Passport is an important document, which is not only used while traveling abroad, but also acts as an identity proof document in your own country. And this stands true for US passport as well. Infact the US passport is considered as one of the strongest and most powerful passports in the world.
Stolen or lost passport – an issue faced by many people
Uneventful accidents and incidents happen and these bring in lots of stress and anxiety for people. Innumerable cases have been reported where people have lost their passport or the passport was stolen. This could happen in one’s own country or while visiting another country. And when the latter happens it is a matter of worry for sure. Dealing with lost and stolen documents is something very stressing and frustrating. The problem aggravates if the lost passport contains a valid visa too.
The first thing that needs to be done in this case is contacting and getting in touch with the local police station personally. File a report of the loss or stealing and obtain a police report against the same. Once this step is done, you can report the passport loss/stolen case to Consular Section Fraud Prevention Unit. This reporting has to be done via an email only. There are certain documents that need to be attached to the email. These include reporting form for the stolen or lost visa, copy of identification of your email and the police report. There are two ways in which the form can be obtained. The PDF version of the form can be downloaded from the website or you can request a copy of the form by mailing to the above mentioned email id.
Traveling to the United States with valid visa
If you are interested in traveling to the United States, you will need a new visa for the same. While applying for the new visa for traveling to US, you have to present few documents for the same. At the time of visa interview, you will need to produce the completed stolen or lost visa reporting form and the police report. You have to keep in mind that you will need to get a new passport and for that you have to fill in a new passport application form. The application fee also has to be submitted for getting the passport and visa. Once all these things are done, you have to schedule an appointment for the visa interview. If the interview is cleared, you will be sanctioned a new visa. You can refer to embassy website to know in details as what documents are needed to apply for US passport and visa.
Passport and visa loss and the consequences
Once the passport and visa loss/stealing are reported, your travel to the US will be hampered. These documents will not be considered to be valid for traveling to the US. Therefore before reporting for loss/stealing make sure that you look for the documents thoroughly in every possible place. Again if you recover the documents after reporting, you will not be permitted to take the flight for flying to United States in any manner. Many people think that if only the passport loss is reported and no information is reported for visa loss, the journey will not be hampered. But the truth and fact is that even the visa gets cancelled as the passport is flagged. This whole process of cancelling is done to protect the identity of the individual in the best manner and ensure that he/she is highly secured.
There are many passport and visa agencies which help in dealing with lost/stolen passport and even damaged passport. Arrange for all suitable documents that are needed for getting a new passport and visa and hand them over to the agency for processing. Once everything is in place again, you can make your travel plan again.
