Stolen Passport with Spouse Visa inside!!

I'm from the US but am married to a British guy. I have a spouse Visa which I recieved in Jan. 2004. I was walking to work and dropped my wallet which had my passport and spouse Visa inside (because work needed to photocopy it previously). I contacted the police and a week later my wallet was turned in, but without the passport.

I know that I need to contact the American Embassy here in England and let them know about the passport being stolen, but how do I go about getting a new passport and Spouse stamp in it? Do I have to go through the same precedure as before which was send a load of money with all my information, letters, photos, and birth cert and marriage cert to get my visa again, or is there an easier way?

How do i go about getting an american passport and uk spouse visa from the UK?

If anyone could help I would be so grateful!!
Thank you

Ashley

My guess is it will be relatively straightforward... contact the US embassy to get a new passport (it's not unusual for them to produce them, you don't have to go back to the US for one) and the Home Office for a new visa - make sure you tell both it was stolen as someone could attempt to use it with a new photo. I'd guess there may be replacement fees but can't imagine they would make you jump through all the hoops again.

Edited to add:

Not sure what the best thing is, but I guess I'd contact the embassy first to get the new passport and then the HO for the visa unless you are travelling in the immediate future.

Hi there, thanks for replying so quickly. Yeah I was hoping I would have to go through this all over again. I mean I sent my passport off and got it back in five days without a hitch. So it's annoying that this has happened. Nothing ever goes smoothly does it?

Anyway I will contact the Home Office and let them know and see what we can do and I will contact the American Embassy about it being stolen. I've tried calling but only recvieved recordings that didn't help me at all, so I will try again tomorrow or try writing them a letter (since they don't accept e-mails)  so that they know that I have had my passport stolen.

thanks again for your help, I really appreciate it!


I'm not leaving anytime soon, but am going back to the States in December. The main reason I need the passport at the moment is so that I can get my driving license here. But either way I think the sooner i get it back the better and one less thing to think about really.

thanks again for your help, I really appreciate it!

No worries!

You can get humans at the US embassy. I can't recall how I did it, but maybe someone else will post with that little detail!

I'm assuming you saw this:

http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_web/acs/passports/lost.htm

Yeah i have checked that out and thank you for that. It's annoying because I have only been here a year, and have only known my husband's family for that time so none of them can sign my photograph stating that this is me, because they haven't know me long enough. I wonder how I will have to work that one out. Blah   

I know, I'm going thru the same thing with my UK drivers license. It does say you can write them with your specific problelm but I can see how you'd rather phone... I seem to recall though that they are pretty fast about replying to letters.

Good luck!

Thank you. I will try calling again, but don't mind writing a letter. I think I may have to make an appointment with them, but hey, we'll see.

Thanks again for your help! 

Ash

My passport was "lost" by Royal Mail en route to the Home Office for my FLR.

After the initial panic, I made the appt with the US Embassy in London and got a new passport telling them that it had been lost in the post. They gave me a new passport (fee payable unfortunately) which was only valid for either 6 months or 1 year (can't remember, sorry) as they said if the original did turn up they would cancel the new one but if it didn't, they would extend the new passport to its normal time period.

Long story short, I didn't get a chance to get through to the Home Office regarding my visa because the day after returning home from London...my passport came back from the Home Office with the FLR! 

I then cancelled the original passport and extended my new passport (because it had my married name in it).

Good luck though! I think the hassle of it all is going to be the stressful bit.

If you need to travel before you get the stamp back in your passport,, I think if you carry the paper copy they give you when they stamp your passport it will work as well? Someone around perhaps that knows for sure?

I didn't recieve a paper with my spouse stamp. I only got my visa sent back to me and it was stamped and that was all, unfortunately.

 They gave me a new passport (fee payable unfortunately)


* HOw much did you have to pay? Also I have to change my name as well, so I can do that when getting the new one? Brilliant because I thought I would have to get my old one then have my name changed in it. Oh this is a pain haha

Ahh, I think it's when they give you Indefinate Leave to Remain that you also get a paper certificate. I just remember them saying that if anything were to happen to my passport, that I would need that piece of paper, and to keep it safe. I don't recall now, getting one for FLR.

I got that piece of paper with my FLR...

I don't remember if I did or not,, but my FLR was for one year,, was yours when they started doing it for 2 years?  I have put my little piece of paper safely away, and always worry I may misplace it,,lol.

I didn't get a piece of paper with my 2 year FLR (Got in at the end of May)  Just the actual Visa.

Hi Ashley, glad you found the site!!!  (Look up at you Personal Messages on the top of the page where it says hello to you.  I sent one yesterday)