*The passport fees have recently changed. As of April 2nd, 2018, the passport acceptance fee has gone up from $25 to $35.

 

As Rio Grande Valley resident Joe Valdez found out last month, even Customs officers can make mistakes. For Mr. Valdez, what was supposed to be a routine border crossing resulted in a lost passport after a border patrol officer handed Mr. Valdez’ passport to someone else.

As Mr. Valdez explained to local news station KRGV, “I parked there, and another person on a bike parked there on the side. And the officer by mistake or something gave my citizenship passport to the guy on the bike and the guy took off.”

At first, the officer told Mr. Valdez that he would get his passport back, but apparently he was unable to retrieve the document.

Replacing a lost passport isn’t cheap, and at first Customs officials told Mr. Valdez that he might not get his money back, though he was more than welcome to file a claim for it.

Fortunately, a call to Customs and Border from the local news station quickly rectified the situation. According to Mr. Valdez, “Now I went today and talked to them, and they said we’re going to take care of it. So they gave me the forms to send it out and they’re going to be refunding my money back.”

If you lose your passport, the first thing you need to do is report it lost or stolen. This will invalidate the passport so that nobody else can use it (including you if you should happen to find it again.) To report a lost passport, call 1-877-487-2778.

Next, you’ll need to apply in person for a replacement at a passport acceptance facility, like a post office. You’ll need to fill out passport application forms DS-11 and DS-64. Bring proof of identity, proof of citizenship and one passport photo, along with money to pay the fees. It’ll cost $135 for a new passport, plus an additional $60 fee if you need it expedited.

Regular service will take at least six weeks, while expedited service from the Department of State will take at least three weeks. If you need your lost passport replaced more quickly, you should either make an appointment at one of the Department of State’s 24 regional passport agency offices, or for more convenient service use a private expediter like RushMyPassport. We’ll take your passport application directly to the Department of State, for processing in as little as 24 hours!

For help replacing a lost passport in a hurry, contact us today!