First, report the passport lost or stolen to your passport office, or abroad to your nearest embassy or consulate. Once you report it, it is cancelled, so nobody else can use it, but neither can you. If you are abroad and need to travel soon, ask the embassy or consulate for an emergency travel document. If you are at home, apply for a replacement, which will have a new number. A photo or copy of your passport's photo page helps you answer questions about it.
Last checked 17 October 2026 against USA.gov, GOV.UK and Canada.ca. The Australian pages couldn't be opened from our checker that day, so for Australia we only link to them.
The first three steps
- Report it. Use your country's online form or phone line (table below). Abroad, contact your nearest embassy or consulate. Do it even if you hope it will turn up.
- Work out when you need to travel. If it is within days or weeks, ask about an emergency or limited-validity travel document. If not, apply for a normal replacement.
- Gather what helps. Your passport number and issue date (a copy of the photo page has both), another photo ID if you have one, a new passport photo, your travel plans, and a police report if the passport was stolen.
Why reporting comes first
A lost passport can be used by someone else. Reporting it cancels it. GOV.UK says to cancel a lost or stolen passport as soon as possible to lower the risk of someone misusing your passport or identity. USA.gov says the State Department invalidates a reported passport, and that you can't use it even if you find it later.
So report it once you are sure it is lost, not while you are still checking the hotel safe. But don't wait days: Canada and the UK both say to report as soon as possible.
Lost abroad: emergency travel documents
If you are in another country, your embassy, high commission or consulate is the place to go. What they can give you depends on your country and how soon you travel:
- United States: contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate to replace the passport. USA.gov says that in some cases you may get a limited-validity passport if there isn't enough time for a regular one.
- United Kingdom: an emergency travel document, if you are a British national outside the UK and need to travel within six weeks. It costs £125 (no refund), is usually ready to collect 2 working days after you apply, and is usually valid for one single or return journey, through up to 5 countries. You may need an appointment at a British embassy, high commission or consulate. Applying cancels your lost passport, so you don't report it separately.
- Canada: contact the nearest Government of Canada office abroad. The Government of Canada says emergency passport services are not available at every office abroad, so be ready to change your plans.
- Australia: contact the nearest Australian embassy or consulate. See Smartraveller and the Australian Passport Office (links in Sources) for current steps.
An emergency document gets you home or on with your trip. It is not a full passport, so check with the embassy and your airline that it works for every country on your route.
Lost at home: replacing it before a trip
- United States: report it, then apply in person with form DS-11.
- United Kingdom: report it, then apply for a replacement: £102 online or £115.50 by paper form. If you need it within weeks, the 1 week Fast Track service can replace a lost or stolen passport (£192 for an adult). The 1 day Premium service can't; it is only for renewals.
- Canada: call to report it, check whether you can renew, and send the PPTC 203 declaration with your application. You pay the normal fee plus an extra C$45 for a lost or stolen passport. Canada may look into how it was lost before issuing a new one, which can add time. If you need it fast, there is urgent pick-up by the end of the next business day and express pick-up in 2 to 9 business days.
- Australia: report it to the Australian Passport Office, then apply for a new passport. Current steps and fees are on its website.
Don't book travel on the old number. GOV.UK says your new passport will not have the same number as your old one.
The four countries side by side
| Passport | Report it | Lost abroad | Replacing at home |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Online with form DS-64, by phone on 1-877-487-2778 (TTY 1-888-874-7793), or by mailing form DS-64 | Nearest U.S. embassy or consulate; sometimes a limited-validity passport | Apply in person with form DS-11 |
| United Kingdom | GOV.UK online service (you need a phone number), or the Passport Adviceline | Emergency travel document, £125, usually ready in 2 working days | £102 online, £115.50 paper; 1 week Fast Track £192 (adult) |
| Canada | 1-800-567-6868 in Canada or the US; elsewhere, the nearest Government of Canada office | Nearest Government of Canada office; emergency passports not at every office | Normal fee plus C$45, with form PPTC 203 |
| Australia | Australian Passport Office; abroad, the nearest Australian embassy or consulate | See Smartraveller and the Australian Passport Office | See the Australian Passport Office |
Last checked 17 October 2026. Phone numbers, fees and times change; the official pages in Sources have the current figures. Australian details are link only (see Sources).
What helps: a copy, your number, a second ID
Replacing a passport goes faster when you can prove who you are and describe the one you lost.
- A copy of the photo page. GOV.UK says a photocopy or photo of the lost passport can help you answer questions about it. The Government of Canada says copies can help confirm your identity and speed up a replacement.
- Your passport number and issue date. Forms ask for them. They are on the copy.
- Another photo ID, such as a driver's license, kept separately from your passport when you travel.
- A spare passport photo that meets your country's rules. The UK emergency travel document needs a digital photo that hasn't been used in a previous passport.
- Your travel plans and your travel insurance details. If the passport was stolen, a police report may help with an insurance claim.
Keep the copy somewhere you can reach if your bag is gone: on your phone, and with someone you trust at home who can send it to you. A copy kept only in the same bag as the passport doesn't help.
If you have to send several photos at once, such as the photo page, another ID and a police report, you can put them into one PDF with our free JPG to PDF tool. It works in your browser and doesn't upload them.
Keep a copy ready with DocIt
We make DocIt, so read this part with that in mind. DocIt can't report, cancel or replace a passport. What it can do is keep a copy ready before anything goes wrong.
- Scan the photo page before you travel. DocIt reads it and fills in the details for you to check.
- The number one tap away: your passport sits in DocIt's wallet, so you can copy the number into a form, even offline.
- Share in two taps if an embassy or your insurer asks for a copy.
- Private: the scan is encrypted on this phone (AES-256), and you can lock the app with your fingerprint or PIN. No sign-up and no ads.
The honest part: a copy is not a passport, and you can't travel on it. And if your phone is stolen along with your passport, the copy on it goes too, so also leave a copy with someone at home.
DocIt is free on Google Play in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and 7 more countries, on Android only.
When to renew your passport: the six-month rule · Your ID numbers in DocIt's wallet · Where to keep copies of your important documents
Questions
Can I travel on a photo or copy of my passport?
No. The Government of Canada says copies of your documents can help confirm who you are and speed up a replacement, but they can't be used as identification. To cross a border you need a passport or an emergency travel document.
If I find my passport after reporting it, can I still use it?
Assume not. USA.gov says that once you report a US passport lost or stolen it is invalidated, and you can't use it if you find it. Canada asks you to send a found passport back with a declaration form. Check your own passport office's page.
Do I need a police report?
It depends on the country and the case. The Government of Canada says a police report isn't required to replace a passport but may help with insurance claims. The UK and US pages we checked don't ask for one. If the passport was stolen, reporting the theft to local police is still sensible.
Will my new passport have the same number?
No. GOV.UK says a new passport will not have the same number as your old one. Update bookings and travel permits (visas, an ESTA, eTA or ETA) that hold the old number.
Someone else lost their passport. Can I report it for them?
In the UK, yes: GOV.UK says you can report a lost or stolen passport for someone else if they can't do it themselves. For other countries, check the passport office's page or call them.
Sources
Checked on 17 October 2026. Pages marked "link only" could not be opened from our checker that day; open them for the current details.
- USA.gov: report a lost or stolen passport (updated 24 March 2026)
- US State Department: lost or stolen passports (link only)
- GOV.UK: cancel a lost or stolen passport
- GOV.UK: get an emergency travel document
- GOV.UK: emergency travel document, how to apply and cost
- GOV.UK: renew or replace your adult passport
- GOV.UK: get a passport urgently
- Canada.ca: lost, stolen, inaccessible, damaged or found passports (page date 8 December 2025)
- Government of Canada: lost or stolen belongings abroad (modified 24 July 2026)
- Canada.ca: passport service standards (page date 30 March 2026)
- Australian Passport Office (link only)
- Smartraveller, Australian Government (link only)