A lost or stolen passport can turn a trip into a stressful race against time. The fastest response is not to improvise: secure your immediate situation, report the loss, contact the right consular office and confirm what document the border authorities will accept for your journey home.

1. Report the loss or theft locally

Contact the local police and ask for a written report or reference number. Procedures differ by country, but airlines, insurers and consular staff may ask for evidence that the document was reported missing. Keep a digital copy of the report and note the station, date and officer details.

A police report is not automatically a travel document. Do not assume it will let you board a flight or cross a border.

2. Contact your embassy or consulate

Your own country’s embassy, consulate or foreign ministry is the primary point of contact. Use an official government website to find current telephone numbers and opening hours, including an emergency line outside normal hours. Avoid search advertisements or unofficial intermediaries that charge for appointments.

Explain where you are, when you need to travel and whether you have another valid identity document. Consular staff will tell you which evidence, photographs, forms and fees are required.

3. If your EU country is not represented

EU citizens travelling outside the European Union have an additional safeguard. If their own EU country has no embassy or consulate in the destination, they may seek help from another EU member state’s embassy or consulate. The assisting office should provide support under the same conditions it offers to its own nationals.

This protection is particularly useful in destinations with limited diplomatic representation. Before visiting an office, call to confirm that it handles the case and ask what documentation to bring.

4. Gather proof of identity and nationality

Bring whatever you still have: a national identity card, driving licence, a secure copy of the passport, a booking confirmation, proof of residence or another official document. If the passport is gone, consular authorities can verify identity and nationality through other means. A trusted contact at home may also be asked to help provide supporting information.

Store copies securely before travel. A password-protected cloud folder or an encrypted device is safer than leaving sensitive images openly available in an email inbox.

5. Ask about an Emergency Travel Document

When a normal passport cannot be issued in time, an EU citizen may be eligible for an EU Emergency Travel Document for a specific return journey. It is not a replacement for a full passport and its validity and route are limited. The consular office decides whether it can be issued after verifying identity and nationality.

Share your full itinerary, including transit airports. A document accepted for the destination-to-home route may not automatically satisfy a transit country’s entry rules.

6. Check airline, border and transit requirements

Before buying a replacement ticket, ask the carrier what document it will accept and verify official entry or transit requirements for every country on the route. The consular document solves only part of the problem; the airline and border authorities still apply their own legal checks.

If you are in the EU or Schengen area, do not assume that the absence of routine border checks removes the need for valid identification. Temporary controls, airline identity checks and hotel registration requirements may still apply.

7. Secure accounts and watch for identity misuse

If the passport was stolen with a phone or wallet, freeze payment cards, change passwords for high-risk accounts and contact your mobile provider. Keep the police and consular reference numbers. After returning home, follow the issuing authority’s instructions for replacing the passport; a document reported lost or stolen should never be used again if it later turns up.

A compact pre-trip backup

• Save the official consular emergency number for your destination.
• Keep a secure copy of the passport’s identity page.
• Record travel insurance and airline contacts.
• Leave itinerary details with a trusted person.
• Check the document rules for any transit country.

The useful principle is simple: police report, official consular contact, identity evidence, emergency document if needed, and a route checked against airline and border rules.

Official guidance: Your Europe — Consular protection outside the EU (last checked 2 February 2026) and Expired or lost passports (last checked 11 June 2026).