When you are abroad, be it for vacation or business purposes, the most significant risk—and perhaps the worst thing that can ever happen to you—is losing your passport. While it is unfortunate that it happens to many people, this is far from being unsolvable! Losing a passport should not pose too much of a problem for you, because as a UK passport holder, there are many ways you can get a new passport or even grab hold of an emergency one.
That being said, this article will answer how you can attain a new passport if you lose it while travelling and what you can do with it.
Eligibility for a new UK passport
When applying for an emergency UK passport, there are a few criteria you will need to satisfy to be eligible for one.
First, you need to be a British citizen who is stuck outside of the UK. Second, your passport needs to have been lost, stolen, damaged, expired, or full. Third, your travel plans do not give you enough time to wait for a new passport. Fourth, you have provable travel plans, such as through airline tickets and hotel confirmations, or a written itinerary of your plans.
If you satisfy all of the above conditions, then you are eligible for the emergency passport! Keep in mind that if you have the time for a new passport rather than an emergency passport, get a new passport instead. That is because an emergency passport is quite limited in terms of where you can travel, and it expires after a year.
Time length to get a passport
In many cases, you can expect to receive your emergency passport within two or so working days. However, depending on demand and the ongoing situation, such as with the current status of COVID-19, that time may be slightly longer. For that reason, it is always recommended to apply for an emergency passport as soon as you can.
That said, the time may also lengthen for various other reasons. For example, you may have provided the wrong documentation to support your application, not provided enough information in the documentation, or applied one for a child that is under the age of sixteen.
If you want to, you can apply for an emergency passport online to shorten that time to receive this important document. Do note that you will have to pay a fee of approximately £100 to apply online—which is non-refundable even if your application did not go through or is denied for any reason! If the online application were successful, you would need to make an appointment at the nearest British embassy or consulate to collect your document.
Conclusion
With an emergency passport in hand, you can continue with your plans as usual. However, do note that there are limitations to an emergency passport, as we stated earlier. For example, your emergency passport will include your itinerary, meaning you need to follow it to the letter. Also, it has a limitation of only five visitable countries—and it will expire in a year, to boot. As such, after you get back and have the time to apply for a new passport, do so right away to avoid any further complications.
Travcour Visa & Legalisation Services Limitedis a visa and passport specialist, offering services for quick and successful applications to attain the passport or visa you need. If you are looking for a visa agency to help you attain your passport quickly, contact us today!