Lost Passports and Emergency Passports
25 August 2009Most people in Britain nowadays hold a passport, as package holidays have been common for nearly 3 decades. But what is a passport for? What rights do I have on the occasion when I hand over my passport to Portuguese police?
Your passport document principally identifies you as a particular citizen of a specific nation. This immediately informs local agencies (in whatever country you are in) of your particular rights in their country. Your passport book is also the place to hold various visas and stamps which further tell local bureaus as to how many weeks you’ve stayed in their nation, and how long you’re permitted to reside for.
A lot of individuals mistake being a passport holder as being a resident of that nation. This is not true. For instance, if you’re an Australian and have resided in the UK for the last 10 years, then go back to Australia on your Australian passport, you will almost certainly not have the same rights as a resident of Australia (e.g. be able to claim unemployment benefits immediately or get help with student grants). Residency and holding a passport for a particular country are not the same thing. It’s vital to observe this as dual passport holders and on the increase.
Always keep your passport in a secure location, and make a copy of your photo page and your stamped pages in case it gets lost. If your passport does go missing when in a foreign country, get in touch with your embassy who will be able to issue you a temporary passport. Your embassy is there to assist you with passport troubles when you require it, even passport renewal if you are a long-term resident in a foreign land.
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