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Travel Insurance Tips - Part 3: Passports

8 tips for taking care of your passport: What to do if your passport is lost or stolen

8 tips for taking care of your passport

Having your passport lost or stolen whilst abroad can be stressful and inconvenient – no one wants to spend time arranging replacement travel documents when you could be relaxing on the beach and with the added risk of identity theft it is essential to look after your passport.

Follow our top tips to help prevent the loss of your passport and be prepared should the worst happen.

Be prepared

1. Ensure your passport is valid for at least 6 months beyond your return date.
2. Make a record of your passport number, date and place of issue.
3. Take 2 photocopies of your passport, give one to a relative or friend in the UK and take the other with you, keep these details separate from your passport.
4. Email your passport details to yourself so that it can be accessed from your web mail account in the event of an emergency.
5. Take additional photographic identification and carry this separately from your passport.

Take care whilst you are away

1. Keep your passport in a watertight plastic bag to prevent water damage.
2. Don't leave your passport unattended or lying around in your hotel room. Consider your circumstances and decide on the safest place to keep your passport. If there is no safe in your room consider asking the hotel/hostel manager to place it in their safe or if one is not available keep it with you in a concealed money belt.
3. Be wary of anyone who requests that you surrender your passport. Always confirm it is a legitimate request before handing your passport over. Be particularly careful handing it over for services such as car hire, if in doubt; ask politely if they will accept any other form of id.