If your UK passport gets lost or stolen, it can cause worry and panic, especially if you are in a different country. This may happen through misplacement or even theft by fraudsters. Therefore, it is necessary to know the essential steps to be taken after losing your passport.
Report a Lost or Stolen Passport
The first step to take once you realise that your UK passport is lost or may have been stolen is to report the incident to the police by telephoning 101. This is to minimise any chance of someone else stealing your identity and using the passport stolen from your bag. For children, the parents or guardians are responsible for this task. The next act is cancelling the passport, and this has been made easier through online services. It is important to report to local police and fill in the LS01 form if you are abroad.
Emergency Travel Document or Urgent Passport?
There are instances where you may lose your UK passport at a time when you need to travel. If you are abroad and need to travel back to the UK, you should note that you’ll need to apply for an emergency travel document. This will act as a replacement the passport lost. If you are in the UK, the application should be for an urgent passport.
Both of these applications can be easily made through online services. The urgent passport will need you to apply, pay and wait for two days for your booked appointment. The appointments will only take up to 30 minutes. For the emergency travel document, the fee is paid during the online application. You may then be required to visit a British embassy that is closest to you. This, however, is only needed if you are told you have to visit the embassy.
When applying for a child who is under 16, the child may be required to show up for an appointment with both parents present. In an event where they cannot attend, a signed consent letter should be provided.
