Unsurprisingly, losing your passport in a foreign country can be rather disturbing. Luckily, since we carry at least two passports at all times, losing one passport is more an annoyance than a crisis.
But for the sake of argument, let us imagine that someone has stolen your luggage, mugged you, searched your clothes and taken all your documents. In my experience this is known as ‘Saturday night’. Everything stops. But we know this has happened before, and there is a process for citizens to find their way home.
No great surprise, the first step is to try to contact a Consulate or an Embassy. In more remote countries I have three or so appropriate ‘phone numbers under ‘Embassy’ in my contact list (because there are too many places that just do not really have internet). Consulates/Embassies want proof of identity, and passport photos and perhaps a kidney or two, in order to issue an Emergency Travel Document.
On San Tome, an acquaintance lost his document. First off, a police report was required. Then, since the nearest American Diplomatic representation is in Gabon….a flight and country border away, a bunch of hand waving and ‘phone calls generated a specific authorization to fly. The key is that this authorization is for a specific flight. So, in an act of faith, he needed a booking before being granted permission. The important thing to note is that you can actually get on a flight and cross a border without a good old fashioned passport.
Now, to replace your passport. Head to the nearest Consulate or Embassy.