Lost or Stolen Passport: Cancel It, Then Get Your Photo Ready

What should you do first if your passport is lost or stolen?

Cancel it. GOV.UK is direct about it: "You must cancel a lost or stolen passport as soon as possible." A missing passport is a route to identity fraud, and cancelling it makes that passport useless to anyone who finds or steals it.

That comes before any thought of a replacement. Once it is cancelled, you can apply for a new one, and from that point the photo becomes the thing that most often slows people down. Under pressure, people grab a poor phone photo, or forget that a replacement usually needs someone who knows them to vouch for the photo.

This guide covers the order of events, what a replacement needs, and how to prepare the photo before you start the application.

Step 1: report it and cancel it

The main route is GOV.UK's online service for reporting a lost or stolen passport. It requires "a phone number to use this service." The passport details help you answer the verification questions, and GOV.UK says a photocopy or photo of the lost or stolen passport can help. If you have kept a copy, find it now.

Do the cancellation before the application. It is quick, and it protects you while the replacement is on its way.

If you are abroad and need to travel urgently, you may qualify for an emergency travel document. GOV.UK says that if you go down that route, "you do not need to cancel your passport now," because the cancellation happens as part of the emergency travel document application.

If the passport was stolen, you will probably also want to report the theft to the police, as you would with any stolen document. GOV.UK's page focuses on cancelling the passport itself.

Step 2: apply for a replacement

GOV.UK's passport service lets you "apply for, renew, replace or update your passport" online, using a debit or credit card. Replacing a lost or stolen passport is one of the things it handles.

Two practical points from GOV.UK's general guidance apply here:

• Do not book travel until you have the new passport. GOV.UK says "your new passport will not have the same number as your old one," so a booking made on the missing passport's number will not match.
• Check how long it will take before you plan around a date. How long a UK passport takes explains the standard timings and what can extend them.

If you cannot wait for the standard service, a replacement is one of the things the 1 week Fast Track service covers. GOV.UK's urgent page lists replacements among the applications it accepts. The 1 day Premium service is different: it is for adult renewals only, so it is not available for a replacement.

Step 3: the countersignature

A replacement application on paper needs a countersignature. GOV.UK's countersigning guidance lists "replacements for lost, stolen or damaged passports" among the paper applications that require one.

A countersignature is a second person vouching that your photo is a true likeness of you. The person must:

• have known you for at least two years
• be able to identify you as a friend, neighbour or colleague, and be of good standing or work in a recognised profession
• not be related to you, in a relationship with you or living at your address

They write "I certify that this is a true likeness of [title and full name]" on the back of one photo, then sign and date it, and add their passport number to the form. The full rules, including what they need in the way of a passport, are in who can countersign your passport photo.

If you apply online, the online service tells you what it needs at the time, so follow it. Whichever route you use, it helps to think about who could countersign for you before you start, because finding a person with a current passport who has known you two years is not always quick.

Step 4: get the photo ready before you start

The photo is the part you can prepare in advance. It is also the part that is easy to get wrong when you are stressed.

For a digital photo, GOV.UK asks for:

• at least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall
• between 50KB and 10MB
• clear, in focus, in colour and unaltered by computer software
• taken in the last month
• a plain light-coloured background with clear contrast to your face
• you facing forwards and looking straight at the camera, with a plain expression and your mouth closed
• eyes open and visible, no hair in front of them, no red eye, no shadows on your face or behind you

Digital applications also ask for "someone to help you take a photo," so ask a friend or family member to take it rather than using a selfie. Passport photo selfie rules explains why a selfie tends to fail.

For a paper application you need two identical printed photos, 45mm high by 35mm wide, on plain white photographic paper, left loose in the envelope. Every detail is in printed UK passport photos: size, paper and the back-of-photo rules.

If you are not sure your photo will pass, check it before you submit. The passport photo checker reads it against the main requirements. And if it is rejected anyway, what to do when your passport photo is rejected explains what happens next.

What the photo of a lost passport tells you

If your lost passport had a photo you liked, remember that it does not carry over. A replacement needs a new photo taken in the last month, however recent the old one was. That is not a reason to rush: take the new photo properly rather than trying to reuse an old file.

A checklist for the first 24 hours

1. Cancel the passport through GOV.UK's online service.
2. Report a theft to the police if it was stolen.
3. Do not book travel until the new passport arrives.
4. Decide the route: standard, or Fast Track if your trip is close.
5. Choose a countersignatory if you are applying on paper.
6. Take the photo, with someone's help, in daylight.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to cancel a lost passport?

Yes. GOV.UK says you must cancel a lost or stolen passport as soon as possible.

What if I am abroad when I lose it?

You may need an emergency travel document. GOV.UK says that if you apply for one, you do not need to cancel your passport separately, because the cancellation happens during that application.

Do I need a countersignature to replace a passport?

On a paper application, yes: GOV.UK lists replacements for lost, stolen or damaged passports among those that need one.

Can I use the 1 day Premium service for a replacement?

No. It is for adult renewals only. The 1 week Fast Track service covers replacements.

Can I reuse the photo from my old passport?

No. A new application needs a photo taken in the last month.

Will my replacement have the same number?

No. GOV.UK says your new passport will not have the same number as your old one.

Sources

• GOV.UK, Report a lost or stolen passport
• GOV.UK, Countersigning passport applications
• GOV.UK, Get a passport urgently
• GOV.UK, Apply for or renew a passport
• GOV.UK, Get a passport photo