When you lose your U.S. passport, you will receive a completely new passport number on your replacement document. Every newly issued U.S. passport carries a unique number that differs from the one on the lost or stolen passport. Your first two moves are straightforward: report the loss using Form DS-64 to cancel the old document, then apply for a replacement using Form DS-11.

Your route to a replacement depends on how soon you need to travel:

  • Travel within 3 days or a family emergency: Schedule an appointment at a regional passport agency in person.
  • Travel in 2 days to 4 weeks: An accredited courier service like Fast Passport Center can hand-deliver your application to a passport agency and manage the process on your behalf.
  • Travel in 4 or more weeks: Apply through a USPS passport acceptance facility or by mail.

Pro Tip: Report the loss through the State Department’s online DS-64 tool as soon as you realize the passport is missing. The State Department recommends the online form filler because it typically cancels the document within one business day, cutting off any opportunity for misuse.

Table of Contents

How do you report a lost or stolen passport?

Reporting your passport promptly is not optional. Once the State Department cancels the document, it cannot be used for travel by anyone, including you. Here is the step-by-step process.

Step 1: Gather the information you will need. Before you open any form, collect everything you remember about the passport: the passport number if you have it written down, the approximate date and location of the loss, and whether you filed a police report. A police report is not required but strengthens your case if theft is suspected.

Step 2: Submit Form DS-64 online. Go to travel.state.gov and use the Online Form Filler to complete and submit DS-64. This is the fastest cancellation method, often processed within one business day.

Step 3: If you prefer mail, download the DS-64 PDF, complete it, and mail it to the address printed on the form. Mailing adds several days before cancellation takes effect, so online submission is strongly preferred.

Infographic outlining passport replacement process steps

Step 4: Report in person while applying for a replacement. If you go directly to a passport acceptance facility or regional agency to file Form DS-11, you can submit DS-64 at the same appointment. Tell the acceptance agent or agency officer that you are reporting a loss and applying for a replacement simultaneously.

Key information to have ready when filing DS-64:

  • Your full legal name as it appeared on the passport
  • Passport number (if available from a copy or travel record)
  • Date and place of birth
  • Approximate date and location of the loss or theft
  • Police report number, if applicable

Pro Tip: The State Department advises against reporting an already expired passport as lost or stolen. The DS-64 system is designed to invalidate active documents to prevent fraud. If your passport had already expired before you lost it, skip DS-64 and go straight to a standard renewal application.

How do you apply for a replacement passport inside the U.S.?

If your passport is lost or stolen while you are in the United States, you must apply for a replacement in person using Form DS-11. Unlike a standard renewal, which can often be done by mail, a lost or stolen passport replacement requires a face-to-face appearance at a passport acceptance facility or regional passport agency.

Proof of U.S. citizenship is the foundation of your DS-11 application. Acceptable documents include:

  • An original or certified copy of your U.S. birth certificate
  • A previous U.S. passport (if you have one that was not the lost document)
  • A Consular Report of Birth Abroad (FS-240)
  • A Certificate of Naturalization or Certificate of Citizenship

If none of those are available, consular or acceptance officers can sometimes accept secondary evidence such as a baptismal record, hospital birth record, or affidavit from a parent, combined with a sworn statement explaining why primary evidence is unavailable.

Proof of identity must be a government-issued photo ID: a driver’s license, state ID card, or military ID. You will also need a photocopy of the front and back of that ID.

Man presenting ID at passport acceptance desk

Passport photo must be 2×2 inches, taken within the last six months, against a plain white or off-white background.

Document Where to Present
Form DS-64 (loss report) Acceptance facility or regional agency
Form DS-11 (replacement application) Acceptance facility or regional agency
Proof of U.S. citizenship (original) Acceptance facility or regional agency
Photocopy of citizenship document Acceptance facility or regional agency
Government-issued photo ID (original + copy) Acceptance facility or regional agency
2×2 passport photo Acceptance facility or regional agency
Proof of travel (for urgent service) Regional passport agency only

Fees vary by timeline. The application fee for a passport book is $130, plus a $35 execution fee at acceptance facilities. Expedited processing by mail adds $60. Regional passport agency appointments, which serve travelers with documented urgent travel, carry the same fees but move significantly faster.

Processing times vary: routine processing can take several weeks, expedited mail processing is faster, and regional agency appointments serve travelers who need a passport within days.

Pro Tip: For a child’s lost passport, both parents or guardians must generally appear in person or provide a notarized statement of consent. Double-check DS-11 instructions for minors before your appointment to avoid a wasted trip.

How do you replace a lost passport while you are overseas?

Losing your passport abroad is more stressful, but the process is manageable. Contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate immediately. Do not wait until the next business day if you have imminent travel.

Steps to take abroad:

  • Report the loss to local police and obtain a police report. Many countries require this, and consular officers will ask for it.
  • Contact the U.S. embassy or consulate to schedule an emergency appointment. Most posts have after-hours emergency lines for U.S. citizens.
  • Complete Form DS-64 and Form DS-11 as directed by consular staff. The embassy will guide you through their specific intake process.
  • Bring any substitute evidence of U.S. citizenship you have: a photocopy of your lost passport, a driver’s license, a birth certificate photo on your phone, or old visas in your name.

Consular officers will accept substitute evidence when original documents are unavailable and will prioritize travelers with imminent departure dates. In urgent cases, they can issue a limited-validity emergency passport as soon as the next business day. That emergency passport is valid for a single return trip or a short period, not the standard 10 years. Once you are back in the United States, you should apply for a full-validity replacement through normal channels.

Pro Tip: Before any international trip, email yourself a scan of your passport’s photo page and store a copy in a secure cloud folder. If your passport is lost abroad, that digital copy gives consular officers the key details they need and speeds up emergency issuance considerably.

Will your replacement passport have a new passport number?

Yes, without exception. Every new U.S. passport is assigned a unique passport number that has no connection to the number on the lost document. This is true whether you apply at a regional agency, an acceptance facility, or a U.S. embassy abroad.

That new number has practical consequences you need to address promptly:

  • Global Entry and TSA PreCheck: Trusted-traveler programs require a manual update when you receive a new passport number. Failing to update your Trusted Traveler account with the new number, issue date, and expiration date can cause delays or denial at border crossings.
  • Once reported, the old passport is permanently cancelled. Even if you find the lost passport later, it cannot be used for travel. Attempting to use a cancelled passport will result in travel denial.

Pro Tip: After you receive your new passport, photograph the data page immediately and store it in a password-protected folder or a secure app like 1Password or Bitwarden. Record the new number in your airline profiles, Global Entry account, and any visa applications before your next trip.

How can you recover your old passport number if you need it?

You may need your previous passport number for a visa transfer, a travel history inquiry, or a consular question. Check these places first:

  • Photocopies or scans you made before traveling
  • Saved photos on your phone or cloud storage
  • Email confirmations from airlines or hotels that required passport details at booking
  • Prior visa applications or visa approval letters, which typically list the passport number used
  • Your State Department passport portal account, if you created one during a previous application
  • Boarding pass records or travel itinerary confirmations

If you cannot locate the number anywhere, proceed with your replacement application anyway. Consular officers and acceptance agents understand that lost-passport applicants often lack the old number. Stamped visas, boarding passes, or entry/exit stamps in other documents serve as supporting evidence of your travel history.

Fast Passport Center’s experienced agents can also help you reconstruct your application paperwork if you are missing key details, reducing the back-and-forth that often slows down urgent replacements.

Pro Tip: Keep a printed card in your wallet with your passport number, issue date, and expiration date. It takes 30 seconds to make and can save hours of searching if you ever need to replace a lost passport quickly.

Special situations: mail loss, deceased relatives, disasters, and identity theft

Some passport losses fall outside the standard scenario. Here is how to handle the most common edge cases.

Passport lost in the mail: Report it using DS-64 just as you would any other loss. Note in the form that the passport was lost during postal transit. If you mailed your application and the passport was lost in return delivery, contact the State Department’s National Passport Information Center and ask about reissuance. Keep your tracking number and any USPS correspondence as documentation.

Passport of a deceased relative: A surviving family member can report the passport to prevent identity fraud. Contact the State Department directly with a copy of the death certificate. A replacement passport cannot be issued for a deceased person, but cancellation is possible and advisable.

Loss after a natural disaster: The State Department may offer fee waivers for travelers whose passports were lost or destroyed in a federally declared disaster. Contact the National Passport Information Center and ask specifically about disaster-related fee waiver eligibility.

Suspected identity theft: File a police report immediately and report the passport lost via DS-64. Contact the Federal Trade Commission at IdentityTheft.gov to place a fraud alert on your credit file. Notify the State Department if you believe someone may attempt to use your identity to obtain a fraudulent passport.

A passport number alone cannot be used to cross an international border. A physical, valid passport is required. Reporting with DS-64 is the definitive step to shut down any potential misuse of your number or document.

When does using an accredited passport courier make sense?

The decision comes down to your travel deadline and your distance from a regional passport agency.

Regional passport agencies serve urgent travel needs, but there are only a handful across the country. If you live in Tampa, Charlotte, Sacramento, Nashville, or Louisville, the nearest agency may be two or more hours away, and appointments fill quickly. That is where an accredited courier service fills a genuine gap.

Use a courier when:

  • Your travel date is 2 days to 4 weeks away
  • You live more than two hours from a regional passport agency
  • You want expert document review before submission to avoid rejection
  • You need hand-delivery to the agency and real-time tracking

Use the regional agency directly when your travel is within 3 days or involves a documented family emergency. The agency is the only option for true same-day or next-day service.

The role of a passport courier service is to handle the logistics that slow most applicants down: checking that DS-64 and DS-11 are completed correctly, physically delivering the package to the agency, and coordinating pickup once the passport is ready.

Fast Passport Center is registered with the U.S. Department of State, has operated for over 20 years, and maintains drop-off offices in 24 cities. Those credentials matter when you are handing over your most important travel document.

Pro Tip: Before hiring any expeditor, verify that they are listed as a registered courier on the State Department’s official website. Unregistered services cannot hand-deliver to passport agencies and may leave you without a passport and without recourse.

Key Takeaways

When you lose your U.S. passport, your replacement will always carry a new, unique passport number, and your fastest route to getting it depends entirely on how soon you need to travel.

Point Details
New number is guaranteed Every replacement U.S. passport receives a unique new number, with no connection to the lost document.
Report first with DS-64 Submit DS-64 online for cancellation typically within one business day, then file DS-11 in person.
Timeline drives your route Agency for travel within 3 days; courier for 2 days–4 weeks; USPS acceptance for 4+ weeks.
Update trusted-traveler programs Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, and airline profiles all require manual updates with your new passport number.
Fast Passport Center for urgent replacements For travelers 2+ hours from an agency with travel in 2–4 weeks, Fast Passport Center provides hand-delivery, document review, and real-time tracking.

The case for a courier that most travelers overlook

Most of the advice you will find about lost passports focuses on the official channels: go to a regional agency, mail in your DS-11, wait. That guidance is accurate, but it skips a practical reality that affects millions of travelers. Regional passport agencies are concentrated in major metropolitan areas. If you live in a mid-sized city, the nearest agency may require a full day of travel, and appointments are not always available on short notice.

What I find underappreciated in most coverage of this topic is how much of the delay in lost-passport replacements comes not from processing time itself, but from application errors. A DS-11 submitted with a missing signature, a photo that does not meet spec, or a citizenship document that is a photocopy instead of a certified copy will be rejected, and that rejection costs days you may not have. An accredited courier’s document review step is not a luxury add-on. For a traveler with a flight in ten days, it is the difference between making the trip and missing it.

The regional agency remains the right answer when travel is within three days or when a genuine family emergency requires same-day service. For everyone else with a deadline measured in days or weeks rather than hours, the courier workflow, with its document checks, hand-delivery, and direct agency coordination, tends to be both faster in practice and less stressful in execution.

Fast Passport Center can replace your lost passport faster than you expect

When your passport is lost and your travel window is tight, the paperwork alone can feel like the biggest obstacle. Fast Passport Center removes that friction. As a registered State Department passport courier with over 20 years of experience and drop-off offices in 24 cities, Fast Passport Center handles DS-64 and DS-11 form review, document verification, and hand-delivery to passport agencies so your application moves without delays caused by avoidable errors.

Fast Passport Center

Service levels range from 24-hour emergency processing to same-week and standard expedited timelines, depending on your travel date. If your trip is 2 days to 4 weeks out and you are not within easy reach of a regional agency, this is the most practical path to a replacement with your new passport number in hand. Many travelers have trusted Fast Passport Center with their urgent document needs, and the company holds an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.

Start your lost or stolen passport replacement at FastPassportCenter.com. Have your travel date, any copies of your lost passport, and your proof of citizenship ready when you reach out, and an agent will guide you through the right service level for your timeline.

Official sources and further reading

For forms, processing times, and embassy contacts, go directly to these government pages:

For group travelers managing multiple lost or expired documents before a trip, the must-have travel documents guide, from Group Travel Network, covers document readiness across the full party.

FAQ

Do you get a new passport number when you replace a lost passport?

Yes. Every newly issued U.S. passport receives a unique, new passport number that is different from the one on the lost or stolen document.

How do I find my old passport number after losing my passport?

Check photocopies, digital scans, email booking confirmations, prior visa applications, or your State Department passport portal account. If you cannot locate it, proceed with your replacement application without it.

How do I get a new passport if my old one is lost?

Submit Form DS-64 online to cancel the lost passport, then apply in person using Form DS-11 at a passport acceptance facility or regional agency with proof of citizenship, a government-issued photo ID, and a passport photo.

Can I use my passport if I find it after reporting it lost?

No. Once a passport is reported lost or stolen and cancelled by the State Department, it is permanently invalid and cannot be used for travel, even if you recover it physically.

How fast can I get a replacement passport after a loss?

A regional passport agency can issue a replacement within days for travelers with documented urgent travel. An accredited courier like Fast Passport Center can typically deliver results within 2–4 weeks for travelers who are not near an agency. Routine processing through a USPS acceptance facility takes several weeks.

This article provides general information about U.S. passport replacement procedures. For guidance specific to your situation, confirm current requirements and processing times directly with the U.S. Department of State at travel.state.gov or consult a qualified passport specialist.