Checked 6 Nov 2026 on government pagesLeer en español

Lost your UK passport abroad? You can apply online today.

Apply online for an emergency travel document if you need to travel within 6 weeks. It costs £125, isn’t refunded, and is usually ready to collect 2 working days after you apply.

Ask Num what to do nowThe official page ↗
Step by step

What British nationals do, in order

  1. Check you can use oneYou need to be a British national outside the UK, travelling within 6 weeks, and to have held a UK passport issued on or after 1 January 2006. Without one, there is a separate contact-form route for urgent, exceptional travel.
  2. Apply onlineHave a new digital passport photo (not one used on an earlier passport), a phone number, an email address and a card. A friend or relative can pay for you if your wallet went too.
  3. Wait for the email before you buy ticketsYou’re told how and when to collect it, and whether you need an appointment at a British embassy, high commission or consulate. Don’t buy tickets until that email arrives.
  4. Travel on itIt is usually valid for one single or return journey, through up to 5 countries, and your route may be printed on it. Check every country on the way accepts it.

What it costs. The emergency travel document costs £125 and isn’t refunded. If your plans change you reapply and pay again.

Watch out. Your old passport is usually cancelled as soon as you pay. Border control in the UK keeps the emergency travel document when you arrive.

158 countries

Find your British mission, country by country

Each page lists every British embassy and consulate there, and the nearest one to each airport. Not listed? Find a British embassy, high commission or consulate ↗

Sources

Government pages we read

Questions

Questions people ask

What do I do first if I lose my UK passport abroad?

You need to be a British national outside the UK, travelling within 6 weeks, and to have held a UK passport issued on or after 1 January 2006. Without one, there is a separate contact-form route for urgent, exceptional travel.

How much does it cost?

The emergency travel document costs £125 and isn’t refunded. If your plans change you reapply and pay again.

Can I use my passport if I find it after reporting it?

Your old passport is usually cancelled as soon as you pay. Border control in the UK keeps the emergency travel document when you arrive.

Can Num get me a new passport?

No. NUM is not a government agency; only your government issues passports. Num finds your nearest mission, lines up the documents and helps you rearrange your trip.

NUM is not a government agency and does not issue passports or travel documents. Only your government can, and its fees are paid to it directly. Embassy and consulate locations come from the governments’ own office lists where we have them, and from public data (Wikidata, Wikipedia’s lists of diplomatic missions, the UK Foreign Office’s list of posts, and © OpenStreetMap contributors under the ODbL); confirm opening hours and appointments on the mission’s own site. Steps checked on government pages, 6 Nov 2026.