Passport Lost: Know What You Can Do If You Fall In Such A Sticky Situation

Losing a passport is possibly every person's nightmare but the stress can be reduced if you know what has to be done in such a situation. Here's a step by step guide.

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New Delhi: Losing your passport can land you in some serious issues, if your passport is stolen you can become a victim of identity theft. That’s why you should immediately report your passport as missing or stolen to the police as soon as it happens. Remember to keep photocopies of your passport and note down, passport number, date of issue, date of expiry, and place of issue with you at all times. Here’s a step-by-step guide of what to do in case your passport is stolen

• Lodge an FIR at the nearest police station and then to the passport office or Indian Mission (if you are abroad).
• If you know who stole your passport, mention it in your report, if not, file an unidentified person/s report. If you have misplaced it, you have to file a misplaced report.
• Apply for ‘Re-issue’ of your passport at the Passport Office or Passport Seva Kendra.
• Dispatching a passport will take about 30 days, but you can apply for a Tatkal scheme. The Tatkal scheme has been introduced by the Government of India to get an Indian passport on an expedited basis (within 4 days) on payment of additional fees.
• You will require the following documents: o Passport application form o Proof of Address o Proof of Date of Birth o An affidavit stating how and where your passport was lost o The original FIR report o If available, self-attested photocopy of the first two and last two pages (including ECR/Non-ECR page) of your old passport. Photocopy of the old passport is not a mandatory document to be submitted in case of lost/damaged/stolen passport. It should be produced if it is available.

Remember, you have to be physically present to apply for your passport. The new passport booklet would be issued to you with a fresh validity of 10 years.