I debated whether or not this merited a blog post, but ultimately decided it may be useful as there were several things I wish I had done differently when I recently lost my passport on a very quick trip to the UK.  As this was an extremely stressful experience, if there’s a chance I even help one person, it’s worth the post on what to do when losing your U.S. passport.

On a recent trip in London late last year, I debarked a train in Bath, England, and found that I did not have my passport in any of the “usual” places I kept it. Panic set in. Further complicating things was that my return trip was four days away, and one of those days was a U.S. federal holiday (Thanksgiving) – meaning that the U.S. Embassy was closed for non-emergency services – so I would have two working days (Wednesday and Friday) before my flight home on Saturday. 

Our journey begins. It was like the Amazing Race, except crappy.

What unfolded over the next 24 hours was a tale of stress, emails, and woe, with an ultimately happy ending.  However there were a few things I did right – and a few that I did not do right – that I felt worth passing on.

Do: Get to a Safe and Calm Place Before You Do Anything

Initially after getting off the train, where I first identified the passport as missing, I started to tear my bags apart on the train platform so I could feel like I was “doing” something and hope I got lucky and found the passport.  This was a mistake.  While I felt safe because Bath station is calm and tranquil, it was raining, the platform was outdoors, and I was mostly just hoping for an easy fix.  A quick cursory check was fine, but the “I’m going to open every bag on a rainy platform” check was dumb.

Our moment of discovery was Bath Railway station. Sadly it was not a journey of happy discovery.

After failing at this, Mrs. PTI and I quickly realized we needed to get somewhere we could be calm and think.  Coming off a redeye, even with a refreshing stop at the United Arrivals lounge, you’re not operating at 100% mental capacity.  You need to encourage rational thoughts, not crazy ones.  For us, this was our hotel, the Hilton Bath City.  While our room was not available, the woman at the check-in desk was incredibly helpful once we explained the situation.  She gave us a quiet corner of the lobby and told us to go wild with searching our bags.

As a quick note: we ended up canceling our hotel and going back to London that night (where our family was) so we could ensure we were close to the embassy the next morning and not at the mercy of the train system.  The hotel fully refunded our room – which was beyond generous and incredible customer service.  While I know my Diamond status played a factor, the hotel didn’t have to do anything, and I would have been fine paying a full night’s stay – it was my fault, after all – but to refund the entire thing was huge.  I can’t thank them enough again or acknowledge this superior customer service. 

Do: A Thorough “Idiot Check”

Now that I felt we were somewhere I could rip my bags apart and make sure the passport hadn’t ended up anywhere silly (like caught in a seam of my luggage), we embarked upon a very thorough and methodical search that would make TSA proud, followed by moving “cleared” bags to separate area.  We did this three times for every bag before declaring the passport officially lost.

Idiot check complete.

You may not be this crazy.  I was.  But you get the idea. Figure out what your personal level of “done” is and confirm you have in fact lost your passport and it didn’t end up somewhere silly in your belongings.

Do: Make Contact with the Embassy ASAP

This will be focused on the U.S. Embassy, but I assume it applies to others as well.  Make contact with the Embassy or consulate as soon as possible and figure out where they are located and what their walk-in hours are. 

For the U.S. Embassy in London, the website indicated that walk-ins were not encouraged and the process to get home could be complex.  However, a quick call to the Embassy indicated walk-ins would be taken first thing in the morning or after 3 PM each day. 

Figuring out that we could walk in was a big deal, since we only had two workings days.

This was important as it was a very different story than what we found online.  Always talk to a human if you can, a theme that will recur in this story.

Related, you might see if you can make a formal appointment.  I got extremely lucky and one was available 10:30 AM the next day – it must have been a cancellation.  I booked it since it was roughly equivalent to walking in at opening time. 

Do Not Just Settle for Electronic Lost and Found Forms – Talk to a Human As Fast as Possible

We started filing lost and found forms at every place we had been that morning – Heathrow, Great Western Railway, Paddington Station.  All of them used the same website – MissingX.  Of course, we called as well, but the telephone prompt said they wouldn’t talk to you until your item had been missing for 72 hours. For us, 72 hours was useless, but we were sleep-deprived, obedient rule followers, so we accepted this and settled for the online form (for now).  This was, in hindsight, a complete mistake.

This was, by far, our biggest mistake. Bottom line – check in with a human in all relevant places.

Although this may seem obvious to those who are not sleep deprived, you can just… press the phone buttons saying your item was lost more than 72 hours ago and get to talk to a human ASAP.  We did not do this until the next day, which was a mistake. 

As it turned out, my passport was found at London Paddington. We discovered it when we called every lost and found one last time while en route to the Embassy.

This was the end of our story, so what comes next is what we were ready to do if the story didn’t have a happy ending.

It is entirely possible we could have called the day before and avoided a day of torturous stress.  I still get mad at myself when I think about this! However, it’s also possible the passport wasn’t discovered or logged until the morning—lost and found operated on something like a 9-5 schedule.

Do Not: File a Lost and Missing Passport Until You are Sure It is Gone

Once your passport is filed as a lost and missing passport, it is dead to the world.  It goes onto a “dead” list that is transmitted to Interpol and there are no backsies.  Make absolutely sure you are ready to take this step, lest your passport show up the next day after it’s declared lost and you are sad.  In my case, I had the form ready to go for when I’d be applying for an emergency passport. However, I did not file online because I had read the above page and wanted to hold off marking the passport as lost until the last minute, just in case.  Since I found the passport, it’s a good thing I hadn’t completed the form immediately.

Do: Everything You Can to Get Documentation From the Embassy

Something that is not well known is that a U.S. citizen has a right to re-enter the United States, even without a passport.  However, if you’re flying, you have two barriers preventing you from exercising this right:

The country you’re departing, if they have exit controls

You’ve probably gone through exit controls a number of times when departing a country.  If you don’t have a passport, this can get very tricky.  Depending on the country and the circumstance, you may be able to talk your way through.  But they have every legal right to send you back to your embassy to obtain proper documentation.

The air carrier has a right to refuse you carriage if you do not have proper travel documentation (i.e., a passport)

Ever wonder why airlines do a final check of your passport in line?  It’s because there are substantial penalties levied if a carrier transports a passenger to the United States who isn’t admissible (here’s a fun document I googled from Delta on the topic).  Customs and Border Protection (CBP) does operate a program called the Immigration Advisory Program. Through this program, there are CBP officers at foreign airports who can advice the airlines in who might be eligible.  However, a key word here is “advisory.” The carrier can still decline CBP’s advice and not board someone who is eligible. 

All of this is to say – you COULD talk your way through these steps. But you have a chance of failing and having to go back to the embassy.  Consider your options when losing your U.S. passport and what may happen if you decide to skip the “getting an emergency passport” step. 

Do: Be Polite if You Make it to the U.S. and are Requesting Admissibility

As noted, you do have a right of return to the United States as a U.S. citizen. Keep in mind this will likely not exactly be a fun experience, and you may be referred to secondary inspection.  Secondary is not fun, but it’s for a good reason.  Customs officers have a significant challenge.  They need to make sure you are who you say you are, and not a terrorist or criminal.  Be polite and remember they’re just doing their job.  There are numerous guides on the internet from the ACLU as to your rights, as well, that provide more information, but be respectful and polite—a general good rule of thumb for life, and when dealing with law enforcement.

Bottom Line: Stay Calm When Losing Your U.S. Passport

Losing your passport can evoke significant panic. There’s no sugar coating it: losing your passport sucks.  The good news is, you have several options.  Keep your cool, evaluate your options, and you’ll find your way.  And if you can – try to still enjoy your trip!    

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