If your passport is stolen, it is immediate considered an identity theft. This is a serious situation where the culprit can remove your photo and replace it with his own and cross borders. This will include you in the crime and is a serious offence. However, if your passport gets lost in a foreign country, things might get complicated.
Travelling is a leisure everyone goes through for either purpose. There are many people who travel to foreign countries back and forth. Passport is a travel document that speaks of your identification and if you get it lost in a country unknown, you will have to approach the Indian embassy in that country or contact an authorized passport agent and apply for a new one.
It is important to be cautious and take note of the passport number, date of issue, date of expiry, all the details with you. Also, keep a photocopy of your passport while you are travelling.
Losing your passport is a big thing. It involves legal framework and people tend to get nervous and exaggerate as you never know who might get it and cross borders illegally. So, having a cool mind and calming your nerves while taking the matter in your hand is the right option.
If you have lost your passport, the first thing is to lodge an FIR to your nearest police station and to the passport office or the Indian Embassy of the foreign country.
The FIR should be lodged against the person who did it, if you are aware of the person who did it. if not, it should be against an unknown person.
In case, even if you have misplaced your passport and couldn’t find, it you can lodge the complaint saying you have misplaced it.
Then, you have to apply for ‘re-issue; to your nearest regional passport office.
The process would take a time. There would be documents that would be mandatory for the re-issue such as the affidavit stating where and how you lost the passport, the original FIR report, Proof of address, self-attested photo copy of the first two and last two pages of your lost passport, if you have any.
Your application can be submitted in the normal procedure or if you want to proceed faster, it will be charged with high price. The total estimation amounts of time for your passport will take around 30 days.
You have to make an appointment in the passport agency and be physically present to replace your passport.
Passport is a proof that validates the identification of the person-holding and is legitimate. Thus, if your passport is stolen or lost, immediate FIR must be lodged to your nearest police station.
Earlier, the process would be hectic and the passport system was fragile but with the introduction of the latest technologies and digital mode, any misuse of your lost passport is dealt with immediate strict actions. The policies and regulations are scrutinized with introspecting each details.
So, if by chance you lost your passport or are stolen, follow the steps and do not panic.
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