Official-source guide

What to do after a passport is stolen

Q: Can I use the passport if it is recovered?

No. Do not use it after cancellation.

Last checked: 19 October 2026 · Guides

Short answer

Report a stolen passport immediately through the issuing country's official route and make the local police report required for theft. The passport authority can cancel the document, and the issuing country can supply invalid-document details for authorised border checks, including through INTERPOL's SLTD system ^1,2³. Keep the police and cancellation references. Report any later misuse to the passport authority and police.

First protection: Official cancellation through the passport authority ^2,3
Theft record: Police report where required
Border checks: Authorised officers can check invalid document records through SLTD ¹
Recovered passport: Do not use after cancellation ^2,3
Evidence to keep: Police report, cancellation reference, and passport copy if available

Cancel the travel document

Use the passport authority's official stolen-passport report immediately. When abroad, contact the nearest embassy or consulate ^2,3.

Keep the cancellation confirmation. Do not wait for suspected misuse before making the official report.

Preserve the theft record

Make a police report when required by the issuing authority or embassy. Record what else was stolen, the place and time, and any passport copy or number available.

Keep the police reference and a copy of the report. They can support the replacement, visa records, residence documents, and later misuse reports.

Protect linked travel records

Contact the issuer of any visa, residence permit, or identity document that was in the passport or stolen with it. Follow each issuer's official replacement route.

Change access to any official online account that may have been exposed. Use the issuing agency's own account-recovery route.

How cancellation helps

INTERPOL's SLTD database makes records supplied by member countries available for authorised checks of stolen, lost, revoked, invalid, and stolen blank travel documents ¹.

A cancelled passport does not become valid again if recovered. Give it to the passport authority or embassy and keep using the replacement-document process ^2,3.

Common questions

Should I report theft to police?

Follow the passport authority or embassy rule. A police report is commonly required and preserves evidence.

Does cancellation stop all misuse?

It invalidates the travel document and supports official checks. Report any later misuse promptly.

Will INTERPOL take my personal report?

No. The issuing country supplies document records to INTERPOL ¹.

Can I use the passport if it is recovered?

No. Do not use it after cancellation ^2,3.

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

How INTERPOL's lost passport database works
What the INTERPOL SLTD database records, who submits passport data, how border checks use it, and why a recovered passport stays unusable.
What happens to a passport once you report it lost or stolen
Why a reported passport is cancelled for good, how Interpol's Stolen and Lost Travel Documents database works, and what happens if you find it later.
What happens to a visa in a lost passport
Handle the passport and visa as separate records: report both, replace the passport, contact the visa issuer, and check travel permissions.
Lost your passport abroad: first steps
What to do first when your passport is lost or stolen abroad, from official advice by the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Germany.