Replace a Stolen Passport

A passport in the wrong hands is a valuable identity document, and the only way to neutralize it is to have it cancelled. Reporting the theft cancels the passport electronically and permanently; from that point it cannot be used for travel, and anyone who presents it may be detained. Unlike a loss, where a thorough search comes first, a theft is reported as soon as you know the passport is gone, whether a bag was taken, a wallet lifted, or a room broken into. A passport that had already expired at the time of the theft is not reported, because it could not be used for travel, but the replacement application still records it. If you reported the theft before coming to us, the report is not repeated.

A police report is not required to report a stolen passport or to replace it, and the replacement application does not wait for one. It is strongly recommended all the same, particularly when the theft happened abroad. A police report creates a dated, official record of the theft that can support an insurance claim and protects you if the passport is later used in an attempt to open accounts or assume your identity. The application has a place to note that a report was filed, and a copy is worth keeping with your records. Record the city and country of the theft; a state or province is needed only when the theft occurred in the United States.

Because the stolen passport is no longer available to support a renewal, the replacement is a new passport application and you establish citizenship and identity again. Citizenship is shown with an original or certified copy of a birth certificate, Consular Report of Birth Abroad, or certificate of naturalization or citizenship; identity with a current physical photo identification. If your identification was stolen along with the passport, two or more secondary documents may be assembled instead, such as an expired license, a Social Security card, a voter registration card, or an employee or student identification. An identifying witness who has known you for at least two years can also support the application. One recent color photo and, where your name has changed, a certified name change document complete the requirements.

You begin by telling us whether the passport was still valid when it was taken and whether the theft has already been reported. The report of the theft and the replacement application are then completed together, with the date, place, and circumstances of the theft entered once and the police report noted when one exists. Our team prechecks the answers for completeness and consistency. Once your application has been processed, both documents and instructions for the remaining steps are available in your account. A replacement after a first theft is normally issued with full validity; when more than one valid passport of yours has been lost or stolen, the replacement may be limited to a shorter period.