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What to do if…
you need to renew or replace your passport abroad and cannot get an appointment in time

Produced and maintained by PanicStation.org Published: Last reviewed: Editorial policy USA guide

Short answer

Contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate’s American Citizens Services (ACS) section today, give your exact travel date and route, and ask what urgent passport option may be available. Do not change flights until you know what document you may be issued and whether your airline, destination, and transit countries will accept it.

Do not do these things

  • Do not go to the airport assuming you can travel internationally with an expired passport or without a passport; you may be denied boarding.
  • Do not keep using a valid passport after you report it lost or stolen; reported passports are cancelled and are not valid for travel.
  • Do not report an expired passport as lost or stolen unless the embassy or consulate specifically tells you to do that.
  • Do not enter passport details or pay fees through unofficial sites or people who claim they can bypass embassy or consulate procedures.
  • Do not lock in new international flights until you have checked the document ACS may issue and the rules for each destination and transit country.
  • Do not wait until the day of travel to contact ACS if your passport is lost, stolen, expired, damaged, or unavailable.

What to do now

  1. Write one short “urgent passport” summary you can paste into an ACS form or email:

    • full name, date of birth, place of birth, and current location
    • phone number and email you can answer today
    • whether the passport is expired, lost, stolen, damaged, or unavailable
    • when the problem happened
    • exact travel date, route, airline, and any transit countries
    • any passport number, passport scan, passport photo, passport card, other photo ID, or proof of U.S. citizenship you can access

  2. If your valid passport is lost or stolen, report it using the State Department lost or stolen passport instructions. After it is reported, treat it as cancelled and do not try to travel on it. If an expired passport is missing, tell ACS in your message, but do not file a lost or stolen passport report unless they instruct you to.

  3. Contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate’s ACS passport service through the contact route on that post’s website. Use a plain subject line such as: “URGENT PASSPORT — travel on [date] — [city/country]”. Paste your urgent passport summary and ask for the earliest urgent passport option they can consider.

  4. Check the same embassy or consulate passport page for its local renewal or replacement instructions. Some posts may have post-specific mail-in, courier, drop-off, or in-person rules; follow that post’s instructions rather than assuming U.S. domestic online or mail renewal rules apply while you are abroad.

  5. Get appointment-ready now, even if you do not yet have a slot. Gather:

    • one passport photo, 2x2 inches or 5x5 cm, or the nearest place that can take one quickly
    • proof of imminent travel, such as an itinerary, booking, or ticket
    • any proof of U.S. citizenship, such as a passport scan, birth certificate, naturalization certificate, or older passport
    • any government photo ID you still have
    • any forms the post tells you to complete, commonly a passport application form and lost or stolen passport details if relevant
    • a way to pay the passport fee if a fee is required

  6. If there are several U.S. consular posts in the country, check whether another post has a realistic urgent appointment or contact route. Only travel to another city if you can do so safely and lawfully with the identification you still have.

  7. Before changing flights, ask ACS what type of document may be issued, such as a full-validity passport or a limited-validity emergency passport. Then check your airline and the official entry or transit rules for every country on the route, because some countries or carriers may not accept every emergency or limited-validity document.

  8. If your travel is tied to a medical emergency, death, serious safety issue, or another urgent welfare problem, say that clearly in your first ACS message. Keep the message factual and include any proof you can access.

What can wait

  • You do not need to decide today whether to complain about appointment availability.
  • You do not need to rebuild your whole trip right now; focus on the next lawful and accepted border crossing.
  • You do not need perfect documents before contacting ACS; send the urgent facts first, then follow the checklist they give you.
  • You do not need to buy replacement flights until you know what passport document may be available and accepted.

Important reassurance

This is stressful, especially when appointment calendars look full. U.S. embassies and consulates have procedures for urgent passport problems abroad, but they need a clear travel date, route, and contact details before they can tell you what is possible.

Scope note

These are first steps only. Passport procedures, appointments, fees, and document acceptance can vary by consular post, airline, destination country, and transit country, and later decisions may need specialist travel or legal help.

Important note

This guide is general information, not legal, immigration, travel, financial, or professional advice. Follow the instructions from the U.S. embassy or consulate handling your case. If you are in immediate danger, contact local emergency services.

Additional Resources

Closely connected guides that may be useful during the same situation or its immediate aftermath.

About this guide

This guide was produced and is maintained by PanicStation.org using its published editorial process. Official and specialist sources are checked where relevant, and AI-assisted tools may be used for drafting, organisation, and consistency checks. The site operator remains responsible for publication, revision, and removal decisions.

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