Lost and Stolen Passports, Visas, and Arrival-Departure Records (Form I-94)

Passports, Visas, and Arrival-Departure Records (Form I-94) are official travel documents that foreign citizens coming to the United States must have in their possession to show their country of citizenship and legal status in the U.S. We encourage students to make a copy of their passport biographic page, their U.S. visa and their Form I-94 as soon as possible after their arrival in the U.S.

If you are a international student temporarily in the United States, and you lose your U.S. visa, you can remain for the duration of your authorized stay, as shown on your Arrival-Departure Record (Form I-94). You will need a valid passport to depart the United States and to enter another country. Your I-94 is needed as you depart the U.S., to document that you are departing by the required date. If your passport with your I-94 are lost or stolen, you must get them replaced immediately. There are a number of steps you need to take as follows:

Police Report

Go to the local police station and report your document(s) lost or stolen. If available, you will need to provide copies of the original documents. You will be issued a police report detailing the incident. Don’t forget to make an extra copy of the report for your own records.

Request Replacement of a Lost/Stolen Arrival-Departure Record (Form I-94)

Replacement of a lost or stolen Form I-94 falls under the responsibility of Department of Homeland Security (DHS). To file for a replacement I-94, see Application for Replacement/Initial Nonimmigrant Arrival-Departure Document at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Website and see Arrival-Departure Record at the DHS, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Website.

Report your Passport Lost/Stolen to Your Embassy

Contact the local Embassy or consular section for the country of your citizenship, for information on the procedure to replace a lost or stolen passport. Most countries have Internet web sites with contact information.

Report your Visa Lost/Stolen to the U.S. Embassy Abroad

Fax the Consular Section or Consul General at the Embassy abroad which issued your visa, to report it lost/stolen. Go to the Embassy Consular Section Website to locate the Fax number and contact information. Specifically state whether the visa was lost or stolen. Be sure to include your full name, date of birth, and place of birth, address in the U.S., and an email address (if available). If you have a copy of the passport or visa, fax this to the Embassy or consular section. Otherwise, if known, report the category of visa and the passport number from the lost/stolen visa. If you have already reported your visa lost/stolen to the U.S. Embassy abroad, and then you later find your misplaced visa, please note that the visas will be invalid for future travel to the U.S, and you must apply in person at the Embassy or Consulate abroad for a new visa.

Applying for a Replacement United States Visa

Lost/stolen U.S. visas cannot be replaced in the United States. For replacement of a visa, you must apply in person at an Embassy or Consulate abroad. When applying for the replacement of a visa, you will need to provide a written account documenting the loss of your passport and visa. Include a copy of the police report.

The link for this page http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/info/info_2009.html#

Note

For further assistance, the students can immediately contact their respective embassy in United States by following these steps:

Go to travel.state.gov

Click on the International Travel on the home page

Click on your respective country on the map

Finally, you can find your contact information about your embassy which is in the US under the Entry/Exit Requirements