Lost or stolen British passport in the USA
A lost passport in the U.S. leads to one of two routes, and the date of your next flight decides which. Neither starts at a consulate counter.
Cancel it first
HM Passport Office runs an online cancellation service that needs only a phone number; a photo or photocopy of the lost passport helps you answer its questions. Canceling stops anyone else using it. You can report it for someone who cannot do it themselves.
There is also a form for people overseas, LS01, «Report a lost or stolen British passport from overseas», and the FCDO asks for it when, for example, a passport cannot be returned after a death.
Then choose your route
| Your situation | Route | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Travel within 6 weeks | Emergency travel document, which cancels the old passport | £125 |
| No urgent travel | Cancel online, then apply for a replacement passport from abroad | £116.50 + £28.64 courier |
| A child's passport | Same routes; a child needs both parents or a consent letter for the emergency document | £75.50 for the replacement |
A replacement for a lost or stolen passport is one of the cases where a paper application needs a countersignatory, according to the countersigning rules. Online, the service tells you whether someone must confirm your identity.
What the consulates do here
gov.uk lists help with lost or stolen passports at New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Atlanta and Miami, and the emergency travel document at all nine offices.
Several Google reviews from San Francisco and Houston describe emergency documents issued within a day or two of a theft; the consulate's part was the appointment and the handover.
If the passport was stolen, the FCDO's separate guide, «Reporting a crime abroad and getting help», covers going to the local police.
If you need help
For help with the cancellation, contact HM Passport Office through the Passport Adviceline, +44 300 222 0000 from outside the UK. For the emergency document, a relative or friend can pay online if your cards were taken too.
Both routes start online; the consulate comes in only if the FCDO asks you to attend an appointment or collect a document.
Replacing it from the U.S.
A replacement is applied for through the same online service as a renewal, choosing that you live in the USA. The fees regulations set one standard fee for passport applications made from outside the UK, £116.50 online for an adult, and the service adds the £28.64 courier fee.
Our guide to renewing from the USA walks through the screens.
A damaged passport follows the same logic: gov.uk lists «damaged» among the reasons for an emergency travel document, and a paper application to replace a damaged passport needs a countersignatory, like a lost or stolen one.