What to do if you lose your Passport in Thailand

The other day I had a close call with actually losing my passport thank heavens though that I was able to get back the passport and didn't have to go to all the trouble and expense of getting a new passport. Apart from actually having to get a new passport I went to the police station within hours of knowing it was lost to do a police report. At the Pattaya police station they have a basket full of items that have been handed in. They told me I could go back and check the basket tomorrow if anything of mine was handed in. I didn't exactly hold my breath. Luckily the driver called the number in the bag and handed the passport back in.

While sitting in my room waiting for any calls I figured I'd find out what to do if you lose your passport in Thailand. I have an Australian passport and only called the Australian embassy however I would assume for most western countries at least the procedure would be pretty similar. I've noted the website and phone numbers of corresponding countries below so you can call and know what you should do.

If you live in Thailand make sure you have your original birth certificate with you in a safe place this is extremely helpful in getting a new passport if you've lost yours in Thailand

Please keep in mind that while I've done my best to tell you the procedures for a lost passport in Thailand it's best that you call the embassy to double check the procedures and that this article is used for information purposes only.

Procedures for getting a new passport to replace your lost passport in Thailand

If you are in Thailand and are just on vacation and are traveling back home in not so many days you won't get a new passport but you'll get a travel document this can be used in lieu of a passport.

If you actually are living and working in Thailand and are Australian you will have to go to Bangkok to apply for the lost passport. However other countries may have more than one embassy in Thailand and you might not have to go to Bangkok if there is an embassy closer by.

In order to get a new Australian passport you first need to download and complete a New passport application form. You can do this by going to the New Australian Passport application form here.

The form needs to be filled out in full. You will need to get a photo taken for the form and have someone who has known you for more than one you sign the form as well as sign the back of the photo. That person must have known you for more than a year. This shouldn't be a problem if you live in Thailand. The personal who is guaranteeing you doesn't have to be Australian but it's better if they are, it can be a Thai but it has to be a person of a certain profession like a doctor, lawyer, etc.

Now you will need to show some proof of who you are which is why I said it's good if you have your birth certificate. The procedures are the same as if you were in Australia really, you need a total of 100 points so a birth certificate, medicare card, and something with your name and address on it in Thailand, like a water bill, electric bill or phone bill. If you don't have the bills the embassy will probably just do a Stat Dec signed by you, you can do this at the embassy.

With all your documents in order and let's say you don't have all the documents like the medicare card and birth certificate it's OK, call the embassy first to see what they can do. The current cost to get a new Australian passport in Thailand is 7480 baht.

It takes about 10 days to get a new passport, once you have your new passport you will need to go to the Thai immigration and have them put the stamps back in your passport, but you will have to go to the airport first and get a new departure card.

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