Lost or stolen French passport in the US
Losing a French passport in the United States is a problem, and not always an emergency. The network separates the two: it is an emergency if you must travel before the consulate reopens; otherwise you report it and apply for a new passport in the usual way.
Reporting the loss
A simple loss can be declared at the consulate; a theft needs a report to the local police first, and the receipt is needed for the next steps. Consulates can record losses and thefts of only three French documents: the passport, the ID card and the driver's license.
Report it through the contact form, choosing “loss or theft of documents”: the consulates' emergency lines are not for lost passports.
Emergency documents
If you have to go back to France quickly, the consulate can issue a laissez-passer for a single trip home, for 50 euros; some countries do not accept it for transit. You bring the loss or theft receipt, a copy of the lost document if you have one, proof of travel and a compliant photo.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| First step | Police report for a theft; a simple loss can be declared at the consulate |
| Laissez-passer | $56.77 (€50) |
| Emergency passport, valid 1 year | $102.19 (€90) |
| New ID card after a loss | $28.39 (€25) |
- The police report (theft) or the loss declaration
- A copy or scan of the lost document, if you have one
- Proof of travel (laissez-passer) or proof of address (emergency passport)
- A compliant ID photo
If you must travel to another country, the consulate can issue a temporary passport valid one year, for 90 euros, with proof of address less than three months old instead of the travel proof.
A weekend loss
For a tourist who loses a passport on a Saturday with a flight on Sunday, the network's advice is to ask the airline to move the flight by a few days and warn the consulate, which can study an emergency document when it reopens.
Fees, delays and what counts as urgent
In dollars, the laissez-passer costs $56.77 and the temporary passport $102.19 at the chancery rate of October 1, 2026. Neither comes on the spot: the consulate first checks your nationality and identity, and the network warns that the time this takes varies.
The network counts a lost passport as an emergency only if the trip is imminent and cannot be postponed before the consulate reopens. A loss with no trip planned is not one: you declare it and then apply for a new passport in the usual way, with an appointment.
A lost ID card is replaced at an appointment like a renewal, for 25 euros, $28.39 on October 1, 2026; a passport replaced after a loss follows the usual fee table. The ID card and passport guides explain both.
No trip within days? It is not an emergency: file a new passport.Official sources: Perte ou vol de documents; En cas d'urgence; Tarifs des droits de chancellerie.
Details checked against the official pages on October 6, 2026.
frenchconsulates.us is an independent guide to France’s consular offices in the United States. We are not the Embassy, a consulate or the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.
We do not book or sell appointments: booking on consulat.gouv.fr is free. Details are checked against the official pages and can change without notice.