Lost US Passport in Canada? Here’s What to Do

If you’ve lost your U.S. passport in Canada, report it to the State Department right away, then book an in-person appointment at the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate to apply for a replacement. An adult replacement passport book costs $165 and routine processing can take up to six weeks, but consular staff can issue an emergency passport valid for up to one year if you need to travel home sooner.¹

Report the Loss First

Reporting comes before anything else, because a reported passport is a canceled passport, and a canceled passport can’t be used by whoever might have it. Submit Form DS-64 through the State Department’s online tool. Once processed, your old passport is canceled within one business day, and it stays canceled even if you later find it in a jacket pocket.²

Filing a police report with Canadian authorities isn’t required. The State Department notes it can help confirm the circumstances of the loss or theft, and if you suspect theft rather than a misplacement, the report creates a paper trail in case someone tries to use your identity later.¹

Form DS-64 asks you to describe how the passport was lost and when you last had it. You can submit it online before your consulate appointment or bring it with you. Providing the loss details directly on your replacement application also works, though the consulate may pause things and ask for a separate DS-64 if your explanation isn’t detailed enough.¹

Where to Apply in Canada

You must apply in person. Mail and online applications aren’t options for a lost-passport replacement.¹ The U.S. has an embassy in Ottawa and consulates in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Quebec City, and Winnipeg.³

Book through the regular online appointment system. If your travel is urgent, take the earliest available slot and then email the American Citizens Services section at the nearest post to explain your situation and departure date. Emergency passports aren’t issued outside normal business hours, so weekday availability is what you’re working with.³

What to Bring to the Appointment

Because your old passport is now canceled, this is treated as a brand-new application on Form DS-11. Fill it out ahead of time, but don’t sign it. You sign in front of the consular officer.⁴

Bring the following to the appointment:

Proof of U.S. citizenship: an original or certified birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, a Certificate of Naturalization or Citizenship, or an expired full-validity U.S. passport. A photocopy of the missing passport can substitute if that’s your only available evidence.⁵
Proof of identity: a valid U.S. driver’s license, government employee ID, U.S. military ID, Certificate of Naturalization, or a valid foreign passport. Digital IDs aren’t accepted. Bring a single-sided photocopy of the front and back of whatever ID you present.⁶
One passport photo, 2 by 2 inches, taken within the last six months, with a white or off-white background and no shadows.⁷
Your travel itinerary, especially if you’re requesting an emergency passport.
A copy of your police report, if you filed one.

Citizenship evidence is where people get stuck. If your birth certificate was in the same bag as your passport, you may need to order a new certified copy from the vital records office of the state where you were born. That takes time and the fees vary by state, so contact the consulate to talk through alternatives before your appointment.

Fees

A full-validity replacement passport book for an adult costs $165: a $130 application fee paid to the State Department plus a $35 execution fee.⁸ Adding a passport card brings the total to $195 ($160 application fee plus the $35 execution fee). Fees are nonrefundable. Accepted payment methods vary by post, so check with your specific consulate. Credit cards, U.S. dollar cash, and local currency equivalent are commonly accepted.

Processing Time

Routine processing of a full-validity passport book can take up to six weeks from the time the consulate receives your completed application, and that window doesn’t include mail time on either end. If you’re in Canada for an extended stay and aren’t pressed to travel, this is the simplest path.

Emergency Passports for Urgent Travel

If you need to get home soon, ask about an emergency passport. It’s a limited-validity document valid for up to one year, issued to get you back to the United States.¹ Not everyone qualifies. Consulates issue these in limited circumstances, primarily for travelers with imminent departures or life-or-death situations.⁹ Bring your travel itinerary; the consular staff will want to see your departure date. Emergency passports are processed much faster than routine applications, sometimes within a few days.

An emergency passport isn’t a permanent document. Once you’re back in the United States, you’ll exchange it for a full-validity passport. If you apply within one year of the emergency passport’s issuance, you owe no additional fees beyond a new passport photo. After one year, the regular application fees apply again. The State Department will include a letter with your emergency passport specifying whether to use Form DS-11 or Form DS-5504 for the exchange, and you’ll surrender the limited-validity passport when you apply.⁹

If You’re Driving Home

Land and sea crossings from Canada accept several documents besides a passport book. If any of these is at home and someone can send it up to you, you may not need to wait on a new passport at all:

A U.S. passport card is valid for land and sea entry.
An enhanced driver’s license, issued by a handful of U.S. states, is accepted at land crossings from Canada.
A NEXUS, Global Entry, or SENTRI card works at land ports of entry.
A U.S. military ID with official travel orders is accepted.

These alternatives cover land and sea only. Flying back to the U.S. requires a passport or an emergency passport. Children age 15 and under arriving from Canada by land or sea can present an original or copy of their U.S. birth certificate, Consular Report of Birth Abroad, or Naturalization Certificate instead of a passport.¹⁰

Replacing a Child’s Passport

Replacing a lost passport for a child under 16 is different in one important way: both parents or guardians must appear in person with the child at the consulate and give consent for the replacement to be issued.¹¹ If only one parent can be there, the other typically needs to provide a notarized statement of consent. Citizenship and identity requirements track the adult rules, though a child’s birth certificate usually serves for both. Children’s passports are issued with five-year validity rather than ten, and the fee structure is different, so confirm current amounts on the State Department’s fee schedule before your appointment.⁸

Protect Your Identity After the Loss

A lost passport is a lost identity document. Consider placing a fraud alert with one of the three major U.S. credit bureaus. A fraud alert is free, lasts one year, and requires creditors to take extra steps to verify your identity before opening new accounts. You only need to contact one bureau; it’s required to notify the other two. This matters most if the passport was stolen rather than misplaced, or if credit cards or other documents were lost at the same time.

For next time, keep a photocopy or digital scan of your passport’s information page stored separately from the passport itself. If it happens again, that copy speeds up the replacement considerably, since it counts as supporting evidence of both citizenship and identity at the consulate.

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U.S. Department of State. How to Replace a Limited-Validity Passport
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