How Do You Replace a Lost or Stolen U.S. Passport?

The lost or stolen rule in one table

| Step 1, report | Report the passport lost or stolen. Reporting cancels it. It is no longer valid for travel, even if found later | | Step 2, replace | Apply for a new passport with Form DS-11, in person, as a first-time applicant | | Fastest report | Online with the Online Form Filler. Cancellation within 1 business day, plus a confirmation email | | Report by mail | Form DS-64, printed and signed, mailed to the address on the form, plus a photocopy of the front and back of a photo ID. Cancellation can take several weeks | | Report while applying | Include where and when the passport was lost or stolen on Form DS-11, plus a copy of any police report filed. Incomplete loss detail can pause the application | | Do not report | An expired passport. Only a valid passport is reported lost or stolen |

What makes lost or stolen different

Reporting and replacing are two separate acts, and the first does not do the second. Form DS-64 alone yields no new passport. It cancels the missing one. The replacement is a fresh DS-11 application in person, with the same evidence and two-fee split as any first-time application.

The second difference is speed by channel. The online report cancels within 1 business day. The mail report can take several weeks to receive and cancel. When the passport is gone and travel is near, the online report is the immediate-cancellation route, and the replacement still runs through the in-person DS-11 track with expedited service if the travel date demands it.

The process, step by step

1. Report the passport lost or stolen online with the Online Form Filler for the fastest cancellation, or by mail with Form DS-64 plus a photocopy of the front and back of a photo ID.
2. Treat the missing passport as canceled from the report onward. No one can travel on a passport number alone. A physical passport is required.
3. Apply for the replacement in person with Form DS-11 at an acceptance facility, with citizenship evidence, a physical photo ID, photocopies, and one photo, following the first-time track.
4. Include where and when the passport was lost or stolen on the application, plus a copy of any police report filed. Use an extra sheet if more space is needed.
5. Pay the DS-11 two-fee split: 130 dollars plus 35 dollars for an adult book, 165 dollars in total. Expedited service adds 60 dollars, and 1 to 3 day return delivery adds 26 dollars and 87 cents.

A passport lost in a natural disaster can follow a separate fee-waiver track. A found passport belonging to someone else goes to the Consular Lost and Stolen Passport Unit in Sterling, Virginia. A deceased relative's valid passport can be returned for cancellation with a certified copy of the death certificate plus a request letter.

Related passport guides

A passport lost or stolen while abroad follows the embassy and consulate track, including the emergency passport. A damaged passport is a different submit: see How to Replace a Damaged U.S. Passport. For every passport track side by side, see the U.S. Passport Guides by Situation directory.

Source

The report channels, the cancellation rule, and the replacement route on this page come from the U.S. Department of State: the Report Your Passport Lost or Stolen page. Fees come from the State Passport Fees page as verified for the first-time track. Facts verified 2026-10-27.

This page explains how the process works and what the official rules say. It is general information, not legal advice. For a dispute about your specific situation, talk to a lawyer or your government agency.