Learn What You Need to Replace a Lost Or Stolen Passport

If you are one of the unfortunate people who lose their passports every year, you shouldn't worry. The US Department of State offers you various means of replacing it. By reading the following paragraphs below, you'll learn how to replace a lost or stolen U. S. passport.

First Steps
It all begins with your reporting of the loss of your passport. This is an important step that you need to do immediately. To report this, you will need to fill up a DS-64 form. This is a form that will contain your statement regarding the loss of your passport. Alternatively, you could call the Passport Services office of the US Department of State. But if you are in another country when you lost your passport, you'd need to visit the nearest US Consulate or Embassy immediately.

What Forms Do I Need?
When filling up your Form DS-64, make sure that you fill in every item correctly and exhaustively. This may also require you to remember details that surround the loss of your passport. Fill in any detail that you think will be helpful in replacing your passport. Once you are done with this step, you can then send the form to the Passport Services office of the US State Department.

How about in cases when the passport that you lost was still valid by the time it disappeared? You would be required to have your passport replaced. To do this, you would have to submit your Form DS-64, along with the DS-11 in person. The DS-11 is the form you fill up to apply for a replacement USA passport. You would then send these forms to your nearest passport agency or acceptance facility.

What If I Find My Passport?
Take note that once your passport has been reported lost, that passport will be invalidated. It means that that passport is no longer an official document, and can therefore no longer be used for travel. Also, once invalidated, you cannot request the passport to be re-validated. You would thus need to apply for a new passport.

In cases where you are able to find your passport after reporting it's theft or loss, you have to submit your recovered passport to the US Department of States Passport Services office. Once you submit it to them, you have the option of having it canceled and returned to you, or to have it destroyed by not requesting its return. The choice is yours to make.

Getting A Replacement

When applying for a replacement passport, the acceptance facility will require you to submit your application in person. And since you have to travel to the agency's office, it is highly advised that you check your documents before you even go there. This would save you the hassle of going back and forth until you are finally complete all the requirements.

Now that we have shown you how to replace a lost us passport, we're sure you now know how easy this process can be. Just always make sure that you have fulfilled every requirement for the replacement of your US passport. This helps to ensure a smooth and hassle-free process.