Was your passport lost or stolen abroad?

Losing your travel document while overseas can be a hassle, but the process of getting yourself home is simple once you know what to do

- DANIELLE GELFAND

THIS SUMMER, ON a hot Paris subway, one hour into our family vacation, my husband's wallet — containing our passports, money and credit cards — was stolen. His initial reaction was unrestrained ("Daddy just said the F word six times," our then-7-year-old daughter noted), and we didn't know what to do.

We got lucky. Because our contact information was in the wallet, we received a call soon after that it had been found. We retrieved it just in time to make our train to Bordeaux, but as the doors shut, I discovered that my passport was gone.

It can happen to anyone. According to the US State Department, almost 900,000 American passports were reported lost or stolen between January 2024 and the end of July 2025. If you're unfortunate enough to be in that position, you aren't alone — you can arrange for an emergency replacement. Here are five steps you can take in case you suddenly find yourself passport-less in a foreign land.