DS-64 & Affidavits for Lost or Stolen Passports

Losing a U.S. passport — or having one stolen — is stressful, especially abroad or on a tight travel timeline. The federal process is narrower than most travelers expect: one form to report the loss (Form DS-64), a second to apply for the replacement (Form DS-11), and a handful of adjacent documents that often ask for a notarized affidavit of loss even when the State Department itself does not.

This guide walks through what DS-64 does, when a sworn affidavit actually matters, how to handle a stolen passport versus a merely misplaced one, and what changes when you are overseas.

What Form DS-64 is — and what it is not

Form DS-64, Statement Regarding a Lost or Stolen Passport, is the official notice to the U.S. Department of State that a U.S. passport book or card is no longer in the bearer's possession. Submitting it triggers two things:

• The passport number is flagged and invalidated in State Department and Customs and Border Protection systems.
• A record is created that links any future replacement application to the reported loss.

What DS-64 is not:

• It is not a visa replacement, an airline ticket reissue, or a travel insurance claim form. Those are separate processes that sit on top of your DS-64 filing.
• It is not the replacement application. You file Form DS-11 separately to apply for a new passport.
• It is not, by itself, a notarized document. You sign under penalty of perjury; no notary seal is required on DS-64 to make it valid with the State Department.

Lost vs. stolen: what changes

The form itself treats both the same, but your adjacent paperwork differs.

Lost passports

• No police report is required by the State Department.
• Fill out DS-64, sign, and submit by mail or online, or hand it in with your DS-11 replacement application at an acceptance facility.
• A notarized affidavit of loss is optional but often requested by insurance carriers if you are filing a claim for trip interruption or replacement costs.

Stolen passports

• File a police report at the local jurisdiction where the theft occurred. The State Department does not require it, but:
  • Airlines reissuing ticket records keyed to the stolen passport number frequently ask for one.
  • Travel insurers almost always require a report for theft claims.
  • Foreign consulates replacing a visa that was in the stolen book typically require one.
  • It creates a contemporaneous record if the passport is later used fraudulently.
• File DS-64 as soon as possible. Every hour a stolen book is un-invalidated is an hour someone could attempt to use it.
• Consider a notarized affidavit of loss describing the circumstances, which gives insurers and consulates a sworn statement that carries more evidentiary weight than a plain narrative.

Where notarization actually comes into the picture

DS-64 does not require a notary. But travelers frequently end up needing a separate sworn affidavit of loss for purposes around the passport replacement:

• Airline record reissue. Airlines often link ticket records, frequent-flyer awards, and TSA PreCheck entries to a specific passport number. Getting a ticket reissued against your new passport sometimes requires a notarized statement.
• Travel insurance claims. Policies for lost documents, trip delay, or emergency expenses almost always require a notarized proof of loss.
• Visa replacement. If the lost book contained a foreign visa, the issuing consulate typically requires a notarized affidavit describing the circumstances before reissuing.
• Border re-entry at certain ports. A handful of land and sea ports have historically asked for supplementary sworn documentation if a traveler arrives with an emergency passport and no prior book.
• Emergency issuance overseas. When a U.S. Embassy or Consulate is processing an emergency or limited-validity passport for a stranded traveler, a notarized affidavit of loss is often the cleanest supporting document.

This is where Remote Online Notarization (RON) is genuinely useful. You can sign a sworn affidavit of loss in front of a commissioned notary over a live audio-video session from a hotel room, an Airbnb, or home — without hunting for an in-person notary during a stressful trip.

Reporting a lost or stolen passport from overseas

If the loss happens outside the United States, the process pivots.

• Contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate as soon as possible. Most have a dedicated American Citizen Services (ACS) unit that handles passport emergencies.
• The embassy will walk you through filing DS-64 and will usually help you apply for either a full-validity replacement or, if you are traveling imminently, a limited-validity emergency passport (often valid for a shorter period and sometimes for a single return trip only).
• Bring any proof of citizenship you can — a photocopy of the lost book, a birth certificate, a naturalization certificate, a prior passport — plus secondary photo ID.
• A notarized affidavit of loss is commonly part of the embassy packet. Consular officers can notarize, but appointment capacity varies wildly; a RON session the night before the embassy visit is often faster.

Country-by-country guidance, hours, and emergency contact numbers change frequently. Always verify current instructions at travel.state.gov before relying on a specific process.

The replacement path: Form DS-11

For a lost or stolen passport, the replacement is always a new application on Form DS-11, never a mail renewal on DS-82.

• Apply in person at a Passport Acceptance Facility (post offices, clerks of court, public libraries) or a regional Passport Agency for urgent travel.
• Bring: completed DS-11, submitted DS-64, proof of U.S. citizenship, government-issued photo ID plus a photocopy, a compliant passport photo, and applicable fees.
• For urgent or life-or-death travel, the regional Passport Agency process is separate and requires an appointment; details and availability sit at travel.state.gov.

Processing times and fees change. Do not rely on a timeline you saw in a forum post — always confirm the current schedule on the State Department's site.

Step-by-step: getting this notarized online

1. Decide what you actually need notarized

DS-64 itself does not need a notary. If you only need to report the loss and apply for a replacement, you can skip notarization entirely. Notarize a separate affidavit of loss if an insurer, airline, consulate, or embassy has asked for one — or if you are overseas coordinating an emergency passport.

2. Draft the affidavit of loss

Include: your full legal name, date of birth, the lost/stolen passport number (if known), issue date, circumstances of the loss, date and location, whether a police report was filed (with report number if yes), and a sworn statement that the contents are true to the best of your knowledge. Do not sign it in advance — the notary must witness the signature on the live session.

3. Book a RON session

Schedule with a commissioned online notary. Have a valid, unexpired government-issued photo ID ready — if your primary ID was in the lost passport book, bring any secondary photo ID you have (driver's license, state ID, military ID) and be prepared for additional identity-proofing questions.

4. Complete the session

During the live audio-video call, the notary will verify your identity, confirm you are signing willingly, witness your signature on the affidavit, apply a tamper-evident digital seal, and journal the act. The whole session typically runs 10–15 minutes.

5. Submit to the right party

Send the sealed PDF directly to whoever requested it — the insurer, the airline records desk, the consulate, or the embassy ACS unit. Do not print and rescan the sealed PDF; that strips the cryptographic seal the recipient relies on to verify the notarization.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Waiting to file DS-64. Every hour the passport is un-invalidated increases fraud risk. File as soon as you are reasonably certain the passport is gone.
• Trying to use a "found" passport after reporting. Once reported, it is permanently invalid. No exceptions.
• Skipping the police report for a stolen passport. It is not required by State, but the downstream paperwork (insurance, visa reissue, airline records) almost always asks for it.
• Pre-signing the affidavit. Notaries must witness the signature live. A pre-signed affidavit will be refused.
• Using DS-82 for a replacement. Lost and stolen passport replacements require DS-11, in person.
• Relying on outdated fee or timeline information. Always confirm current figures on travel.state.gov — they change without much notice.
• Printing and rescanning the notarized PDF. It invalidates the digital seal. Forward the original sealed PDF.

Bottom line

Form DS-64 is the narrow, specific tool for telling the State Department your passport is gone — and once filed, it permanently kills that passport number. DS-64 itself does not need a notary, but a separate notarized affidavit of loss is what insurers, airlines, consulates, and embassies almost always want before they help you rebuild the rest of the travel stack. If you are overseas, start with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate and plan for both DS-64 and an affidavit. Then file DS-11 for the replacement. U.S. Online Notaries handles lost- and stolen-passport affidavits every day, including urgent overnight sessions — book a time and we will have a sealed PDF back to you in minutes.