If you are traveling abroad and have lost your passport or if you are afraid that it has been stolen and you need pass port replacement, by following a few steps, you can have a new passport in your hand and be ready to travel again. By working with the United States Consulate office in the country you are visiting, you can be heading back to your travels rather quickly. Remain calm and you will find you will be able to think more clearly and get through the process quickly.
There a couple of different ways you can find the consulate office. You can ask for help at the hotel where you are staying. They will likely be able to point you in the right direction. If not, the information is available on the Internet by visiting the U. S. Department of State. If Internet access is an issue for you, you might consider contacting a family member or friend that is back home and is able to go on the Internet and look it up for you.
When you arrive at the consulate, you will be required to fill out a new passport application. The consulate officer will interview you as a means to verify who you are. He will very likely ask questions including your name, date of birth, and place that you were born. You may also be asked for your passport number and the location and date that you applied for your passport. In the event you have a photocopy of the passport that was lost or stolen, be sure that you bring it with you to the consulate. It will provide them with much of the information that they need to expedite the process for you.
The officer will also as you to provide some form of proof of your identity. Try not to worry if your paperwork with this type of information was lost or stolen with your passport. There are other ways that the consulate can confirm your identity. If you are traveling with others, they may be interviewed. He may allow you to call family members or close friends in the US so that he can speak to them. Another option that the officer may use is to review your previous passport application.
Usually the replacements that are issued are valid for the full 10 years that any passport is valid for. If there is any doubt in the consular officers mind as to your identity and there is not time to wait for the State Department’s verification, a limited 3 month passport may be issued. If this happens, than once the applicant returns to the United States, they will be required to apply for and pay for a regular passport.
You will be asked to pay the usual fees to the consulate for the replacement. In the event that all of your money was stolen with your passport or if you were a victim of a disaster and you do not have the money, you will be issued a passport with limitations so that you can return to the United States. You will then have to reapply and pay the fees for a new one.
The consulate operates during normal business hours and is closed evenings, weekends and holidays. The officers that are available during these times are there only to handle the most extreme emergencies. They cannot assist with your passport needs. If you are not able to wait until the next day that they will be open for regular business, the officers may be able to help you in other ways that will allow you to return to the United States.
If your passport is lost or stolen while you are traveling, do not panic. Contact the US Consulate office and provide them with as much information for the US passport application forms as they need and they will issue you a pasport replacement, usually in a timely fashion.
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