I'm hoping someone here can help with some advice. My passport is currently in possession of the Russian consulate here in NYC in order for me to get a Visa. I'm having to travel before the passport will be returned to me and was hoping to get a duplicate. Just checked the Passport website and it seems that I need to have the original in hand to get a duplicate. Does anyone have any experience in doing this being in the same situation I am?
Cheers
Howie

You could tell them you lost it. This will invalidate your current passport in the system but the Chinese at least are okay with visas in invalid passports. Not sure about Russia though.

I'm not sure how it is in the US but in most countries claiming to have lost your passport when you haven't would get you in serious trouble if discovered. So I wouldn't do that. If you're travelling within N America and you have nexus or similar I think you could use that or obviously if you're a dual citizen then you could use your other passport. Other than that I think you will have to cancel the first trip or try to get your passport back early and get the Russian visa later.

Just because you lose it does not preclude the possibility of it being "found".

You can get a second United States passport in cases such as this. Just do a google search for "second US passport ." There are services that can expedite this for you or you can do it yourself as a passport office.

a passport reported as lost becomes invalid, which cannot be undone even if you find it... happened to a friend while in Africa last year (Canadian passport)

Sounds more like a commentary related to an MH flight gone missing while scheduled to be on the way to China than advice to be followed -- especially as making lies when applying for US passports may be prosecuted by US authorities or otherwise result in administrative hassles in the future.

The Chinese sometimes refuse to issue visas in passports reported to Interpol as lost/stolen/missing. Some such people even get grabbed by Chinese authorities on arrival or inside China.

If I were the OP, perhaps I would try to recall my US passport from the Russian consular office and/or handling agent and then apply for a secondary US passport before resubmitting the primary full-duration passport back for the visa processing.

Reporting a passport lost or stolen should be a last resort. Do it twice and you will have to go for interviews and background checks before they give you another passport which would then have a short validity date.

This happened to me, except with the Russian consulate in DC. Contact the Russian Consulate or the intermediary you went through and tell them you need your visa expedited. It will cost you $$ (I think it was $250) but they can get you your visa in a few hours. Money has the ability to make things happen in Russia.

Tried that and didn't work...
Cheers
Howie

I got a second passport while mine was trapped at the Ethiopian Embassy. You need a letter and the wording is important. Several US Embassies provide the correct wording:

http://singapore.usembassy.gov/consu...tstatement.pdf

The San Francisco passport office did mine in one day - drop off at 8am, pick up at 3pm.

In European countries you have a right to several passports.

E.g. in Germany it's 10 passports per person in theory, although in practice it is very hard to get more than 2. If under time pressure, passports are issued immediately by the local authorities.

My Austrian friend has 6 passports (he travels incredibly much to visa countries)

I would assume that countries with a constitutional freedom of movement will have to provide a second passport.

In Uk you do not have a right but you can request one but need supporting evidence. I'm off to the passport office next week for a second passport because the Sri Lankan High Commission always take too long for business visas. I need signed statements from work and need to send my current passport so won't have any passport while it's being processed (hence going in person).

So it's difficult or even rare for British to have 2 or more passports?

Most people don't have two passports, but it is not impossible to get. However you can't get one just for the fun of it, you have be able to justify why you need two e.g. letter from work confirming that you are expected to travel frequently to countries that have visa requirements. I had two passports for many years - I don't any more because at the last renewal I didn't need two any more.