What to do if a Russian or Ukrainian citizen has lost a passport

If you read these lines, when you are just about to travel abroad, and you have not stolen the documents yet, consider that you are lucky: you can be safe and avoid very unpleasant moments that can cloud the most irresistible vacation.

First, make more photocopies of all the pages of your passport. Any copies should be left with relatives or friends so that they can fax them in case of loss of their passport. Be sure to take with you one copy of your passport and carry a copy, storing the original in the hotel safe or in a safe place. If you have Internet mail, scan all pages of the passport and send it to yourself on the box. It is also necessary to take with you another document with a photo - an internal passport, a driver's license, a military or a reader's ticket, in short, anything where your name is written and there is your photo. Keep this document separately from your foreign passport. Take with you 2 photos 3,5 х 4,5 cm. If a citizen of Russia or Ukraine made these simple actions, the question what to do if you lost your passport will not arise.

Legislation of both countries (the Russian Federation and Ukraine) differs little for those who lost their passports and wish to return to their homeland. What if I lost my passport? In general, the procedure at first glance seems quite simple. It is necessary to apply to any police department of the country where the trouble occurred, for a certificate of loss of the passport, present this certificate to the embassy, consulate or office of the Honorary Consul of Russia or Ukraine with a request for the issuance of a document called "Certificate of entry (return) to Ukraine" (Similar issued by Russian consulates for Russians). To get the treasured piece of paper you will have to pay the amount from $ 20 to $ 100 (depending on the country where the passport was lost), fill out the corresponding form and attach 2 photos. With this document, valid only 15 days, you can come to your home country and within 3 days, contact the authority that issued the lost passport to get a new one.

In practice, the procedure for obtaining a "Certificate of entry ..." is rather confusing and involves numerous bureaucratic delays. If the tourist traveling with the group through the travel agency, lost the passport, what to do, the team leader will tell . It will be the link between you and the police, help you to contact the consulate, etc. If the tourist did not take any other documents proving his identity with him and does not have a copy of the lost passport, the head of the group will guarantee him (that is, together with another citizen of the Russian Federation / Ukraine will write a written certificate that you are you, But not someone else).

But what if the lost traveler has lost his passport? Not every police department speaks English (and even more so in Russian). You need to enlist the help of an interpreter. Further, not all countries police understand why a person who lost his passport, turns to the police, and not to the embassy: because there is no crime in the loss. In this case, the police should be asked what to do if they stole a passport. It will be necessary to file an application for theft and sign a police report. Ask for a copy of your application and find out the address and phone number of your country's nearest office.

The consulate should make sure of your identity before issuing a document allowing you to enter the territory of Russia / Ukraine. And the citizen should help him in every possible way in this. That is, he must present a copy or scan of the lost passport, ask the relatives who stayed at home to fax a copy of this passport or any other document proving his identity. But what if I lost my passport, and no copies and other documents are in my hands? Then you need to find two compatriots who will agree to come to the embassy with passports and vouch for the person in writing, that is, to confirm that they know his surname, name, patronymic, year of birth and place of residence. Otherwise, the identification procedure may take up to 3 months.