Losing your passport while abroad for a holiday, leisure trip or business event can be a shock. Searching for your passport if it has been lost, stolen or misplaced may create feelings of stress and confusion.
While losing your passport might be seen as an inconvenience, it doesn’t have to turn your trip upside down. There are steps you can take if your passport is lost or stolen when you’re abroad that should resolve the issue relatively quickly and easily.
In this article, we explore what to do if your passport is lost or stolen while away in another country and how your travel insurance – with passport insurance included – can support you.
Contents
- Does travel insurance typically cover your passport?
- Steps to take if your passport is lost or stolen abroad.
- What isn’t covered under travel insurance?
- Supportive travel insurance with GasanMamo.
Does travel insurance typically cover your passport?
Protecting your passport is a benefit you can secure as part of a wider travel insurance policy. The passport aspect of a travel insurance plan generally covers the cost of replacement of your passport if it is lost, damaged or stolen while you are abroad during your travel insurance dated period.
An established insurance provider is likely to integrate any necessary and reasonable additional travel and accommodation expenses you have had to expend to obtain a replacement passport during your holiday or journey. You’ll find that your policy shows how much will be payable in this circumstance from the insurer.
It’s helpful to note that insurers are unlikely to pay for the loss of a passport if the loss hasn’t been reported to the police and a police report hasn’t been obtained within 24 hours of discovering the loss.
Browse more about this topic in our article: What does travel insurance cover?
Steps to take if your passport is lost or stolen abroad
Time is of the essence when it comes to reporting your passport and contacting your insurance company. This is because the sooner you let official authorities know, the easier you will find it to secure replacement documents and start a new passport and compensation process.
Follow these practical steps to ensure you experience a smooth passport replacement:
- Report to local police
An essential first step is to go to the local police station near where you’re residing on your trip and report your passport as lost or stolen. You can then obtain a police report, which you need to share with the embassy and your insurance provider. It’s recommended that you do this within 24 hours of the loss or theft.
- Contact the embassy or consulate
Once you have the police report, you can visit your embassy or consulate, likely to be the nearest Maltese embassy if you’re a Maltese resident. This is where you can seek assistance and get an Emergency Travel Document (ETD) to return home as planned.
- Emergency travel document
An embassy should have the ability to issue an Emergency Travel Document which will enable you to return back home in line with your travel plans. You will need this document to board a flight and go through passport control.
- Apply for a new passport
Once you return home, you can apply for a replacement passport, possibly in person at the Passport Office. Make sure to have all of the relevant official documentation with you to ensure this is an efficient and easy process.
- How your travel insurance can help
As soon as you realise your passport has been either lost or stolen, contact your travel insurance provider. They will give you expert advice and guide you through the necessary steps you need to obtain official documents and return home safely.
What isn’t covered under travel insurance?
If you’re considering a break abroad, it’s important to know what is covered under your travel insurance policy and what is not. In terms of your passport, it is typical for insurance companies not to cover the following:
Expired or invalid passports
A travel insurance policy will not cover the costs of a cancelled flight or missed holiday if your passport has expired or is invalid. This is the passport holder’s responsibility to arrange.
Passport renewal delay
If your new passport does not arrive in time for your trip abroad and you have to cancel your plans, travel insurance will not compensate in this situation.
Unattended belongings
A passport that is lost or stolen because it has been left in unattended belongings in a public place will generally not be covered by travel insurance.
Passport without police report
Many insurance providers won’t cover a passport that has been lost or stolen without an accompanying official police report as proof of this incident.
Lost passport in home country
Travel insurance is active during its dated period and will usually cover the loss or theft of a passport during a trip abroad with an appropriate police report. If your passport is lost or stolen while you’re at home, this won’t be covered under your plan.
Supportive travel insurance with GasanMamo
Before you travel, we advise checking your existing travel policy to ensure it includes passport and document cover before you fly. You can also review the plan to find out what the limits are in terms of cover if your passport has been lost or stolen so you have this information to hand should you need it.
A much anticipated break or business trip can mean lots of organisation, but it can be helpful to reduce potential stress if you take out supportive travel insurance before you travel, as part of a wider travel insurance policy.
It is usually advisable to buy a travel insurance policy as soon as you pay any holiday deposits so that you know that whatever happens, you’ll be looked after. Discover more about annual travel insurance in our article: How annual travel insurance works.
Take a look at our competitive, comprehensive benefits and attractive optional extensions on our travel insurance page.
GasanMamo Insurance is authorised under the Insurance Business Act and regulated by the MFSA.
