Practical guide
Lost or stolen papers abroad: return anyway
Missing passport or identity card far from home? Four steps in order — local police, DOC STOP, consulate, return document — and a trap to know before booking your flight.
Before you start
- Two recent identity photographs. Diplomatic posts require them; have them taken locally if necessary.
- A copy or photo of your lost documents, if you have one.
- A means of payment: a temporary passport costs 100 € at the rate in force on 1 July 2026.
- Your return itinerary: flight numbers and stopover cities.
- The number DOC STOP noted somewhere: 00800 2123 2123.
The steps, in order
Report loss or theft to local police
Go to the nearest police station and obtain a written report. It is essential: the consulate will require it before issuing a travel document, and your insurer will require it for a claim. Ask for two copies if possible.
What to know firstIf you find a document after DOC STOP has blocked it, do not assume that it is valid again. Call 00800 2123 2123 to check before travelling with it.
Call DOC STOP : 00800 2123 2123
Call 00800 2123 2123 free of charge from anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day. If that number does not work from the country where you are, call +32 2 488 21 23. Your identity card or passport is blocked immediately so that nobody can use it to impersonate you. The document then appears as reported on checkdoc.be.
Contact the Belgian embassy or career consulate
Find the diplomatic post in the directory at https://diplomatie.belgium.be/fr/ambassades-et-consulats and call before travelling there. Take the police report, two identity photographs and, if available, copies of your documents. An honorary consulate cannot issue a passport but may sometimes act as an intermediary; ask the competent post what procedure applies in that country.
Complete both official forms
Declaration of the loss or theft of a Belgian identity or travel document: https://diplomatie.belgium.be/sites/default/files/2024-07/2024-FR-Déclaration-de-perte-ou-de-vol-document-identité-ou-de-voyage-belge.pdf — application for a temporary passport: https://diplomatie.belgium.be/sites/default/files/2026-07/Formulaire%20demande%20passeport%20provisoire%2001072026%20%281%29.pdf (all forms: https://diplomatie.belgium.be/fr/pour-les-belges-letranger/formulaires). For a minor, both parents must sign the form.
What to know firstNot every country accepts a temporary passport; entry into the United States is a particular problem. Check each country in the travel advice at https://diplomatie.belgium.be/fr/conseils-aux-voyageurs and call the diplomatic post before buying a ticket. Rates and forms were checked in August 2026 and change regularly.
Receive a temporary passport or travel document
A temporary passport is valid for up to one year and costs 100 € at the rate in force on 1 July 2026. However, no fee is charged for an emergency travel document (ETD) or a temporary passport valid for less than 30 days when issued as emergency assistance. State clearly that you need a document to return home, not a passport for the whole year.
No Belgian post in the country? Contact another EU Member State
Any Belgian citizen may apply for an EU emergency travel document at the embassy or career consulate of any other EU Member State under Directive (EU) 2019/997. Take the police report and your photographs, and also notify FPS Foreign Affairs on +32 2 501 81 11.
Check your stopovers BEFORE you book your return
This is the trap that blocks people at the airport: the temporary travel document (ETD) allows only direct return to Belgium or your country of residence in the EU. A stop outside the European Union may be refused by the country of transit or by the airline. Choose a direct flight or stopover in the EU, and have your itinerary confirmed by the post issuing the document.
This guide offers guidance, never legal advice. Practice differs from one commune to another: call before you go. If you are in immediate danger, call 112.