When traveling overseas, your passport becomes the most precious asset you can have. It opens doors to nations and grants you the ability to go abroad. When it goes lost or stolen, everything changes. If you don’t know what to do, you may make more blunders or cause yourself immigration issues. If you lose your passport, here’s some advice: What to Do If You Lose Your Passport When Visiting Abroad
- First, you should file a police report.
You should go to the local police station and file a missing passport report as soon as you learn your passport has been stolen or lost. Make a copy of the police report to use as proof of passport loss. Afterward, with the assistance of the police, you may get an emergency travel certificate or a new passport from the embassy of your country.
2. Get in touch with the local embassy or consulate.
To seek aid with your urgent predicament, you need to go to the consulate or embassy of the country in which you were born.
3. Put in an application for either a new passport or an emergency certificate.
When you lose your passport, you have two choices:
- Get a certificate of emergency
- Get a new passport.
Because you do not receive a duplicate passport, it takes at least a week to receive your new one. Nevertheless, depending on the availability of passports and other issues, this period may be extended.
4. What to Do Before Obtaining a New Passport:
- Fill out an application form detailing the nature of the loss or damage.
- Please submit your fingerprints.
- Proof of your Nigerian citizenship (National Identification, birth certificate, a copy of your passport).
- A copy of the police report/affidavit
- There are two photos (size 35 x 45mm).
- Evidence of current residence
- Proof of Local Govt. Certificate
- a photocopy of the first two pages and the last two pages of the prior passport, with the originals self-attested, if the previous passport is available.
- Your lost passport’s passport number, date of issuance, expiration date, and location of issue.
5. Request a Visa Reissue
When you lose your international passport while traveling abroad, you also lose your existing visas, including those from other countries. As a result, you must visit each country’s embassy to obtain a visa. You will, however, need a police report and a copy of the previous visas.
6. Rebook Your Flight
You cannot board your planned aircraft since your passport is missing. We propose that you reschedule your flight until your passport problem is resolved. If you have travel insurance for your trip, you should contact your provider. Remember, if you need to contact your insurance provider, bring receipts for your lost passport and a police report.
Ways for Keeping Your Passport Secure When Traveling
- Invest in a low-cost sling purse for convenient access to your essentials. Save basics such as plane/bus tickets, travel insurance cards, passports, money, and so on.
- When you arrive at your location, keep your passport and belongings secure. You can, for example, utilize the hotel room safe.
- Create at least one or two duplicates of your passport and store them in different pieces of baggage.
- Leave a copy at home with a friend or family member.
- Maintain a virtual replica of your passport on Google Drive or Dropbox.
- Carry a copy of your passport instead of your passport at all times.
