What Documents Do I Need to Replace a Lost Passport?

To replace a lost U.S. passport, you need four things: a completed Form DS-64 reporting the loss, original proof of U.S. citizenship, a valid photo ID, and a new Form DS-11 application with a 2-by-2-inch passport photo. You also need photocopies of your citizenship document and your photo ID. Everything has to be presented in person at a passport acceptance facility, because a lost passport cannot be renewed by mail.¹

Form DS-64 to Report the Loss

Form DS-64, the Statement Regarding a Lost or Stolen U.S. Passport, is the document that formally cancels your old passport in the State Department’s system. Filing it protects you from identity theft if the passport ended up in someone else’s hands. You can submit it online through the form filler at travel.state.gov, mail a printed copy, or bring it to your DS-11 appointment.²

The form asks for the old passport number, its issue date, your name as it appeared on the document, and the circumstances of the loss. Fill in whatever you can recall. A photocopy of the old data page, if you happen to have one stored somewhere, makes this step much easier.³

One thing to know before you file: once DS-64 is processed, the old passport is dead. It cannot be reactivated even if it turns up an hour later. If you have no immediate travel and think the passport is somewhere in the house, search thoroughly before submitting the form. Trying to use a cancelled passport at a border can leave you stranded.²

Proof of U.S. Citizenship

You have to prove citizenship again from scratch. The primary document is an original or certified birth certificate issued by a city, county, or state vital records office. It must list your full name, date and place of birth, your parents’ names, carry the registrar’s signature and seal, and show a filing date within one year of your birth.⁴

If you were born abroad to U.S. citizen parents, bring your Consular Report of Birth Abroad. If you naturalized, bring your Certificate of Naturalization. Whichever document you use, it has to be an original or certified copy with an official seal. Plain photocopies are not accepted as the citizenship document itself, though you also need to submit a photocopy alongside the original, printed on standard 8.5-by-11-inch paper on one side of the page.¹

When No Birth Record Exists

If the state has no record of your birth, request a Letter of No Record from the vital records office in your birth state. The letter must include your name, date of birth, the years searched, and a statement confirming no record is on file. Pair that letter with early public records from the first five years of your life: a baptismal certificate, hospital birth record, early school record, census record, or a family Bible entry. If you can produce only one of these early documents, you also need Form DS-10, a Birth Affidavit signed by someone with personal knowledge of your birth.⁵

A Valid Photo ID

Your photo ID confirms you are the person on the citizenship document. The straightforward options are a current state-issued driver’s license or a government employee ID. Bring the original and a photocopy of the front and back, printed on 8.5-by-11-inch paper on one side only.¹

If You Do Not Have a Primary ID

Without a current driver’s license or government-issued ID, you need at least two secondary forms of identification presented together. Acceptable items include an out-of-state or expired driver’s license, a Social Security card, a voter registration card, an employee or student ID, a school yearbook with an identifiable photo, or a Medicare card. If you cannot produce any of these, an identifying witness can vouch for you by completing Form DS-71 at the acceptance facility.⁶

Form DS-11 and a Passport Photo

Because a lost passport cannot be renewed, you file Form DS-11, the same application first-time applicants use. Fill it out through the online form filler and print it, download the PDF and complete it by hand, or pick up a paper copy at an acceptance facility.⁷ Complete every section before you go, but do not sign the form. Your signature has to be witnessed by the acceptance agent at your appointment.

You also need one color photograph taken within the last six months, measuring exactly 2 by 2 inches. The background must be white or off-white with no shadows. You face the camera directly, with a neutral expression, both eyes open, mouth closed. Eyeglasses come off, prescription lenses included; the only exception is a medical condition that prevents removal, and that requires a signed doctor’s note submitted with the application.⁸

Head coverings are generally not permitted. If you wear one daily for sincerely held religious reasons, or for a medical reason, you can keep it on as long as your full face is visible and the covering casts no shadows on your face or hairline. Include a signed statement explaining the reason. Do not retouch the photo with filters, apps, or AI tools.

Extra Documents for a Child Under 16

Children need the same core documents, plus a parental consent layer. Both parents or legal guardians must appear in person with the child, each with a valid photo ID and a photocopy of it. The child’s birth certificate does two jobs at once: proof of citizenship and proof of the parental relationship.⁹

When only one parent can attend, the absent parent completes Form DS-3053, a Statement of Consent, signed before a notary. The notarized form expires after 90 days, so timing matters. The attending parent also submits a photocopy of the ID the absent parent showed to the notary.¹⁰

You can skip the second parent’s consent if you show sole legal authority: a court order granting sole custody, the other parent’s death certificate, or a birth certificate listing only one parent. If none of those apply and the other parent simply cannot be located, submit Form DS-5525 with a detailed written statement explaining why.¹⁰

If the Passport Was Lost Abroad

Losing a passport overseas changes the paperwork. Contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. Bring whatever you can gather: a passport photo, any form of identification (a driver’s license, or even a photocopy of the missing passport), proof of citizenship if you have it, your travel itinerary, and the applicable fees. You will complete Form DS-11 at the embassy with details about where and when the passport went missing. If you filed a police report, bring a copy. Consular staff will work with what you have, and if travel is urgent, they can issue a limited-validity emergency passport good for up to a year, which you exchange for a full 10-year document once you are home.¹¹

1
U.S. Department of State. Apply for Your Adult Passport
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U.S. Department of State. Report Your Passport Lost or Stolen
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U.S. Department of State. Statement Regarding a Valid Lost or Stolen U.S. Passport Book and/or Card
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eCFR. 22 CFR 51.42 – Persons Born in the United States Applying for a Passport for the First Time
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U.S. Department of State. Get Citizenship Evidence for a U.S. Passport
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U.S. Department of State. Get Photo ID for a U.S. Passport
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USAGov. Apply for a New Adult Passport
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U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passport Photos
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U.S. Department of State. Apply for a Child’s Passport Under 16
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U.S. Department of State. Statement of Consent – U.S. Passport Issuance to a Minor Under Age 16
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U.S. Department of State. Lost or Stolen Passport Abroad