Examine your personal records. If you know that your passport is not lost or stolen, try to retrieve the number through your old records or contacts. Look through your email or saved documents for archived visa application forms that contain your number. Many people make a photocopy of their passport for their own records. Look through your travel files for photocopies of your passport information page, customs slips or call a travel agent, if applicable, who has helped you book flights in the past.
Report your passport lost or stolen. If in doubt, the safest thing to do is to report your passport as lost or stolen in order to prevent identity theft. If you are outside of the country, contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate for instructions. If inside of the U.S., download form DS-64 Statement Regarding Lost or Stolen Passport from the U.S. Department of State, USDS, website. Print the statement form and complete in black ink.
Apply for a new passport. You can apply for a new passport and number using your statement regarding the lost or stolen passport. However, you are not required to apply for a new one. To apply for a new passport, download, print and complete form DS-11 Passport Application from the USDS website.
Submit the completed DS-64, DS-11, two passport photos, appropriate fees and proof of your identity and U.S. citizenship to a Passport Acceptance Agency or facility, such as an authorized U.S. post office. If you are not applying for a new passport with your report, send your form DS-64 to the USDS Lost or Stolen Passport Section. The USDS website provides a mailing address.
