You will never want to go through such a terrible experience that you’re about to fly tomorrow but find you lost your passport. Passport is what allows you to go to foreign destinations, and not finding it before your flight can be truly terrifying. What if you can’t cancel or postpone your flight? It’s so frustrating and annoying, isn’t it? Take a deep breath. If you’re in an “I lost my passport and I fly tomorrow” situation, depending on where you are and where you want to go, read below and you will know what to do in a good way.
I Lost My Passport and I Fly Tomorrow Domestically
Fortunately, if you’re planning a domestic flight within the US and your passport is lost or stolen, you can continue your flight. According to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), there are other ways to confirm your identity using government-issued photo ID, such as driving license, permanent resident card , etc., to get you on the plane. This applies to all 50 States of the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, and the overseas territories of the United States: Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific, and the United States Virgin Islands of St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix in the Caribbean.
But if you can’t provide with your driver license or any acceptable forms of ID, you’ll need to complete an identity verification process with a TSA officer before your flight’s scheduled departure time. When you arrive at the airport, the TSA officer will ask for some information, including your name, current address, and other personal details. If all your messages can match against a database, you’ll be allowed through to the security screening, and you’ll get a boarding pass noting that you don’t have an ID. Remember that the process can take a while, so make sure you get there early.
Or you can build a strong case to fly without an ID, such as bringing the police report to the airport, so it can prove your story and can help confirm your identity with TSA. In addition, it will help stop someone from stealing your identity and doing the wrong thing.
After your trip, don’t forget to replace your lost or stolen passport. There are two forms you need to fill out: Form DS-64, “Lost or Stolen Passport,” and Form DS-11, “Application for a New Passport.”
I Lost My Passport and I Fly Tomorrow Internationally
Unfortunately, if you’re in the U.S. and want to fly internationally, but can’t find your passport. This is a serious problem. A passport is absolutely essential for overseas travel. It is impossible to fly internationally without a valid passport. So, what can you do? You’re going to cancel or postpone your trip and hopefully you get some refund of the your flight fees. If you want to restart your trip, it now takes about 10-13 weeks to apply until your replacement passport is delivered to your home. Even expedited service takes up to 7-9 weeks, and you need to pay an extra $60. Consider the estimated time it will take to receive your passport when you are booking your next travel.
But there are some special situations where you can get a quick passport. If you need to travel aboard because of the death or hospitalization of an immediate family member, you may qualify for life-or-death passport service, where you’ll receive a new US passport within 72 hours. Contact the National Passport Processing Center to make an appointment with regional passport agencies in the United States.
My Passport was Lost or Stolen Overseas
If you find your passport has been lost or stolen while you are in other counties, you are in big trouble now. In order to return to the United States, you need a replacement passport. There is nothing you can do but contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate and make your way there quickly. They will help you get a new passport as soon as possible.
You will be asked to complete the DS-11 passport application and the DS-64 “Lost or Stolen Passport” form at the embassy. If possible, provide the consular staff with your travel itinerary (plane ticket or boarding pass information), the police report in the event of theft (if any), and a valid photo ID (like a driver’s license) and proof of citizenship, such as your birth certificate, or an old expired passport.
If you’re unable to show any of these documents, don’t panic. The consular staff will do their best to help you replace your passport quickly. If your flight is urgent, give them your flight details so they can issue you an emergency passport and you can continue your journey. (You must change your emergency passport to a regular U.S. passport after returning to the U.S.)
And most importantly, you need to provide embassy or consulate staff with a passport photo that is compliant to obtain an emergency passport that can be used to return to the United States. They will not provide passport photo service at the embassy, so you have to deal with this yourself.
Fortunately, there are some reliable online passport photo editors, such as AiPassportPhotos, that allow you to get a compliant U.S. passport photo quickly. After you have taken the portrait photo with a white background, then one click turns your picture into an acceptable passport photo on your way to the embassy, and you can print it out at the nearest self-printing machine or photo printing shop, and bring your 2*2 inch picture with you. So you can get new passport photos a breeze with AiPassportPhotos.
I Don’t Have My Driver’s License or Other Proven Files
If you don’t have a driver’s license or other proven documents, there are some helpful practices to follow. If you have an expired passport, put it in your suitcase forever. When you lose your passport, the embassy will take an expired passport as your ID to process your replacement passport.
If you don’t have an expired passport, the best thing to have is a photocopy of your current passport. You can print a few copies, take one with you, and leave one at home, so your family member can fax it to the embassy in case of a travel emergency.
Conclusion
You may be able to fly without a passport and this will depend on your travel situation. The most important thing is to keep passport safe. Don’t lose them. Keep your passport in a safe place when traveling.
Erin Lo