Travelling soon and lost UK passport. What can I do?
UPDATE: Praise your choice of deity, I found it!
UPDATE AGAIN: Due to a number of people wanting to know where it was found - I sold my car a couple of months ago and had a bag of stuff I'd removed from the car before it was collected, the bag contained my passport among other things (and a pair of sunglasses - handy!) and was living at the bottom of my wardrobe
I am a UK citizen, born and lived in UK all my life. I have a valid UK passport, I believe it expires in about 2 or 3 years. But I can't find it and I go travelling in 4 days from now.
I intend to visit the following countries: Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Austria, Italy, France. I will be travelling by ferry between England and Belgium (and the reciprocal on the return) and all other travel will be by private car.
I am happy to pay whatever the cost is for a replacement passport but I'm not sure how to get it quickly enough.
On https://www.gov.uk/get-a-passport-urgently it suggests that I can get one urgently but only if mine is expired or due to expire soon and I cannot use that service if mine is simply lost.
In a panic I tried to phone the passport office on 0300 222 0000, which is the number listed on gov.uk, but it seems fully automated and only tells me to go online and do it there, which I have already failed to do.
Some Googling found this page https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/entry-exit/eu-citizen/index_en.htm which strongly suggests that I'll actually be fine without a passport, but I have contacted the support centre for the ferry company and they confirmed I will absolutely need a passport to travel with them.
The only other photographic ID I have is a full UK photocard driving license, which the above page explicitly excludes as a valid form of identification.
Will I be okay travelling through these countries between 23rd June and 10th July with no passport present? If not, how can I expedite the passport application process? It seems impossible to actually speak to anyone at the passport office.
Best Answer
According to EU rules you need either a passport or a national ID card to travel between EU countries.
However, the UK does not issue national ID cards- there was a whole political issue about possibly introducing them during the Blair government which led to them eventually being rejected.
As a British citizen you absolutely 100% need a passport to leave the UK (except for Ireland...though to get on a plane you still need a passport).
There certainly is a 1-day service for passports. I once used this to renew a passport that was soon to run out (only to have said passport stolen a few months later...) and it worked as advertised:
https://www.gov.uk/get-a-passport-urgently
1 week Fast Track
Your new passport is delivered to your home within 1 week of your appointment. Someone might need to be in to sign for it.
You can use this service to:
- replace a lost, stolen or damaged passport
(none of the other options apply for replacing a lost passport)
The only possible way you would probably be OK without a passport (albeit putting yourself at great risk if you are subject to a random search) is if you're already in continental Europe and travel by land.
From the UK your chances are nil unless you've access to a private boat or some other underhand means.
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What to do if you lose your passport the day before a trip UK?
You will need to apply for an emergency travel document. This will help you get back home to the UK. The countries and dates of travel for your itinerary will be printed on this document, so make sure these don't change. If they do, then you will have to re-apply for another emergency travel document.What can I use instead of a passport UK?
ID: If you don't have a passport, UK driving licence, birth or adoption certificate- A certificate of registration or naturalisation as a British citizen. ...
- A letter of attestation from your employer. ...
- A letter of attestation from a UK passport holder. ...
- A letter from a UK further or higher education institution.
How quickly can you replace a lost passport UK?
All you have to do is fill out the online application form on the UK Government website. Follow the instructions, and you'll have a new valid passport in around 5 weeks! Make sure you have a countersignatory whose details you can enter into the application, so they can confirm your identity.Can you travel without a passport UK?
Passports. You will need a current passport if you are travelling abroad and for many domestic flights within the UK. It is your responsibility to ensure your passport is up to date. Some countries require UK passports to be valid for at least six months after the date you are due to leave their country.Travel Expert Urges Britons To Check Their Passports After Huge Delays Threaten Holidays | GMB
More answers regarding travelling soon and lost UK passport. What can I do?
Answer 2
The passport office has an option to receive a callback. I left my name and number and an adviser called me back a couple of hours later.
The adviser explained that the quickest it is possible to replace a lost or stolen passport is 7 days.
The 1 day service is only available for replacements of expired or nearly expired passports that are still in your possession.
I guess I'll need to look harder...
Answer 3
Find your passport!
Looking for a passport is quite a stressful time, which implies doing mistakes, forgetting where you put it, when the answer can be easy.
Think out of the box! For the anecdote, I once “lost” my passport before going on a cycle trip. Therefore we could not use the ferry to reach our destination in Greece. When I got home after the trip, I unpacked and found my passport in... a small pocket in my bag! Check your old bags and pockets!
When did you have it for the last time? Where? What is your favorite safe place? Maybe you’ve hidden too well, but in a place you know well. Be smart and methodical in your research, it’s probably not in the kitchen.
Good luck!
Edit: just saw you found it! Glad
Answer 4
There are only two permanent border checkpoints on your route: the departure and destination ports of the ferry. From my experience traveling to the UK, all traffic is checked on the France->UK routes. Outbound traffic from the UK is scrutinized less thoroughly, but the chance of having to show your passport is still too high to risk traveling without one.
Answer 5
You might consider having a go with Directive 2004/38/EC Article 5(4):
Article 5
Right of entry
- Without prejudice to the provisions on travel documents applicable to national border controls, Member States shall grant Union citizens leave to enter their territory with a valid identity card or passport and shall grant family members who are not nationals of a Member State leave to enter their territory with a valid passport.
...
- Where a Union citizen, or a family member who is not a national of a Member State, does not have the necessary travel documents or, if required, the necessary visas, the Member State concerned shall, before turning them back, give such persons every reasonable opportunity to obtain the necessary documents or have them brought to them within a reasonable period of time or to corroborate or prove by other means that they are covered by the right of free movement and residence.
(emphasis added)
I wouldn't think it likely to succeed, but you might just get away with it if you have enough proof "by other means." If you're willing to risk being turned back at the ferry and you're unable to find your passport, it might be worth a shot. Please come back and let us know what happens if you try it.
(Based on Hobbes's comment on his answer, it seems that it is more likely for this to work on a ferry to France with juxtaposed immigration controls, so you might consider changing your itinerary.)
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Ethan Wilkinson, RODNAE Productions, Andrew Neel, Pixabay