Lost passport while traveling

Parents Forum Parent Cafe
#1

<p>My daughter called a few hours ago; seems her passport fell out of her purse on the train between Brussels and London. While she is 24 year old and traveling for work, she called me first to see if I had any words of wisdom. I would have liked to have said, you should be more careful, but figured that wouldn't help anything. Seems her conference was running late and many were racing to go to the 7pm train to London. Sounds like she tossed her passport into her purse which is larger enough to hold a small baby ;) She had her carryon rolling bag as well as her computer case and tossed her purse on her seat while getting settled. Didn't realize the passport was missing until she go to the hotel in London.</p>

<p>As she was checking the website to see what she needed to get a replacement, I was getting together her birth certificate to take to UPS. I happen to have a photo copy of her passport here from when she studied abroad, so I sent that along also. Hopefully she will be able to get an appointment at the American Embassy in London for Thursday after the paperwork arrives to her hotel. Her flight back to the states is on Saturday, so I think she should be good. Luckily she has her wallet, so money is not an issue.</p>

<p>Tomorrow my daughter is going back to the train station in hopes that someone turned her passport in. If it indeed fell out of her purse on the train, it is possible that her passport it taking a very long trip without her and will turn up at some point; unfortunately, it will most likely be after she has received a replacement.</p>

<p>As usually with my daughter when she is stressed and tired like tonight, I got the brunt of her anger. While we all know this wasn't my fault, she lashed out at me. I usually don't let her go on and on like she did tonight, but I know how upset she was, so I stayed calm. She will end up calling me tomorrow and apologizing.</p>

<p>Does anyone have any experience going to the American Embassy in London? Assuming she can get an appointment Thursday or Friday, will she still be there all day? As best I can tell she will get another 10 year passport, not just a temporary. Is this right?</p>

#2

<p>Snowball - how could you have possibly let your D lose her passport on that train? This is clearly all your fault. ;)</p>

<p>I can relate to what you said and feel bad for your D and for you since I know things like this cause angst for all concerned. I don't have any words of advice since it sounds as if she and you are doing everything right but I hope it works out for her.</p>

#3

<p>Lost</a> or Stolen Passports | Embassy of the United States London, UK</p>

<p>I'm assuming you have already seen this, but according to #6, she can get an appointment.....unless I'm reading this wrong...</p>

<p>Oops...didn't realize that you knew this....I'm assuming that if they are giving you an appt, that you are not spending all day there</p>

#4

<p>Don't know if they can replace a passport on the spot at the Embassy like that, but if not, they will give her the travel documents she needs to get home. It's great that you had a photocopy of her passport. That will help. Of course, things have probably changed since the last time I had to deal with this issue. Only once, fortunately, and it was H.</p>

#5

<p>If she has travel insurance, it may cover the costs of getting the replacement. </p>

<p>And, if they don't issue one but instead issue the document to get back into the US, that works just fine, as one of my siblings learned.</p>

#6

<p>it's good that you had a photocopy... she should've had photocopies with her (stored separately) and left copies at home as well. This is generally what travel books advise.</p>

<p>I'm sure if there's an appointment and she has all the paperwork, it won't take that long.</p>

<p>She should also double check all her bags to make sure she didn't place it somewhere else in the rush.</p>

<p>I don't understand why they can't just scan your fingerprints and verify your identity. I guess they don't do fingerprints when you get a passport, but they should, and embassies should have a fingerprint machine.</p>

#7

<p>DS had his passport stolen in Barcelona and, with a Xerox of it, was able to get a replacement at the American embassy on the spot.</p>

#8

<p>call the passprot office, BEFORE sending any birth ciertificate, it might not be necessary. fax a copy of the passport is much faster than send it by UPS></p>

#9

<p>Her company will most likely pay for her replacement as well as the UPS charge for me sending her paperwork. Well, she is going to expense it and see ;)</p>

<p>The passport is in a bright pink leather cover; something I gave her and her friends before they all went abroad. Maybe this will make it easier to find and some kind soul will turn it in. Again, it may not be found before she needs a replacement, but I know she would love to have her cover and passport will all her stamps returned to her.</p>

<p>I am hoping her mind will be clearer tomorrow after some sleep. She called me at 10:30pm London time after 4 hours of sleep the night before and flying to Brussels on the overnight flight the night before that. While she sleeps on the plane some, it is more like little short naps; I know she was wiped out.</p>

<p>**Artlover-We cross posted; according to the information online, she has to have a birth certificate for a replacement passport. I didn't think that was correct, but it is on the web of the US Embassy in London as well as the form she had to fill out for a lost passport. I sent it this evening so that it will arrive Thursday morning.</p>

#10

<p>My dd had her passport stolen and she got it replaced quickly as she was leaving the foreign country the next day. A guy in the park took her photo for her for $10. I know this advice is too late, but you should always carry a copy of your passport but at least you had a copy.</p>

#11

<p>Onward-The reason I have a copy of her passport was from when she went abroad junior year. I also have a copy of the others in the family as we met her at the end of her program and traveled for a week together. I left one copy at home with my parents and kept one copy with us; not in the same place as the actual passports. My daughter felt like knowing her passport number was sufficient and we might find out she is correct!</p>

<p>I had also suggested she leave me with her credit card numbers in case her wallet went missing. It would be easy for me to call the credit card companies for her quickly if needed, but she hasn't found the need for me to have them. Hope that will not have to become another learning experience!</p>

<p>For someone who travels international 1-2 weeks each month, she still have much to learn!</p>

#12

<p>I have a scanned copy of the kids passports, if one is needed, I can email and if a printer can be found they have a copy. I have told them to keep copies of these docs in their Gmail or dropbox, not sure if they do.</p>

<p>Fingers crossed for your DDs passport to be waiting at the train station as my DDs was in the UK, the station master was so smart, he did NOT send it to lost and found as it takes a long time to get to that central location (DD had left it as the ticket purchase counter when pre-purchasing tickets, so she had it on time for her trip.</p>

#13

<p>Great news! My daughter called the train station this morning once the number online was opened; she tried last night, but the office was closed. They had her passport and she was on her way to pick it up. While I don't have the details yet, I am guessing someone saw it before the train left for it's next destination and said passport stayed in London.</p>

<p>I guess that bright pink cover came in handy;) Now I hope she remembers to grab her UPS envelope from the hotel desk tomorrow as I had already sent her birth certificate. On many levels I am glad the passport was found, but my daughter is happiest she didn't have to cancel her meetings to go stand around the Embassy!</p>

#14

<p>Snowball, what a relieving phone call that must have been!</p>

<p>Now the your world is feeling a little better, care to share where you got the passport covers from? Sounds like a great idea for all of us to get!</p>

#15

<p>Wow, It is wonderful that her passport was found - I love honest people!</p>

<p>As a side note, it is a good idea to scan and email a copy of your passport to yourself. (don't call the file "a copy of my passport" This way it can be accessed immediately - even if you lose your computer, you can always log on at wireless cafe.</p>

#16

<p>I bought these years ago and I think they were Kate Spade. I just looked online and don't see the same ones; the one they have now is $65 and I did not spend that much! I think I paid around $20-$30, but that was 6 years ago.</p>

<p>The one I bought was similar to this one: Lodis</a> Women's | Travel Accessories - Onyx Passport Cover</p>

<p>I am pretty sure I have seen color leather passport covers at the luggage stores and other places. Vera Bradley has cover also in many of their prints.
Passport</a> Cover | Vera Bradley</p>

<p>Here are a few other I found with a very quick look:
Royce</a> Leather Plain Passport Jacket - eBags.com</p>

<p>Royce</a> Leather Foil Stamped RFID Blocking Passport Jacket - eBags.com</p>

<p>Belle</a> Hop Passport Case - eBags.com</p>

<p>Winn</a> International Cowhide Nappa Leather Deluxe Passport Case II with U.S. Emblem | Luggage.com</p>

#17

<p>I just bought the Vera Bradley passport cover in English Meadow...it's so pretty! I'm going abroad for May Term this school year and then will probably be spending a semester abroad in my junior year and was also thinking that I didn't want to lose it, so I bought a cover for it. My parents didn't really think I needed a cover for it, but this story certainly says that can help if it ever got lost.</p>

<p>Right now, if others want to know, Vera Bradley has their winter sale and and the passport cover is on sale for $16.80 in certain colors, instead of the original price of $28.</p>

#18

<p>We got passport covers at AAA. While a pretty Vera or Kate Spade would have been nice, it was MORE important for us to have the protective cover that prevents identity theft. I don't think the Spade or Vera ones do.</p>

<p>We also had copies of our passports, credit cards (both sides) and driver's licenses tucked away in our suitcases...and we had emailed ourselves scanned copies of passports...just in case.</p>

#19

<p>Personally, I like keeping the passport IN the moneybelt with other valuables when traveling, UNDER my clothing. I like it as small & inconspicuous as possible so I can nearly forget I'm wearing it. Good to keep an emailed scan of your passport photo page to yourself so you can print it in case of theft & get a new passport promptly.</p>

#20

<p>IMO that case is not useful... just makes it bigger and bulkier. Where are you going to put it? In your purse? That would be the worst place for your passport, IMO. Purses are commonly stolen in cities (especially on trains and at crowded tourist locations).</p>

<p>HImom - I carried my passport in my money belt for a month when I went backpacking. They had some trouble scanning it at the train station, but eventually let me back on the Eurostar to go Paris to London. The person told me to "try not to get it wrinkled" and I said "well, I've been carrying it in a money belt for a month so it wouldn't get stolen." I also got pulled out of the crowd on the London end and questioned more though. I'm sure it was related.</p>

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