Lost Passport Guide
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Official-source guide

What to do when a lost passport held your residence status

Last checked: 19 October 2026 · Guides

Short answer
Treat the passport and residence status as separate records. Report the passport to its issuing authority. Report a missing residence card, visa, or endorsement through the country that granted the status. A new passport does not automatically reproduce a visa or residence endorsement in the old booklet 1. Before returning to the country of residence, ask its embassy what replacement, transfer, or return permission is required.
Passport issuer
Controls cancellation and the new passport
Residence authority
Controls the residence card, visa, or electronic status
New passport number
May need to be added to the residence record
Return travel
Confirm with the country of residence before booking
Old visa photo
Evidence for the report, not replacement permission

Report each missing record

Use the passport country's official loss route 2. If a physical residence card or visa was in the passport or lost at the same time, use the official route of the country that granted the residence status.

Keep the police report, passport cancellation reference, residence-card number, visa copy, and any application or permit number.

Obtain the new passport

The passport authority or embassy must verify identity and nationality before issuing the replacement. Tell it about urgent residence deadlines and return travel.

The new passport number will differ from the missing one. Give it to the residence authority through the process that authority specifies.

Update or replace residence evidence

Ask the country of residence whether its record is electronic, linked to the old passport, or represented by a separate card. Follow its embassy or immigration instructions for replacement or transfer.

A replacement passport does not restore a missing visa. The US Department of State, for example, says a lost US visa must be reported to the issuing embassy or consulate and may require a new application 1.

Confirm return permission

Before booking, give the embassy or residence authority the new passport details and ask what must be carried to the border. A residence card copy or approval letter is sufficient only when the authority confirms it.

Confirm airline and transit acceptance. An emergency passport or one-way travel document may have route limits even when residence status remains valid.

Common questions

Does my residence status disappear with the passport?

Not necessarily, but the evidence or linked passport record may need replacement or updating.

Does the new passport recreate the visa?

No. The visa or residence authority controls that record 1.

Who updates the new passport number?

The authority that granted the residence status.

Can I return with a police report?

Do not assume so. Ask the country of residence what return permission and documents it requires.

Rules and fees change. Check the official site linked above before you apply or pay. Spotted an error? Email [email protected] with the official link.

Sources

  1. US Department of State: lost and stolen visas
  2. US Department of State: lost or stolen passport

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