lisan

First of all, this will make me sound totally disorganized...but, here's the story:

I lost my passport a few years ago; got a replacement one; found the lost passport but never used it again; and now, 1 day before a trip to Europe, have lost the replacement passport.

Can I use the found passport to travel? At what point would it be an issue (i.e., getting out of the U.S., getting into the EU, or getting back into the U.S.)?

There's not enough time to replace the last lost passport before our trip; so what would happen if I traveled with the old passport?

Seat13F_AC_CRJ

DO NOT USE THE LOST PASSPORT! As soon as you reported your previous passport as lost, and the passport office replaced it with a newly issued passport, it was added to a database of lost and stolen passports. This database is maintained by Interpol. The database is far from perfect, however many, many countries are routinely searching every passport presented at their ports of entry against this database. You are running the risk of being apprehended for an invalid travel document when you attempt to enter any country with the "lost" passport. This includes when you are returning home.
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roundtheworld

No, you can't travel with a lost or stolen passport. It would probably be an issue entering in Europe. Lost and stolen passports are reported in lists with serial numbers. In Europe 90% of the time they swipe your passport when enter and exit, so you will be caught there. This means detention, as they need to verify your dientity, and porbably deportation, as you are not travling on a valid passport.

Even at check in they might get you as they swipe your passport. That would mean detention in the US, less fun than in Europe, as you traveling with an invalid document.

Sorry. Can't you go to the Passport agency and ask for a temp???

BTW I would keep looking for the replacement

lisan

I made an appt. in Houston for tomorrow at 11:00 am...will I be able to walk out with a new, valid passport? If so, it's possible that I can make my trip, but I want to know if it's worth going to Houston for, at this point. I can not find my valid passport...I've looked everywhere!

Seat13F_AC_CRJ

Have a look at: http://travel.state.gov/passport/lost/us/us_848.html
Or you can call and ask. "Or call us 24 hours/day at: (202) 955-0430"
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Tango

I lost my passport several years ago and 6 months after getting it replaced, found the lost one. I continued to use the "lost" passport everywhere I went except upon arrival into the US and that is when I used the replacement passport. I had valid reasons for doing so and I never encountered a problem. I would never attempt to enter the US on a lost passport unless it is a land border where they do not scan the passport into their computer systems.

venice4504

Just curious as to why you would travel with 2 passports? I can't think of a reason that would make me continue to use the lost & found one.

nimeta

I have 3 passports, an Irish one due to my Mother being from Dublin and 2 English ones issued by my local British Embassy due to the nature of my job requiring lots of travel.

Often when one passport is being sent off for Visa's I can travel on another. I also put all my dodgy countries stamps in one passport in case I ever have to go to Israel or USA to avoid the usual paranoid questions.

Sometimes countries charge less for Irish citizens to get visa's than UK citizens (e.g. Vietnam and Russia)

Also, whilst the UK ambassadors generally ignore me, the Irish ambassadors are usually very hospitable towards fellow passport holders.

And one day, I hope it will help my children avoid paying hefty death duties on my estate!!

Loads of great reasons!!!!!!!

venice4504

As per the quote that I was dealing with, I was more interested in why someone would use a lost US passport and at the same time keep travelling on their new US passport. I am more than familiar with having dual passports from different countries.

nimeta

In which case only the travelling while a passport is in for a visa and the keeping dodgy stamps out of one passport apply.

Still good reasons, but not good enough to travel on a stolen passport IMHO!!

venice4504

Exactly! Just where I was going with that one.

GUWonder

I would not jump to the above conclusion without knowing more facts (if it were our business, which it isn't).

That said, I would not recommend using a US passport that has been reported lost and/or stolen. And better yet, if you have time and money to waste you can pay to call in and arrange for it to be marked "cancelled". That, however, would be more expenditure than it's worth.

If you report a bunch of lost or stolen passports to your name or a given address, then note the following: there was an attempt to make the CAPPS II/SecureFlight system increase the odds of getting haraSSSSed to near "perfection" of 100% if a lost or stolen passport had been reported. Talk about being "victimized" again and again.

Chris Campbell

I was wondering if someone could elaborate about this database of lost and stolen passports?

I find myself in a similar situation where I found a passport that I reported as lost. I'm a little apprehensive about paying the fee all over again for a new passport.

TWA884

GUWonder

In which year did you get that passport issued and in which year did you report the passport stolen? Was it a US passport? To whom all did you report the passport as lost?

A growing number of countries' authorities provide a list of their reported lost/stolen passports to the Interpol for filing in a database that is then used by a growing number of countries' authorities check if the passport used has been reported as lost/stolen. But not just anyone is in a position to update those lists to filter into the Interpol SLTD database.

While a rediscovered US passport previously reported as lost (to and) by say the US State Department is considered compromised and no longer valid for travel, it may under some circumstances still be used for other purposes. Just don't travel with it if you know it's been reported as lost/stolen.

You can try your luck in contacting the relevant passport-issuing authority to see what the status of that previously lost passport is and if you can get the status of the passport changed.