Save For Later: Here's What To Do If You Lose Your Passport On Your J1
You're here for one of three reasons: you were tagged in this post by a friend who knows you will lose your passport on your J1, you think you'll lose your passport during your J1 or you actually have lost your passport on your J1. Whichever it is, we have compiled a list of things to do if there's an Irish passport lost in America.
First things first: make sure you bring along copies of your passport so it's easier to replace it. Passports are not only your gateway in and out of countries but also your ID and a legal document.
Here are the steps to take if you lose your Irish passport in America:
1. Find your nearest Irish embassy or consulate
If you're an Irish citizen living abroad, travelling or on holiday abroad and your Irish passport is lost/stolen/misplaced, you need to contact your nearest Irish embassy or consulate straight away. Here are the details for offices in popular J1 destinations:
Boston
Consulate General of Ireland
535 Boylston Street
Floor 5
Boston, MA 02116
Tel: +1 617 267 9330
Fax: +1 617 267 6375
Chicago
Consulate General of Ireland
1 East Wacker Drive
Suite 1820
Chicago, IL 60601
Tel: +1 312 337 2700
New York
Consulate General of Ireland
345 Park Avenue
17th Floor
New York
NY 10154-0037
Tel: +1 212 319 2555
San Francisco
Consulate General of Ireland
100 Pine Street
Suite 3350
San Francisco CA 94111
Tel: +1 415 392 4214
Long Beach
Honorary Consulate General of Ireland
1631 Beverly Boulevard
Los Angeles CA 90026
Tel: + 1 714 658 9832
Email: irishconsulatela@gmail.com
Denver
Honorary Consul General Mr. James M Lyons
1200 Seventeenth Street
The Tabor Center #3000
Denver CO 80202
Tel: + 1-303 623 9000
Email: jlyons@rothgerber.com
Other locations can be found here.
2. Confirm you have lost your passport
You will be asked to confirm you've lost it in writing to the embassy or consulate, as well as getting local police to take a statement, so do that first.
3. Contact the US Embassy in Ireland
Because your passport contained a visa, you'll need to let the US embassy in Ireland know as well, though you can confirm this with the embassy you talk to in America.
Email dublincons@state.gov with the following information:
- Your full name, date and place of birth;
- The number and nationality of the lost or stolen passport;
- The type of visa held and date and place of issuance;
- Description of the loss or theft and if it has been reported to the police and/or your embassy. If reported to the police, please provide details including crime report/reference number.
4. Apply for a new passport
Once you have all the bad stuff out the way and you've spent an afternoon feeling sorry for yourself, you'll need to apply for a new passport (form APS2) from the US using the Passport Online service here.
The fees when applying through an embassy or consulate are:
- Standard 10-year, 34-page passport: €80
- Large 10-year 66-page passport: €110
- 5-year passport (aged under 18 years): €30
These fees don't include the charge payable to An Post for using its Passport Express service.
5. Need to travel ASAP? You'll need an emergency travel document
If you need to travel urgently in an emergency situation, you might be able to ask your nearest Irish consulate in the US for an Emergency Travel Document.
Emergency Travel Documents are valid for a short time period and a one-way journey to allow you to travel quickly i.e. to go home for the death of a loved one.
6. Collect your passport or document from your local embassy or consulate
Once you've sent your new application online or via the embassy or consulate near you, you will need to wait for your passport or ETD to arrive, which could take a week or more.
Best of luck!