A passport is an official travel document issued by a government to its citizens to certify their nationality during international travel. Most people panic if their passport gets lost while travelling abroad. However, in such situations, it is vital not to panic and take immediate action with a cool head. The first step is to check all your luggage, bags, and pockets, as well as the spots that you have recently visited, to ensure that the passport is indeed lost and not misplaced.

Report the loss at the nearest police station. While filing the police report, you may have to answer a few questions about your trip and show valid ID documents. A copy of the report should be kept with you as it may be helpful when applying for a replacement or claiming travel insurance. Besides, having a report filed will protect you from misuse of your passport in case it is stolen.

The next step is to contact the Indian embassy or consulate in the country where you are travelling. Hand over the relevant documents, including the police report, and wait for their instructions. Embassies and consulates are ready to help their citizens during emergency situations, such as losing their passports. After verifying the documents, the authorities will confirm your citizenship and issue temporary emergency travel documents.

It is possible to apply for a replacement at the Indian embassies. For that, filled up EAP – 2 form, copies of the front and back pages of the passport, copy of the police report and photos may be required. It might take up to a week to issue the replacement. The embassy would then send the application to India for printing. The new passport would be returned to the embassy in the country from which it was sent. However, the applicant may have to stay in that country until the new passport reaches the embassy.

If you do not wish to wait a week in a foreign country, you could apply for an emergency certificate instead of a new passport. You could use this temporary travel document to return home safely or to travel to other places. Do not forget to apply for a new passport when you return home.     

TAGS

The comments posted here/below/in the given space are not on behalf of Onmanorama. The person posting the comment will be in sole ownership of its responsibility. According to the central government's IT rules, obscene or offensive statement made against a person, religion, community or nation is a punishable offense, and legal action would be taken against people who indulge in such activities.