Lost Passport Abroad (UK): Emergency Travel Documents and What to Do Next
16th October 2026 · Last reviewed 16th October 2026
If your UK passport is lost or stolen while you are abroad, an emergency travel document (ETD) is the official way to get home or carry on to a booked destination. It is a stop-gap, not a replacement passport, and that difference matters most if you have more than one leg left to travel.
You can apply directly with the government, with no agent involved, through the GOV.UK emergency travel document service.
What an emergency travel document is
GOV.UK describes it this way: "An emergency travel document lets you travel from abroad if you need to travel urgently and cannot use your UK passport" (gov.uk).
The limits are the part to plan around:
- It "is usually only valid for one single or return journey".
- You "can travel through a maximum of 5 countries".
Who can apply for one
According to GOV.UK, you can apply if all of these apply:
- you are a British national outside the UK
- you need to travel within 6 weeks
- your UK passport has been lost, stolen, damaged, is full, has recently expired or is with HM Passport Office or a foreign embassy
- you cannot renew or replace it from abroad before you travel
- you have had a valid UK passport issued on or after 1 January 2006
If you have never had a UK passport, or your most recent one was issued before 1 January 2006, GOV.UK says you will usually need to apply for a full passport instead.
An ETD is then only possible for urgent, unplanned travel in exceptional circumstances, such as needing urgent medical treatment or attending a close relative's funeral, and you "cannot get emergency travel documents for activities such as holidays, weddings, family events and job interviews."
What to do first if your passport is lost or stolen
Report it. GOV.UK's lost or stolen passport page says: "You must cancel a lost or stolen passport as soon as possible."
If you are going to apply for an ETD, you do not need to cancel separately: "If you apply for an emergency travel document, you do not need to cancel your passport now." The cancellation happens as part of the ETD application. On the how to apply page, GOV.UK adds that "Your old passport will usually be automatically cancelled once you have paid for your emergency travel document."
How to apply and how much it costs
You can only apply online if you have had a passport issued on or after 1 January 2006. GOV.UK's wording is: "You can only apply online if you have had a passport that was issued on or after 1 January 2006" (how to apply). If that does not describe you, the same page directs you to a contact form instead.
The fee is £125 (verified October 2026). The page states: "The application costs £125. You cannot get a refund." It also warns: "If your travel plans change, you'll need to reapply and pay £125 again." If your wallet went with your passport, a relative or friend can pay for you.
To apply online you need a digital passport photo that has not been used for a previous passport, a phone number, an email address and a card for the fee. Once approved, you are told how and when to collect the document and whether you need to attend an appointment at a British embassy, high commission or consulate.
GOV.UK says the document "will usually be ready to collect 2 working days after you apply", but it can take several weeks, for example if your passport had already expired, the ETD is for a child under 16, or you are asked for more documents or an appointment. Your countries and dates may be printed on the document, and GOV.UK tells you: "Do not book your travel until you get an email telling you how and when you can get your emergency travel document."
Check your destination accepts it
An ETD is only useful if the countries on your route will let you in with it. GOV.UK says: "Before you apply, check if an emergency travel document will be accepted in the countries you plan to leave, enter and travel through." It adds: "This includes whether you need a visa."
We have not found an official statement on how particular destinations treat an ETD held by a visa-exempt British traveller, so check with each destination's embassy or official border authority before you apply. The same goes for any existing visa or travel authorisation, which may be tied to the passport you have lost.
Planning around a single-journey document
Because the document usually covers one journey, an ETD gets you to one place. If that place is the UK, border control will keep the ETD when you arrive, and GOV.UK notes this could happen in other countries too. If you have several stops left, such as the remaining dates of a tour or a run of work trips, you will probably need a full replacement passport once you are home, or time to arrange one from abroad before the next leg.
Our guide to renewing a UK passport from abroad covers the standard route and why it offers no fast-track option. If you hold more than one nationality, which passport to use may give you another way to travel, and if you had an ESTA for the US, remember that CBP requires a new application whenever you get a new passport (see what to do if an ESTA is refused).
Where to go from here
Report the loss and apply for the emergency travel document directly through GOV.UK; you do not need an agent for either. We can help with what comes next: replacing a lost, stolen or damaged UK passport, including urgent services when time is short, through our personal applications service. If you are touring with us, our tour support team works through a lost passport with you while the tour carries on. Or get in touch.