was lost or stolen — this can be done online or in person, in which case you’ll need a signed and printed form — and make an appointment to apply in person for a replacement; you’ll need printed and signed forms for that, too. Emergency passports can usually be issued on the same day as your appointment.
You will also be informed of what documentation you’ll need, including a passport photo (2 by 2 inches or 5 by 5 centimeters); identification like a driver’s license or expired passport; and your travel itinerary, including airline or train tickets. You’ll also need evidence of U.S. citizenship, like a birth certificate, driver’s license or photocopy of your missing passport. If you’re reading this before a trip, do yourself a favor and make hard copies of your passport and driver’s license to leave in your suitcase, and digital ones (simply photograph them with your phone’s camera) that you can access in case you need them later (consider saving them in a secure cloud location). They can be a hassle to round up if you don’t have access to them, try to get help from someone back home. More on that below.
The fee for an emergency passport is $165 for adults and $135 for minors, though that can be waived in some circumstances. If you have had everything taken from you, are destitute, or don’t know how you will get home, the State Department may be able to offer financial assistance.
If you’re traveling to multiple destinations, make sure to verify the requirements for your next stop. Some countries, including France, Belgium, Norway and the Netherlands, do not allow visa-free entry with an emergency U.S. passport. At this point, even if you weren’t the victim of a crime, you should file a police report, if possible.
Hurry up and wait
Many passport appointments, including emergency ones, are made via email or websites. Still, it’s worth trying to call — especially if you’re in difficult circumstances — as protocols vary by location.
A major obstacle I encountered: Embassies can’t issue passports on weekends or U.S. and local holidays when offices are closed. You might have to wait until the next business day for an appointment.
Cast a wide net
Without a passport, your trip home may be delayed, so you’ll want to let your hotel know. “They have a vested interest in keeping you safe and helping you while you’re their guest,” said Mr. Bush of Global Rescue, adding that hotel staff can provide telephone service and Wi-Fi.
If you’re having trouble gathering documents to help with identification, see if family or friends at home can help.
If you purchased travel insurance, call the provider, said Meaghan Clawsie, owner of Elated Escapes Travel, a luxury travel service. Some credit cards have a global hotline that can connect you with embassies, and either they or the provider could reimburse you if you incur more charges. Alert your airline if you think you might miss your flight — that could forestall additional fees.
Additional details to know
You should plan to bring the required materials to your embassy appointment, but in extreme circumstances — if you were robbed, or can’t get some of the documents even after contacting friends and family — the embassy staff will be able to help you once you arrive. “That is the beauty of the digital age,” said Ms. Gracon. “We can see your prior passport, we can see your picture, we can verify who you are.” One thing you absolutely must bring: a passport photo, as most embassies and consulates do not have photo equipment on-site.
Replacing a child’s passport can be complicated. Both parents must appear in person; if only one is present, a notarized form is required from the other. Besides the application and statement of loss or theft, documentation of urgent travel and a photo, you’ll also need proof of the child’s citizenship and identity, as well as parental relationship, like a birth certificate.
Unlike standard blue passports, emergency passports (which are purple and have just 12 pages) don’t have an embedded electronic chip. Since the emergency passports are valid for only one year, Ms. Gracon advises getting a replacement standard passport as soon as possible.
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