FCDO issues warning to all Brits going abroad this year

As you’ll know, the travel document is crucial for leaving the UK, but if you lose it or it is stolen, it can add stress to your holiday.

Reminding holidaymakers what to do if their passport is lost or stolen, the FCDO said on X: “Your passport is one of the most important things you take on holiday.

“If it’s lost or stolen, you may need to apply online and pay for an emergency travel document before you can continue your journey.

✈️ Your passport is one of the most important things you take on holiday.

If it's lost or stolen, you may need to apply online and pay for an emergency travel document before you can continue your journey.

Keep your passport safe. pic.twitter.com/7xGrVYsyqT

— FCDO Travel Advice (@FCDOtravelGovUK) August 20, 2026

“Keep your passport safe.”

It also shared an illustration of people waiting at a train station with the phrase “keep your passport safe” above it.

What to do if you lose your passport or it is stolen

While you can be careful and still have your passport go missing, here is what you should do.

If you lose your passport or it gets stolen, you need to cancel it “as soon as possible”, the UK government explains.

Cancelling your passport reduces the risk of someone else using your identity if it ends up in the wrong hands.

If someone wants to cancel their passport but is unable to, you can do it for them.

To cancel a passport, you’ll need to follow the steps on the government website.

Who can apply for an emergency travel document?

If you’re abroad when your passport is lost or stolen and you need to travel urgently, you could apply for an emergency travel document.

Applying for an emergency passport, which costs a fee, will cancel your old one automatically, so you don’t need to cancel it manually.

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To apply for an emergency travel document, you will need to be a British national located outside the UK at the time you apply and be in need of travelling within six weeks.

Your UK passport must have "been lost, stolen, damaged, is full, has recently expired or is with HM Passport Office or a foreign embassy"

You must not be able to renew or replace your passport from your abroad location before your travel and your valid passport must have been issued on or after January 1, 2006.

All of the above points must be true to apply for an emergency travel document.

Have you ever lost your passport? Let us know in the comments below.