A Brit who found himself in what he described as “every travellers’ worst nightmare” has shared his advice on how to handle such a predicament while holidaying abroad.
Adam Venturez, who was “stuck” in a foreign country with “no way of getting home” after losing his passport and missing his flight, used the opportunity to educate others via TikTok about the steps they should take to return to the UK. “The first step is to go and report my passport as lost or stolen to the local police,” he began in a video, noting that this service is free of charge.
Speaking from Paphos, Cyprus, Adam continued: “The next step is to apply for an emergency travel document so I can get home without a passport.” To obtain this, he had to pay £125 through the UK government’s passport website, which explains: “An emergency travel document lets you travel from abroad if you need to travel urgently and cannot use your UK passport.
It is usually only valid for one single or return journey. You can travel through a maximum of 5 countries.” However, Adam cautioned: “It could take up to two days for a few days to register.”
He further advised: “Usually, the next step would be to book a hotel, Airbnb or just somewhere to stay for the next couple of days.” In his case, though, he was fortunate enough to have his girlfriend’s property in Cyprus at his disposal, allowing him to “avoid the faff”.
Adam revealed he received a government notification later that evening, informing him that his document would be ready for collection the following morning. The next day, meanwhile, he posted a follow-up video whilst making his way to the British High Commission in Nicosia, the Cypriot capital.
“They gave me this bright blue British passport that is only valid for one day, which will be taken off me once I get home,” Adam explained. “I’m impressed they turned this around so quickly in 24 hours so I can now book a flight – and I have found one for £117.”
However, upon reaching Larnaka International Airport, Adam encountered an unforeseen cost that forced him to fork out €50 [£43.25] for in-person check-in, as he couldn’t complete the process online without his original passport and had missed the cut-off time for a free online check-in.
You can apply for an emergency travel document if all the following apply:
- you’re a British national
- you’re outside the UK
- you need to travel within 6 weeks
- your UK passport has been lost, stolen, damaged, is full, has recently expired or is with HM Passport Office or a foreign embassy
- you cannot renew or replace your UK passport from abroad before you travel
- you have had a valid UK passport that was issued on or after 1 January 2006
Meanwhile, if you have not had a UK passport that was issued on or after 1 January 2006, you’ll usually need to apply for a UK passport instead of an emergency travel document. Further information can be found here.