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Lost your travel documents? There are still ways to catch your return flight. Let's explore what those ways are.
Lost your documents while traveling domestically?
Essential documents required for domestic flights
For children under 2 years old who haven't obtained a birth certificate, a birth confirmation paper can be used instead to book a plane ticket and proceed at the airport.
For children aged 2 - 12, it's mandatory to bring either the original birth certificate or a certified copy. Absolutely no use of photocopies, notarized copies, etc.
For children over 12 years old and adults, check-in procedures usually require equivalent documents. In addition to the plane ticket, you must have an ID card. Otherwise, you can substitute it with a passport, driver's license, confirmation of identity document, journalist card, Party card, etc.
Lost your travel documents and stranded? Wondering how to catch your return flight?
What to do if you lose your documents while traveling domestically?
It's unfortunate to find yourself 'far from home relaxation' but losing all your essential documents. So, if you lose your documents while traveling domestically, how do you catch your flight back? If you realize you've lost your identification while still away and haven't got long till your return, you can report it to the local police for assistance. If not, a more assured method is to call your family and have them go to the local police station where you reside to obtain a confirmation of identity document and urgently send it to you via express delivery or bring it to help you out.
In case of losing your documents close to your flight date, immediately contact the airline or agency where you purchased your plane ticket to get assistance in rescheduling your flight or changing to another within the limits of your ticket.
Lost your documents while traveling abroad?
Essential documents required for international flights
For children under 12 who wish to book and fly international flights, besides similar documents required for domestic flights such as birth certificates (original or certified copies), you must also prepare a passport for the child if traveling abroad. In case the child doesn't have their own passport yet, you need to provide complete information including their name, date of birth, and a photo to be attached to the parent's passport or the legal guardian's passport.
For individuals aged 12 and above, having a passport is mandatory for international travel. Additionally, a visa is one of the essential documents, a vital entry permit to any given country. However, depending on the regulations of each country concerning Vietnamese citizens, you may or may not require a visa.
Passport is essential for Vietnamese citizens to travel abroad
What to do if you lose your documents while traveling abroad?
For domestic flights, it's easy to contact the airline or booking office where you made your flight reservation. But if you lose your documents while traveling abroad, how can you fly back home? It becomes a bit more complicated as you'll need to visit the local police station to obtain a confirmation of passport loss. In these situations, traveling abroad on a tour package might be more convenient if you don't speak the local language fluently. Remember to communicate with them in English or the local language if possible.
After obtaining the confirmation of passport loss in the respective country, immediately proceed to the Vietnamese embassy (Vietnam's diplomatic representative) located in that country to be guided through the process of obtaining a temporary passport. In cases where the country you're traveling to doesn't have a Vietnamese embassy, such as Nepal, you will be assisted in contacting the diplomatic representative in the neighboring country, India. The declaration process will include:
- Fill in your personal information on the provided form, along with a 4x6 photo attached.
- Then submit along with the initial passport loss declaration you obtained from the local police station.
- Submitting this form means all information will be uploaded to the immigration management agency. Your old passport will become invalid. Therefore, even if you find it later, you cannot reuse the old passport and must apply for a new one.
So how long does it take to reissue a passport? If you're traveling with a group and at least one person in the group can present the old passport along with relevant immigration documents, you'll be issued a temporary passport within 24 hours. Otherwise, the processing time will be around 5 days.
Losing all your identification documents can prevent you from purchasing plane tickets or boarding flights, especially for international journeys. In such unfortunate situations, remember the tips shared by Mytour to navigate through these challenging circumstances. If you're unsure about what steps to take, feel free to call 1900 2083 or chat directly with Mytour at https://www.facebook.com/Mytourvn/ for timely assistance with any inquiries.
Daisy Ng
Image source: Internet
