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Should you lose your British passport in the Philippines...

Discussion in 'Travel Tips and Advice' started by Methersgate, Nov 2, 2012.

  1. Methersgate
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    Methersgate Well-Known Member Lifetime Member

    ...you MUST immediately report the loss to the Police AND swear an Affidavit of Loss before an attorney.

    Next, contact the BIR, because, guess what, you no longer have evidence of a legal entry to the country or, indeed, a visa...

    They will make a note and tell you to come back when you have your new Passport.

    You now have a choice.

    UK Passports are no longer issued by the British Embassy in Manila.

    A) If you are returning direct to the UK, go to the British Consulate in Manila, armed with your Affidavit of Loss, and apply for an Emergency Travel Document ("ETO").

    B) If you are not, you must apply to the British Consulate in Hong Kong for a new passport


    Go to an internet cafe, get on the Internet and go to the British Consulate in Hong Kong's website, which you will find here:

    http://ukinhongkong.fco.gov.uk/en/he...als/passports/

    You will need to download and complete the Lost Passport form, here:

    http://centralcontent.fco.gov.uk/res.../ls01-form.pdf

    and complete the usual application form which you will find here:

    http://ukinhongkong.fco.gov.uk/en/he...pines/renewals

    and send that along with the passport photos and either a cashier's cheque / draft drawn on HSBC for the total amount
    (£128 passport fee plus £19.86 courier fee) OR fill in the Credit Card Authorisation Form, here:

    http://ukinhongkong.fco.gov.uk/resou...horisation.pdf

    using an international credit card or a Visa or Mastercard debit card, by courier, to the British Consulate in Hong Kong.

    If your passport was nicked along with your credit cards, it may be a good plan to phone a friend and ask him/her to fill in the credit card authorisation form - which is what my friend did.

    He submitted a correct application, by tracked courier, on the 28th September; the consulate charged the credit card (he used mine, as he did not have one) on the 11th October and his new passport arrived on the 30th of October.

    Then, armed with either (A) or (B) - call on the BIR, collect a visa stamp and pay for the overstay.

    Simple... but expensive and time consuming!
    Last edited: Nov 2, 2012
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  2. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    Well one is always supposed to carry one's passport everywhere but personally I would not dream of it, mine gets carefully hidden at home and I sometimes but not always take a photocopy of my passport out with me.

    Never had a problem yet but I am aware of police round up's of foreigners in tourist entertainment districts like Malate and parts of Makati and even at the malls like Greenbelt, and it is certainly true that you stand a much better chance of not spending the night in the nick if you are carrying your real passport.

    Only ever seen the odd police checkpoint here and there but they will even stop you in a taxi and inspect your details, I always carry my driving licence as ID as well.

    I also tend to leave my cards at home as well, apart from anything else it has the major benefit of limiting our spending for the night, although I will take Ana's card out with us for emergencies as that can be replaced locally if anything happened and there's rarely much money in it anyway.
    Last edited: Nov 2, 2012
  3. Wolverine
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    Wolverine New Member

    Come to think of it both my Brit passport and driving licence are near expiration. What are the best ways to renew them?
  4. Methersgate
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    Methersgate Well-Known Member Lifetime Member

    Passport - as above. Keep your current one, send a photocopy with the application and explain that you need it for business travel.

    Driving licence - DVLA - and may God go with you...
  5. bobcouttie
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    bobcouttie Member Trusted Member

    British Chambers in Asia are trying to persuade the powers that be to create some sort of fast-track for businesspeople overseas. If you're based outside the UK being without your passport for a month can be challenging, especially if you've lost it somewhere else in Asia.

    I'm actually the person mentioned by Methersgate so I know more about lost passports than I ever wanted to know.
  6. Methersgate
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    Methersgate Well-Known Member Lifetime Member

    Hello Bob!
    :welcome:


    (Bob is a British Embassy Warden, but he's too polite to mention that! :D)
  7. walesrob
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    walesrob Administrator Staff Member

    Thanks for the very useful information, Methersgate. I've made this thread a sticky to help others.
  8. Methersgate
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    Methersgate Well-Known Member Lifetime Member

    Thank you; I'm flattered!

    One final point - remember that a British passport has a monetary value to the criminal fraternity - people will try to steal one.
  9. Howerd
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    Howerd Well-Known Member Trusted Member Lifetime Member

    A few more tips to avoid the hassle from lost passport/cards:


    1. Keep on-line encrypted images of passport, driving licence, EHIC, insurance documents, debit/credit cards (both sides) and emergency phone numbers for reporting losses etc. Update when you get entry stamp/visa.

    2. Once your credit/debit cards have been safely imaged on-line, commit their CVVs to memory before scratching them off with a knife!

    3. Data from an RFID passport or RFID credit/debit cards can be stolen by someone standing near you with a portable scanner (or even a mobile phone with NFC) So, always keep your RIFD passport and RFID credit/debit cards in an RFID security wallet. Even better, drill out the RFID chip (NOT the Chip and Pin chip) in a credit/debit card - but don't do that to your passport!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Gj--jfeJ1I

    4. Keep a spare debit/credit card in a safe place - not on your person. If it is necessary to carry more than one credit/debit card, keep them in different places (eg wallet and shoe)

    5. Get a 'Virtual' credit card for emergency use, or create your own 'virtual' card by getting a real card, storing the details as in (1) above and immediately shredding it. Make sure you have a way to 'load' the card in an instant when you need to; you can use it for 'cardholder not present' transactions or even to wire yourself money via Western Union.

    6. Make sure you can always log into internet banking, especially if a lost debit card or lost card reader means it cannot be used for log-in authentication.

    7. The banks with the best exchange rates of debit/credit cards probably don't have an overseas presence, so get a another current account with a second bank. HSBC may not give a good exchange rate on cards, but it does have branches around the world that can get you a replacement debit card pretty quickly. Having accounts with two institutions should also make you pretty immune to institutional internet banking failures.

    8. If you lose your passport, there is no easy way to locate you as a passport contains no address details, so always fill out the next of kin details in the back page of your passport (with a pencil, so changes can be made) For good measure, also include your own mobile phone number/e-mail address.

    9. Get a secret money belt. A non-metallic one is best as you won't have to remove it to go through an airport scanner. Use it to hold money and emergency contact details...
    http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001RW7H...de=asn&creative=22206&creativeASIN=B001RW7HCO

    10. Finally, If your passport is ever lost/stolen, follow the interactive guide www.gov.uk/report-a-lost-or-stolen-passport. It will tell you how to report your missing passport in any country in the world and how to get emergency travel documents and/or a new passport.
    Last edited: Dec 11, 2012
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  10. subseastu
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    subseastu I'm Bruce Wayne Lifetime Member

    Some really good tips here. Very good idea about scratching the cvv number off the back of your card. Never thought of that.
  11. Howerd
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    Howerd Well-Known Member Trusted Member Lifetime Member

    If you lose your passport, there is no easy way to find where you are, so always fill out the next of kin details in the back page of your passport (with a pencil, so changes can be made) For good measure, also include your own mobile phone number/e-mail address.

    I have just added that tip to my earlier post.
    Last edited: Dec 11, 2012

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