Lost Passport

First off -- with a little reasonable care, the probability of losing a passport is near zero. When was the last time your lost your driver's license? Unfortunately most travel forms like to focus (more fun to discuss) on all the things that can go wrong. Thieves are more interested in money than passports.

If you lose it, you should a copy because that makes it easier to prove that you had a passport plus a copy has all of the critical information. That is the only reason to have a copy. A copy is not a substitute passport. You go to an embassy or consulate which is a pain if you are nowhere near an embassy. It is my understanding (no experience) that you can get a replacement in a short period of time - half day? Have no idea if there is a fee or not. But would that make any difference?

The process is discussed in Rick's article at http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/theft-scams/losing-it-all. I have never lost anything valuable in 20 years of European travels. The money belt always makes me feel confident that will continue to be the case.

The process is also discussed on the State Department website. I generally carry the embassy address and phone number for the cities/countries I am traveling to. Or it would be just as easy to google them on your cell phone. The only difference between day to day life (loosing a drivers' license) and a trip to Europe is the investment in the trip. Because of the investment the stakes are higher so I overdo things a bit just to help expedite the process.

A few years ago a friend of mine lost her passport when we were in Paris. We went to the Canadian Embassy and after numerous questions, form filling, etc. , she was provided with a "laisser passer" which enabled her to board the plane home and re-enter Canada. This took all of one morning but it was interesting to watch the goings-on in the Visa & Passport section. The embassy did not provide her with a passport replacement. The American Embassy may have a different way of dealing with the situation, and yes, you must go to the Embassy or nearest consular office.

Please don't obsess about this. The likely hood of it happening are really quite small if you are careful and if it does happen, there is a solution.

I've done it. No big deal. You pay for the replacement.

You don't have to go to the embassy, but if you do you'll wind up in the consular affairs section which handles this kind of stuff. Just walk into any consulate and tell them your problem. You'll be back out all fixed up in thirty minutes, even if you have no other form of identification.

You can also renter the country on an expired passport, I've done that too since I'm stupid.

You can also renter with no passport. I've done that too. It was a matter of loosing it on my own boat, and I was the only one on the boat, and I had it when I tossed the dock lines. Go figure. It was all handled on the walkie-talkie and I didn't even have to walk up to the C&I shed.

Thanks everyone for your comments. I appreciate the info!