Information on Safe Migration
We promote the role of women in society,
revealing her personal potential, professionally
assisting in the realization of civil and social rights
revealing her personal potential, professionally
assisting in the realization of civil and social rights
What to do if your passport is stolen abroad?
25.07.2019
Although losing a passport is the worst nightmare for most tourists, such situations happen quite often (for example, last year, in just two months and in Ukraine alone, 30 passports were stolen from Belarusians). A passport can be stolen, it can be lost, and there are cases when tourists can accidentally damage the document, rendering it completely unusable (for example, by washing it thoroughly). We have prepared step-by-step instructions on how to behave if you lose your passport abroad, if it is stolen from you, or if it becomes unusable (for example, if the photo and/or the stamp is significantly damaged).
Step 1.
File a report about the theft/loss with the local police. The police will issue you a certificate of passport loss.
Step 2.
Prepare the documents:
The certificate of passport loss issued by the police
Two photographs measuring 3.5x4.5 cm (i.e., like in a passport)
Any documents that somehow confirm your identity: these can be driver's license, a copy of the passport, pension certificate, residence permit. If the copy of the passport is colored, that's great. If you also have a copy of your visa, that's even better. Their presence will significantly speed up the entire process (if you don't have documents, the process of establishing your identity can take up to a month). If you don't have any documents, ask your relatives or friends to send you scans of them.
Step 3.
Now you need to contact the consulate. If the country where you lost your passport has both the Belarusian embassy and the consulate, you will need to contact the consulate — it is responsible for the problems of citizens, as well as their passports and visas. In some countries, there is only the Belarusian embassy, in which case you need to go there.
So, the first thing you need to find out is where the consulate of your country is located and how it operates (usually they work in the first half of the day). Ideally, it's better to call the representative office and find out if there is a queue for an appointment and whether you need to make an appointment in advance.
If the country you are staying in does not have either a Belarusian embassy or a consulate, you can contact the diplomatic mission of a neighboring country or try to apply to the Russian consulate.
For the preparation of a temporary document, with which you can eventually return to your homeland, the consulate usually charges 20 euros. In case of deportation, expulsion of a citizen, or if a citizen has become a victim of human trafficking, the consular fee may not be charged.
At the consulate, you will fill out an application for a certificate of return to Belarus. A scan of your passport and other identity documents will be useful here: if available, the certificate will be issued within about a day. The issued certificate is valid for six months. With it, you can return to your country.
An important nuance: the return certificate gives you the right only to enter your own country (and this can make the return significantly more expensive). Therefore, connecting flights, even in visa-free countries, may be problematic (however, if the countries are visa-free, you can try to negotiate to be allowed on the plane without a passport - for example, if you are flying with a connection from one "Schengen" country to another). If you need a visa to visit the transit country, you will definitely not be allowed across the border. You will have to fly straight to Minsk, or as a last resort, transit through Russia.
It is also worth considering that the embassy is not obliged to pay for your tickets, hotel, and other expenses related to the loss of the passport and the resulting delays. The tourist will have to deal with all this himself.
If there are still valid visas in the lost passport, you can make a deal with the consulate so that, if the passport is found, it will be sent to you in Belarus. Having an annulled passport with valid visas and a new passport that will be made for you in Belarus, you can travel abroad until the end of the validity period of the visas.
Step 4.
Upon arrival in Belarus, within a month, you must contact the Department of Citizenship and Migration at your place of registration, surrender the certificate of return, and apply for a new passport.
Losing a passport is not terrible if you have thoroughly prepared for the trip, including making photocopies and scans of documents.
Source: www.tio.by
You can leave a comment or share your story:
