Lost your passport abroad: an emergency travel document costs £125 and takes two days

Your passport is lost, stolen, damaged or sitting in an embassy, and you need to fly in a few days. For that situation British nationals abroad can get an emergency travel document (ETD). It is a one-off travel document issued overseas, it costs £125, and it is usually ready in two working days.

What is an emergency travel document?

An ETD lets you travel out of the country you are in when the journey is urgent and you cannot use your UK passport. It is not a passport and not a replacement for one: it is usually valid for a single journey or a return journey only, and you can travel through a maximum of five countries on it.

Who can apply?

GOV.UK lists the conditions, and you have to meet all of them: you are a British national; you are outside the UK; you need to travel within six weeks; your UK passport is lost, stolen, damaged, full, recently expired or held by HM Passport Office or a foreign embassy; you cannot renew or replace the passport from abroad before you travel; and you have held a valid UK passport issued on or after 1 January 2006.

If you have never held such a passport, an ETD is granted only in exceptional circumstances. GOV.UK gives examples: an unexpected birth, urgent medical treatment abroad, the funeral of a close relative. Holidays, weddings, family events and job interviews do not qualify. Each application is assessed case by case, and you must explain and provide evidence of why the journey is urgent and essential.

How much does it cost and how long does it take?

The application costs £125 and the fee is non-refundable. If you cannot pay online yourself, a relative or friend can pay for you. The document will usually be ready to collect two working days after you apply.

It can take several weeks if your original British passport has expired, if the application is for a child under 16, if you have not yet paid, if more documents or information are needed, or if an online or in-person appointment is required.

What do you need to apply?

For an online application you need a digital passport photo that meets the guidelines and has not been used in a previous passport, a contact telephone number, an email address and a debit or credit card. You can only apply online if you had a passport issued on or after 1 January 2006. Otherwise you complete a contact form and supply evidence of your British nationality, or eligibility for it, and of your exceptional circumstances.

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Children under 16 must attend the appointment with both parents or legal guardians, unless one of them sends a signed letter of consent instead.

What happens to your old passport?

It is usually cancelled automatically once you pay. If for some reason it will not be cancelled — because it is already with an embassy, or because you have already applied for a new passport — you will be told.

What if your passport was stolen?

Cancel it as soon as possible through the GOV.UK online cancellation service. You will need a phone number, and a photocopy or photo of the passport helps you answer the service's questions. You can also report a lost or stolen passport for someone else who cannot do it themselves. One useful detail: if you are applying for an ETD, you do not need to cancel the passport separately — cancellation is part of that application.

What an ETD does not do

Do not book travel in advance: GOV.UK warns you to wait for the email with collection details. Your travel plans, the countries and dates, may be printed on the document itself, and UK border control will keep it when you arrive; other countries may do the same. If your plans change, you have to reapply and pay £125 again.