TL;DR: Just under 400,000 UK passports are reported lost or stolen each year, and people wait an average of 73 days to report it, according to Action Fraud. A passport holds everything a fraudster needs to open accounts in your name. Report it to HM Passport Office online straight away: the passport is cancelled, shared with the National Crime Agency within 24 hours and flagged on Interpol’s lost and stolen document database. Then protect your credit file.

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The numbers

From an Action Fraud campaign:

Seventy-three days is a long time to leave a fraudster holding your photo, full name, date of birth and signature.

What fraudsters can do with it

We’d never wait 73 days to cancel a lost bank card. A passport deserves the same urgency.

What to do, in order

  1. Report it to HM Passport Office online at loststolenpassport.service.gov.uk. GOV.UK says you’ll need a phone number to use the service, and a photo or photocopy of the passport helps you answer questions about it. You can report for someone else if they can’t do it themselves. The passport is cancelled.
  2. Your details are shared with the National Crime Agency within 24 hours and recorded on Interpol’s Stolen and Lost Travel Document database.
  3. If stolen, consider reporting the theft to police too, especially if other ID went with it.
  4. Check your credit reports at all three agencies (free statutory reports).
  5. Consider Cifas Protective Registration, designed for exactly this kind of risk.
  6. Watch for scam calls claiming to be HM Passport Office or police asking for fees or details.

A cancelled passport can’t be used again, even if you find it in the sofa next week. Factor that into your travel plans.

If you’re abroad

GOV.UK says that if you need to travel urgently you may be able to apply for an emergency travel document (there’s a fee). If you do, you don’t need to cancel the passport separately: it’s cancelled as part of that application.

Why identity fraud follows

Cifas’s 2025 Fraudscape report recorded a record 421,000+ cases on the National Fraud Database in 2024 and an 87% rise in mobile-linked identity fraud, per its press release. A passport is one of the strongest identity documents a fraudster can hold for opening phone contracts and accounts in your name, which is why the credit check and Protective Registration steps above matter.

If it was a photo, not the passport

Sending a photo of your passport to a “landlord,” “employer” or “prize company” carries similar risk. See our UK identity theft guide and rental scam red flags.

Passport scans also turn up in data breaches. A free email exposure check shows if your email is in known breaches.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do I need to report a lost passport online?

GOV.UK says you need a phone number to use the online service. A photo or photocopy of the passport helps you answer questions.

I lost my passport abroad. Do I still need to cancel it?

If you apply for an emergency travel document, the passport is cancelled as part of that application, so you don’t need to cancel it separately.

How do I report a lost UK passport?

Report it to HM Passport Office online. It will be cancelled.

What happens after I report it?

It’s cancelled, shared with the National Crime Agency within 24 hours and recorded on Interpol’s lost and stolen documents database.

Can I use my passport if I find it after reporting it lost?

No. Once reported, it’s cancelled and can’t be used.

How can I protect myself from identity fraud after losing my passport?

Check your credit reports, consider Cifas Protective Registration and watch for scam calls.

Sources

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