The experience of a US tourist brought into focus an important aspect for travel lovers, where to keep our passports
Losing your passport is a major problem for Americans. Photo: Pixabay
A woman recounted her experience during an overnight flight from Orlando to Paris. More precisely, according to Forbes, the woman’s 11-year-old son wanted to keep his passport and left it in the seat pocket in front of him. The child forgot the travel document on the plane, and they were forbidden to return to the aircraft. In this context, the specialists consulted by the cited publication come up with a series of tips.
Effective solutions for passport security while traveling
To avoid such stressful situations, there are some useful methods to protect your passport:
- Avoiding unsafe pockets: “Never put your passport in your back pocket.” A safer solution is to keep your passport in the hotel safe.
- Smart storage: a discreet method – using a hidden pocket inside the luggage. Other suitable places include the inside pockets of backpacks or a money belt.
- Photographing the document: it is recommended to keep a photograph of the passport so that, in the event of loss, it is easier to obtain a duplicate. “Presenting an image of the document can often be sufficient.”
If the simple electronic or temporary passport is lost, destroyed or stolen, you must declare this personally, as the holder, or, in the case of minors, let the parents, legal representatives or companions handle it. In Romania, this is done at any public community passport service or at the General Directorate of Passports. Outside the country, the situation is reported to Romanian embassies and consulates.
What can Romanians do if they lose their passport or it is stolen
In the event of theft, the nearest police unit in the country you are in must be reported to obtain a certificate confirming the reporting of the incident, according to pasaporte.mai.gov data. In Romania, the police issue this certificate immediately after declaring the theft.
Once declared lost, destroyed or stolen, a passport can no longer be used, even if it is later recovered. If the holder or the minor’s parents find the document declared lost or stolen, it must be handed in without delay to the nearest community passport service, the General Directorate of Passports or to a Romanian embassy or consulate.
Travel documents found by other people or those belonging to deceased persons must also be handed over to the issuing authority or a police unit or diplomatic missions, which will take care of sending them to the issuing authority.
In order to obtain a new passport in place of the lost, destroyed or stolen one, an official declaration is required, according to the rules set out above.
The Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs informs: “If you are a Romanian citizen and, being abroad, you end up being involved in an incident as a result of which your documents, money or other objects were stolen or lost, it is good to know the following:
- Notify local police authorities immediately;
- Seek to benefit from the presence and statements of witnesses to help describe the facts and the perpetrator;
- Accompany the statement made to the police with a list of the objects that were stolen or disappeared from you;
- Ask the police authorities to issue a report (the police report will be useful if the stolen or missing items were insured);
- If your passport or other Romanian identity document has been stolen, immediately notify the Romanian embassy or consulate (they will be able to issue you a travel document for returning to the country);
- If your money has been stolen, notify your family or close relatives and ask them for financial support to continue your trip or return to the country,” according to mae.ro.
