To add to the already stressful situation of a lost passport, you may not know what to do when you lose it in another country. Admittedly, there is some variance based on what your country of origin is, and where you may have lost your documents (or had it stolen), but these are some tips you can follow.
In any case, it is a good practice – even if you still have your passport! – to retain a photocopy of the first page of your passport for your records. Store this copy in a safe place. This way, if your passport does get lost or stolen, you can more easily replace it (see Step 3).
First: Inform local Authorities, if possible.
Second: Inform your nearest Embassy/Consulate of your Country of Origin.
For the second step, obviously this depends on your country of origin, but the procedure for nationals and permanent residents of the United States of America is outlined here and the government of the United Kingdom encourages people to cancel their passport at once to avoid identity fraud.
Third: Go through the Process to replace your Passport.
This process may vary, but the embassy/consulate you contacted in Step 2 will be able to help you. For US citizens, the documents you might need in order to replace a lost or stolen passport might include:
- Police report, if available
- Evidence of US citizenship (birth certificate, copy of existing passport)
- Identification
- Travel itinerary, if relevant
These are just some of the documents you may need, but because of these, it is a good plan to keep photocopies of important identification documents in a safe place in case a situation like this does arise. If you are a UK citizen in Germany, you may also want to check this page.
If you are a member of armed forces abroad, special requirements and procedures may apply. Again, check with your embassy/consulate, and also the branch of the armed forces to which you belong, for assistance.