What to do if your passport is stolen

Why reporting comes before replacing

A stolen passport is two problems at once. It is a travel document you no longer have, and it is an identity document someone else now holds. The State Department's first instruction addresses the second problem: report your valid U.S. passport lost or stolen immediately to protect yourself from identity theft.

Reporting and replacing are separate steps. When you report a passport lost or stolen, the State Department cancels it. The canceled passport is no longer valid for travel, even if you find it later, and the report does not produce a new passport. To travel again, you must apply for a replacement. Many travelers assume one step covers the other. It does not, so plan for both.

The State Department adds two limits. Do not report an expired passport as lost or stolen. And report only the loss or theft of the physical document: according to its guidance, no one can travel using only a U.S. passport number, because an original, physical passport must be presented.

The three ways to report a stolen passport

The State Department lists three ways to report a valid passport lost or stolen on its Report Your Passport Lost or Stolen page:

• Online: the fastest option. The State Department says it cancels the passport within one business day and sends a confirmation email.
• By mail: fill out Form DS-64 (the Statement Regarding a Valid Lost or Stolen U.S. Passport Book and/or Card), print it, sign it and mail it to the address on the form, with a photocopy of the front and back of a photo ID such as a driver's license. This can take several weeks to process.
• With a new application: report the loss on Form DS-11, the in-person passport application, when you apply for a replacement. This can also take several weeks to cancel the old passport.

Because the mail and DS-11 routes are slower, the State Department points people who want an immediate cancellation to the online option. The Form DS-64 itself asks how and when the passport was lost or stolen, the passport book and card numbers if known, and whether you have lost other passports.

How many U.S. passports are reported lost or stolen

Passport loss and theft is common. The State Department received 504,918 DS-64 lost or stolen passport statements in FY2023, up from 469,459 in FY2022 and 330,701 in FY2021, according to the U.S. Department of State, Supporting Statement for OMB 1405-0014 (DS-64). That supporting statement is the only published annual count of lost or stolen U.S. passports we have found; the link is a mirror of a reginfo.gov filing, and the figures cover DS-64 statements rather than every passport reported through other routes.

Identity documents are also a recognized fraud category. The FTC Consumer Sentinel Network received 1,135,291 identity theft reports in 2024, and government documents or benefits fraud accounted for 70,332 of them, according to the FTC Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2024. That category is broader than passports, but it shows why the State Department frames reporting as an identity-protection step.

Replacing a stolen passport in the United States

In the United States, a lost or stolen passport is replaced with a new application made in person on Form DS-11, not by renewal. The State Department's reporting page says you must apply in person again if you want a replacement.

On the DS-11 you must give information about your most recent passport:

• where and when it was lost or stolen;
• a copy of the police report, if you filed one;
• an extra sheet of paper if you need more space.

If the DS-11 does not include all the relevant information, the State Department may pause the application and ask you to submit Form DS-64. Fees and processing times change, so check the State Department's current passport pages before you apply. If you already reported the passport online, keep that confirmation with your application materials.

If your passport is stolen abroad

Losing a passport abroad adds urgency, because, as the State Department puts it, you need a new passport before returning to the United States. Its Lost or Stolen Passport Abroad page sets out the process.

Report it, then contact the embassy or consulate

You can report the passport through the online form while abroad. Once reported, the passport is not valid for international travel. The State Department warns that your next destination may deny entry if you try to use it, or you might not be allowed to leave the country you are in. To travel, apply for a new passport in person at a U.S. embassy or consulate, and give consular staff the details of your trip.

What to bring

• one passport photo, 2x2 inches or 5x5 cm;
• identification, such as a driver's license or an expired passport;
• proof of U.S. citizenship, such as a birth certificate or a photocopy of the missing passport;
• your travel itinerary, such as airline or train tickets;
• a completed Form DS-11 with details of the loss and a copy of any police report.

The State Department says consular staff will do their best to help even if you cannot present every document.

Emergency and limited-validity passports

If there is not enough time to receive a regular passport, the consular section can offer an emergency passport, a limited-validity passport valid for up to one year. You can exchange it for a full-validity passport after your trip. A limited passport may also be issued if you have lost several passports or borrowed money from the State Department for your trip home. Replacement passports generally cost the same as any other passport, and victims of a serious crime or disaster who cannot pay may qualify for a free limited-validity emergency passport. Most embassies and consulates cannot issue passports on weekends or holidays, and the State Department says that in most cases a replacement is issued the next business day.

The police report: when it helps

A police report is not required to replace a passport. The State Department says police reports are not mandatory but can help confirm the circumstances of the loss or theft, and it asks applicants to provide a copy if they filed one. A report also helps in other ways. Insurers, banks and card issuers may ask for a report number if a wallet or bag was taken with the passport, and it supports an identity theft report later.

Abroad, local procedures vary. Ask the embassy or consulate where to file, and keep the report in the same place as your cancellation confirmation. For other property taken in the same theft, see our stolen property guide.

Identity theft after a stolen passport

A passport carries your full name, date of birth, place of birth and photograph. Those details can support impersonation even after the document is canceled. Canceling the passport stops its use for international travel; it does not stop someone from using the information printed on it.

After a theft, watch for signs of misuse, such as bills, collection calls or credit inquiries you do not recognize. If someone opens accounts in your name, report it at IdentityTheft.gov, the FTC's recovery site, and follow our identity theft checklist. A credit freeze with each bureau makes it harder to open new credit in your name. If the passport was stolen with a wallet, our stolen wallet guide covers cards, licenses and other documents.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

• Assuming a report replaces the passport. It does not. A report cancels the passport; a replacement requires a new application.
• Reporting by mail when time matters. A mailed DS-64 can take several weeks to cancel the passport. The online report cancels it within one business day.
• Trying to travel on a recovered passport. Once reported, the passport is canceled and cannot be used for travel, even if it turns up.
• Reporting an expired passport. The State Department says not to report an expired passport as lost or stolen.
• Traveling without a backup. A photocopy of your passport and a spare photo, kept apart from the original, can speed up a replacement abroad. Enrolling in the free Smart Traveler Enrollment Program lets the embassy reach you in an emergency.