Anyone ever lost a passport while abroad?
Discussion
Tim330 said:
Yes, in 2015 I put mine and Wife's passport in the washing machine whilst on holiday in Majorca.
We had to visit the UK consulate in Palma to get emergency passports to get home. I think these were £150 each or something which fortunately the travel insurance covered.
Crikey.We had to visit the UK consulate in Palma to get emergency passports to get home. I think these were £150 each or something which fortunately the travel insurance covered.
What was the process like?
I'd imagine the consulates, globally, would have to deal with numerous similar situations
I lost mine while on a motorcycle trip in France. The weather was horrendous and my waist bag come off on the motorway somewhere, passport in it.
I got to the UK immigration and told them, he said I'd have to go report it first at the police station which was on site. I said I did have my police warrant card, he got me to park my bike at the side of his kiosk, got the forms out, helped me fill them in and let me on the ferry. I got a new passport a couple of weeks later.
Probably the best use of my warrant card ever that one
I got to the UK immigration and told them, he said I'd have to go report it first at the police station which was on site. I said I did have my police warrant card, he got me to park my bike at the side of his kiosk, got the forms out, helped me fill them in and let me on the ferry. I got a new passport a couple of weeks later.
Probably the best use of my warrant card ever that one
Every day a journey said:
Tim330 said:
Yes, in 2015 I put mine and Wife's passport in the washing machine whilst on holiday in Majorca.
We had to visit the UK consulate in Palma to get emergency passports to get home. I think these were £150 each or something which fortunately the travel insurance covered.
Crikey.We had to visit the UK consulate in Palma to get emergency passports to get home. I think these were £150 each or something which fortunately the travel insurance covered.
What was the process like?
I'd imagine the consulates, globally, would have to deal with numerous similar situations
Ours got stolen in France about 10y ago
I spoke to the British consulate in Paris who said if I had photo ID eg driving licence then to just turn up at the ferry and all would be fine
Alternatively they could issue temporary ones as described above but Id be wasting my time and money
I pressed them and they said that yes, the ferry company would let us on, and it happens quite frequently
With a couple of kids in tow I didnt fancy this so put a day aside for a 7h return drive to Paris plus all the expected faff
The evening before I was due to set off the missus suddenly remembered that she'd put them in one of the kids suitcases by mistake
Happy days
3 times…..
Twice left in the seat pocket of a plane, once during transit, the other I’d pre cleared customs at departure so only discovered this one a while later.
The third was left on the deck of a ship that I’d had to board to inspect some of our kit that was ‘leaking’ and I’d been told I had to take my pp as ID.
In all 3 instances I had it returned to me. The main benefit of having 2 passports is how good I am at losing stuff…
Twice left in the seat pocket of a plane, once during transit, the other I’d pre cleared customs at departure so only discovered this one a while later.
The third was left on the deck of a ship that I’d had to board to inspect some of our kit that was ‘leaking’ and I’d been told I had to take my pp as ID.
In all 3 instances I had it returned to me. The main benefit of having 2 passports is how good I am at losing stuff…
My mate and I were robbed from our hotel room in Amsterdam.
It was weird to say the least! They left the money, but took our flight tickets (back when they were a thing), my mobile phone, my mate's Wallace & Gromit underpants and his passport.
At the airport the guy on security just waved us through muttering something about the British. We only had a slight problem when we got back to the UK.
How things have changed! (This would be 1997)
It was weird to say the least! They left the money, but took our flight tickets (back when they were a thing), my mobile phone, my mate's Wallace & Gromit underpants and his passport.
At the airport the guy on security just waved us through muttering something about the British. We only had a slight problem when we got back to the UK.
How things have changed! (This would be 1997)
Yes
I left mine in a posh hotel in Milan. The next day we were driving to Switzerland to get our return flight back to UK, I can't remember which airport or city but I think Zurich. Anyway I realised about 10 miles from the Swiss Italy border or border crossing. We stopped and I called the hotel and they confirmed it was in my (old) room where I had left it. They offered to fax a copy if I needed it. When faxes were still a thing. Luckily we just drove through the border without any checks. Then when I got to the Swiss Airport I went straight to the EasyJet customer services desk to explain the situation. They were adamant I could not fly. I explained the hotel were willing to fax a copy and could obviously confirm they had it in Milan etc. Eventually Easyjet got me someone a bit more senior to talk to and this person explained that it is the decision of the Swiss Border control. So after some discussions Swiss Border control permitted me to fly. And when i landed back in Liverpool someone was stood near the door into the airport shouting is ATM here ATM and I said yes that's me and I was wisked through some different doors which bypassed passport control. A few days later my passport arrived sent express delivery and fully tracked etc.
I left mine in a posh hotel in Milan. The next day we were driving to Switzerland to get our return flight back to UK, I can't remember which airport or city but I think Zurich. Anyway I realised about 10 miles from the Swiss Italy border or border crossing. We stopped and I called the hotel and they confirmed it was in my (old) room where I had left it. They offered to fax a copy if I needed it. When faxes were still a thing. Luckily we just drove through the border without any checks. Then when I got to the Swiss Airport I went straight to the EasyJet customer services desk to explain the situation. They were adamant I could not fly. I explained the hotel were willing to fax a copy and could obviously confirm they had it in Milan etc. Eventually Easyjet got me someone a bit more senior to talk to and this person explained that it is the decision of the Swiss Border control. So after some discussions Swiss Border control permitted me to fly. And when i landed back in Liverpool someone was stood near the door into the airport shouting is ATM here ATM and I said yes that's me and I was wisked through some different doors which bypassed passport control. A few days later my passport arrived sent express delivery and fully tracked etc.
I went to see Bowie in Lillle France with a couple of chums on a ferry. (yeah I know Eurostar goes there but it was also a booze drive too.. the second time we did go Eurostar as we had our better halves with us)
so, three of us returning in a heavily laden Volvo estate. driver said hand your passports to him.. but he couldn't find his own... nope...the customs guy said to him "are you English"... yes.. "ok, off you go". turns out he had dropped it in one of the booze supermarkets and he managed to get it back some weeks later after it was handed in and sent to the UK.
I lost mine in France. The process was simple and smooth to get a temporary before returning to the UK.
However, I first phoned a call centre and the person could not have been more useless. Her aim was to reduce your expectations to the lowest level, so that anything afterwards could only be a plus over her base point.
It did make me think that if you are part of a family on a short break to say Normandy, then the trip to Paris and back in a short time frame, to collect the temporary replacement, would be dreadful, and expensive.
However, I first phoned a call centre and the person could not have been more useless. Her aim was to reduce your expectations to the lowest level, so that anything afterwards could only be a plus over her base point.
It did make me think that if you are part of a family on a short break to say Normandy, then the trip to Paris and back in a short time frame, to collect the temporary replacement, would be dreadful, and expensive.
My mother managed to lose her passport on the plane back to Bournemouth a few years ago - immigration we're fairly chilled and let her through without much aggravation.
My son was accidentally born in the States and the vice ambassador to the USA in Washington couldn't have been more accommodating to create an emergency travel passport. It was really cool as it was gold, valid for 3 days and I would have loved to keep it - but I wasn't allowed (2014).
My son was accidentally born in the States and the vice ambassador to the USA in Washington couldn't have been more accommodating to create an emergency travel passport. It was really cool as it was gold, valid for 3 days and I would have loved to keep it - but I wasn't allowed (2014).
Many years ago In Greece my wife or I ( we blamed each other ) managed to burn both our passports and our return flight tickets.
The staff at the consulate were much amused by the story of how it happened and issued us with letters stating that they had witnessed the charred remains, letters that allowed us to return to the UK, they did not charge us anything.
The airline however charged us for replacement tickets.
The staff at the consulate were much amused by the story of how it happened and issued us with letters stating that they had witnessed the charred remains, letters that allowed us to return to the UK, they did not charge us anything.
The airline however charged us for replacement tickets.
Many years ago In Greece my wife or I ( we blamed each other ) managed to burn both our passports and our return flight tickets.
The staff at the consulate were much amused by the story of how it happened and issued us with letters stating that they had witnessed the charred remains, letters that allowed us to return to the UK, they did not charge us anything.
The airline however charged us for replacement tickets.
The staff at the consulate were much amused by the story of how it happened and issued us with letters stating that they had witnessed the charred remains, letters that allowed us to return to the UK, they did not charge us anything.
The airline however charged us for replacement tickets.
Elderly said:
Many years ago In Greece my wife or I ( we blamed each other ) managed to burn both our passports and our return flight tickets.
The staff at the consulate were much amused by the story of how it happened and issued us with letters stating that they had witnessed the charred remains, letters that allowed us to return to the UK, they did not charge us anything.
The airline however charged us for replacement tickets.
This made me chuckle this morning. You have to elaborate on this story! I have to know how you accidentally burned your passports…The staff at the consulate were much amused by the story of how it happened and issued us with letters stating that they had witnessed the charred remains, letters that allowed us to return to the UK, they did not charge us anything.
The airline however charged us for replacement tickets.
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