A missing passport is every traveler’s nightmare. If you lose it before your trip, will you have to cancel all your travel plans? If your passport is stolen while you’re abroad, will you be stuck in a foreign country, unable to come home?

Not necessarily! While losing your passport is a major headache, Allianz Travel Insurance can help advise you on what to do and how to get a replacement as quickly as possible.

Does travel insurance cover a lost passport before your flight?

You’ve planned a trip to Greece to visit your family’s ancestral village. You’ve got everything packed… except you can’t find your passport. It’s not in the safe. It’s not in the desk. You’re leaving in two weeks, and you’re starting to worry. Can travel insurance help?

First, the bad news: If you lose your passport before your flight, that’s not considered a covered reason for trip cancellation.

Now, the good news: We’ll do our best to help you get a fast replacement for your lost passport! We also can help you change your travel arrangements, if needed. Contact 24-hour assistance and we’ll guide you through the options.

• If you’re leaving within 2 weeks: Passport agencies offer an extremely limited number of appointments for people who are traveling internationally in the next 14 days. You can make a rapid-passport appointment by calling 1-877-487-2778 (1-888-874-7793 for TDD/TTY teletype services). To prevent re-selling scams, appointments can’t be transferred to another person.

• If your trip is more than two weeks out: You can get a new passport and pay an additional $60 for expedited service. Passport processing times vary according to demand. Usually, it takes 2-5 weeks from the day an application is submitted to receive the new passport.

• To speed up your passport replacement, you can use Priority Mail Express to send in your materials and also pay for 1- to 2-day delivery for your new passport book.

• You may qualify for a life-or-death emergency passport if you need to travel within three business days because your immediate family member outside of the United States has died, is dying, or has a life-threatening illness or injury. You must be able to provide proof of the emergency and your travel plans, in addition to following all the other passport application steps. Find more information on emergency passports here.

Important: If your or your travel companion’s passport is stolen, that can be a covered reason for trip cancellation. This means you can be reimbursed for your lost prepaid, nonrefundable trip costs. You must report the theft and prove that you made a diligent effort to replace the passport before your trip, however.

Does travel insurance cover a lost passport at the airport?

You flew into the Atlanta airport two hours ago, and now you’re about to board your flight to São Paulo. But when you look in your bag, your passport  just… isn’t there. You know you had it when you left home this morning. Feeling helpless, you watch everyone else board. What are you supposed to do?

First, don’t panic. Tell the gate agent what happened, so the airline is aware you had to miss your flight for circumstances out of your control. Retrace your steps: Is your passport under your seat in the waiting area? On the counter of the shop where you bought gum? On the bathroom floor? At the TSA security checkpoint?

Notify the airport lost and found, just in case someone turns it in. Be aware that if you report your passport as lost to the U.S. Department of State, it will immediately be canceled. Even if you find it a minute later, you won’t be able to use it for international travel. 

If you lose your passport at the airport, travel insurance may be able to help.

• If you must delay your trip because your passport is lost or stolen, that can be a covered reason for travel delay benefits. For example: Let’s say the airline locates your passport on the floor of the plane you arrived in. You end up spending the night in Atlanta while you wait for the airline to reunite you with your passport. Travel delay benefits can reimburse you (up to the limits specified in your plan) for your meals and hotel stay, as well as the cost to get on a new flight to resume your trip.

• What if you never find your passport? If you miss at least 50% of the length of your trip because your passport gets lost or stolen, that may be a covered reason for trip interruption. Make sure you report the loss and document your efforts to replace your passport.

Does travel insurance cover a lost or stolen passport abroad?

In a crowded market in Cairo, someone taps on your shoulder to get your attention. As you turn around, another person expertly cuts your purse straps and runs off with your bag. You’ve lost your passport in a foreign country—and your wallet as well. All you have left is your phone. What are you supposed to do?

You won’t be able to leave the country and go home until you get a new passport. But don’t worry: Allianz Travel Insurance and the local U.S. embassy can help you.

First, contact 24-hour assistance by phone or with the Allyz® TravelSmart app. Tell your assistance coordinator that your passport and wallet were stolen, and they’ll coach you through what to do. In a situation like this one, they can:

• Help you file a police report and provide interpreter services
• Arrange to get emergency funds wired to you from a family member
• Connect you with the U.S embassy to get an expedited passport replacement

You can also use the Allyz® TravelSmart app to reach the local embassy. Tap Services, then Embassy finder to see a map, visit the embassy’s website, or call right from the app. Contact information for U.S. embassies and consulates is also available in on the U.S. Department of State’s country information pages.

When you call, ask to speak to the Consular Section to report your lost or stolen passport. You’ll have to go to the U.S. embassy or consulate in person to apply for a new passport. If there isn’t enough time to get you a regular passport, the Consular Section may be able to provide a limited-validity emergency passport, which is valid for up to a year.

Remember, if your travel plans are delayed because of a lost or stolen passport, your trip delay benefits can reimburse you for eligible expenses during a covered travel delay (up to the limits in your plan). And if you miss at least 50% of the length of your trip because your passport was lost or stolen, trip interruption benefits can reimburse those lost, nonrefundable, prepaid trip expenses.

Important: your baggage protection excludes passports and other essential documents. That means if your purse or backpack is stolen with your passport inside, travel insurance can’t reimburse you for the passport’s value or cover the cost of replacing it.

Planning a trip abroad soon? Make sure you buy a travel insurance plan with all the benefits you need: emergency medical benefits, trip cancellation and interruption benefits, and other key protections. OneTrip Prime is our most popular choice for international travelers! Get a quote today.

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