My
son lost his passport and valuables in a bag on the bus in Rome. It was
horrible but I learned a lot. After panic mode, I took the following emergency
steps to get myself and my children home as soon as possible.
You
can read how I got the emergency passport from the consulate here. But other
considerations need attention. This forms the focus of this article.
1
Go straight to the Police. In my case, I had been told it had been handed to
lost property. It is pointless applying for an emergency passport if the
original passport has been found somewhere.
2
We discovered the lost property in Rome is a small office in Ostiense.
Fortunately, Ostiense was just round the corner from the hotel. The busses 160,
130 and 30 go near Ostiense.
3
Sadly, Rome’s public services are poorly-funded and offices close early. Ostiense
office closes on Friday at 1pm, not to open until Monday. (My son had lost his
passport on Friday morning) so we couldn’t do anything until Monday.
4
Telephone the British Embassy in London (the one in Rome has early closures).
They told me to go on the Gov.uk site to begin procedures for an emergency
passport. The emergency passport costs £100. The lost passport would instantly
be void. The embassy advised me to wait until Monday to see if passport turns
up. The contact details of the consulates are given at the bottom of this
article.
5
I informed my scheduled taxi to the airport of the possible delay and to wait
until my next call before coming to the hotel to take us to the airport.
6
I informed my flight operator of the lost passport. In my case, it was EasyJet.
In some cases, they can offer a cheap alternative flight so long as I booked it
before I had missed my scheduled flight. Sadly, I couldn’t be sure when to book
my later flight, for I didn’t know if the passport would turn up at Ostiense.
7
I rang my bank to inform them of certain funds coming out of my account. In my
case, I had to speak to Fraud Office because my card ceased to work. This was
because the bank had been alerted of irregular spending activity due to the
emergency. Once I had spoken to them, I ensured my card was unblocked for a
longer period abroad than was planned.
8
I made plans with the hotel to stay a few days longer. I ensured I had enough
funds available. In Rome, make allowances for city tax, which is 6 Euros per
person per night.
9
I put a stop on my son’s bank card card and his phone.
10
I made plans that evening for what to do if: a) the passport was lost and b)
what to do if the passport was found. To make things easier, I wrote all the
phone numbers, addresses and details of the agents involved in my lost
passport. I kept these notes with me at all times. I could then go to bed and
forget about it.
11
Sadly, my son’s passport was not at the Ostiense on Monday. I followed my plans
for a) the passport was lost. I had already made the list, so it was easy to
follow.
12
As advised by the British Embassy, I went onto the Gov.uk website and clicked
on the etd link (Emergency Travel document). The forms are straightforward
(read full instructions on getting an emergency passport on my other article).
Happily, I didn’t need photocopies of the lost passport, only my son’s passport
number and issue date were needed. I had kept a record of these on a separate
sheet of paper. Don’t worry if you do not have these to hand, the embassy will
assist.
13
Once the emergency travel application is complete, you will get a notification
email within 2 working days. In my case, my emergency passport will be ready by
either Tuesday or Wednesday. You can ring the embassy for updates.
On
Tuesday, I was notified my emergency passport was ready to pick up from the
Ambassador Britannia in Rome.
14
The Ambassador Britannica in Rome is in Via XX Settembre 80a - 00187 Roma. This
is walke-able from Rome centre. But I had to get there before 3 pm when it
closes. You go into a booth where an official takes your belongings and puts
them in a locker. You then go up into an office where my son was given the
emergency travel document.
The
emergency passport is beige-coloured rather than burgundy and you can only use
it once. It is then taken off you at your destination country.
15 Once
I had the emergency travel document, I was able to book the flight. Sadly, I
was unable to honour EasyJet’s cheap flight offer, so I had to pay full price.
I then rang the taxi company to inform them of when I will need to get to the
airport. The hotel was kind enough to let me print the boarding passes.
16
I had to bar my son’s phone and his bank card, as both were in his bag.
Standard
travel insurance will cover the cost of replacing a lost passport and in some
cases, the payment of flight and extra nights in a hotel. Check the small
print.
Here
are the details of the Embassies I contacted.
British Embassy (Rome)
Foreign and
Commonwealth Office (Rome)
Consular
Assistance
Phone
(+39) 0642202431
Website
www.ukinitaly.fco.gov.uk
Foreign and
Commonwealth Office (England)
King
Charles Street
London
SW1A 2AH
Tel
(+44) 2070081500
All
in all, a horrible experience, but I learned a lot and wish to share.
Read
all my articles on Rome on my Rome
a Survival Kit
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| Lost property office in Rome |
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| The emergency passport |
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| Notice on the lost property office in Ostiense |
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| British Embassy in Rome |
