What to do when you lost your passport during an overseas travel?

... Only gamers understand this reference ... If you don't then you are no true gamer ...

First of all, in my opinion.. The best thing to do... is to prevent it. Take care of your stuff people!! Before it is too late!!!

I was travelling around Europe for the last month and when I was travelling from Nice to Barcelona, it happened. We had to stop in Montpellier (an interchange station) before we can proceed to Spain. Everything happened there. On that day, our train was delayed for an hour and a half. Not only ours actually, almost all the trains were delayed because of the some railway track faults. 
My mistake was that I put down my backpack behind my boyfriend's back, which was out of our line of sight. We then sat down and proceed to do something else. We kept looking at the display for any updates on the train status and also at our phones. And then when it's time to get up, I realize my bag was gone. 

Guys, I hope you can learn a lesson from my mistake. Make sure to put your belongings where you can see them especially when you are out in a public area. Nobody will take care of them except you. 

If however, you are a klutz like me despite the countless warnings your parents has given to you, well here comes the more formal to-do steps to make sure your travel can continue. 


  1. Locate the nearest police station where you can make a police report. Make sure that you go during the opening hours. In some cities, they only provide this service during office hours (like Montpellier, France they only can make reports until 7pm)
  2. Locate the nearest embassy preferably in the same country which the crime has taken place and call them to ask them when is the best time for you to drop in or how long does it take to make an emergency passport or also what you need. 
  3. Go to a photo booth and take a set of passport photos. You will need to use it when you visit the embassy. 
  4. Gather your docs: a copy of your flight ticket/e-mail, a copy of your lost passport, and an ID which can be used to identify who you are. It is best for you to save a copy (of any docs especially IC and Passport)  in your e-mail account or google drive. I didn't have to find some place to print the docs, I just went to the embassy to download my files and print it there. That is the case in Paris's Malaysia Embassy, not sure about others. 
  5. Go to the embassy and fill in the required forms (a lot of forms to be filled). You'll need to write down a lot of stuffs. I wrote how my passport got lost 3 times in different forms. So.. bear in mind, just keep it short so you won't need to write a whole essay about it. 
  6. Now, wait at least 24 hours. 
Amidst all the confusion, I of course panicked and also went a little wild. But let me tell you something, once it's lost... well, it's a little mean saying this but abandon all hope cause they are not going to find your bag. They are so many cases happening everyday, do you think they will have time to find all of them and return it back to you? Don't give yourself false hope.
I've actually typed a whole paragraph describing what I encountered but then I realize I was just ranting (more than 200 words). What I really need to type down here is that only trust yourself and don't waste time talking to the security guard at the train station. They can't do anything for you. They just walk around the train station, but if you need help catching the bad guys, trust me when I say that is not their job. They might misled you and waste your time. So, it's better to get going. It was a headache for us in Montpellier, France because most of the staff doesn't really understand English. But anyway, at least I get to go home.

Be cautious and be safe during your travels. Bon voyage!

2 comments:

  1. thanks for the tips!! really helpful especially we should just go straight to the nearest police station instead of asking for help from the security guards

    so after filing a police report, the embassy will issue a statement clarifying your identity?

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    1. you're welcome Sydney! No, unfortunately you have to bring something that can prove your identity. Let it be student card, a photocopy of your ic, or etc. Else, I'm not sure how. Sorry! Haha

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