Losing a passport abroad is the last thing that comes to anyone’s mind, and so when it happens most people do not know what to do. Yet the procedure is clear and, in the right order, is settled within two or three days. The person who loses the most time is the one who goes to the embassy without the police document. Below I have written the steps in order.
The first three steps when losing a passport
The first step is to stop searching and go to the police. At the local police station you write a statement and are given a written report; without that document the embassy does not start the process. The report should show the date, the place and the number of the document, so having a copy of the passport makes the job easier.
The second step is to contact the nearest Azerbaijani embassy or consulate. If there is no mission in the country you are in, the embassy in a neighbouring country accredited to it handles the matter. The third step is to inform the airline and the hotel, because the dates will have to be changed.
What the embassy needs
| The police report | Confirms the fact of the loss or theft |
| Photograph | A standard size photo for the document |
| Whatever confirms your identity | A copy of the passport, an identity card, a birth certificate |
| Application and fee | Filled in and paid on the spot |
If nothing confirming your identity is left, the procedure drags on, because the data has to be checked from Baku. That is precisely why keeping a photo of the passport in cloud storage and in your email is not an ordinary precaution but something that really wins time. Official information about consular services is set out on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs site.
Read more: Travel safety: documents, money, street schemes and digital rules
How the return certificate works
The embassy does not give you a new passport but a temporary document called a certificate of return to the homeland. That document is valid in one direction only, that is, for returning to Azerbaijan, and its validity is short. With it you cannot cross into a third country or continue the route.
There is one subtlety: if the lost passport held that country’s visa, the migration authority can require additional formalities on departure. Ask the embassy about this and, if necessary, go to the local migration office in advance; learning about it at the airport is too late. If your travel insurance has a clause on restoring documents, part of the costs is paid.
Preventing the loss of a passport
The simplest rule is not to take the passport out on daily walks. Keep it in the hotel safe and carry your identity card and a copy of the passport with you; in most countries that is enough. In some countries carrying the original is required, so confirm that in advance.
The second rule is to have copies in three places: on your phone, in your email and on paper in your suitcase. The third is not to keep the money and the documents in one pocket, because a pickpocket takes the whole bag. To discuss such matters in advance when arranging the trip, consulting a travel organiser is useful.
In brief
The order is this: the police report, the embassy, the return certificate, then the ticket. Keep the passport in the safe, hold copies in three places, read the document clause of your insurance in advance. To plan your trip and the document process together, fill in the application form.
Note: the procedure and the timings vary by country, so in a specific case follow the embassy’s instructions.
