Stolen or lost passport, driving licence or identity card
If you lose your Dutch passport, driving licence or identity card, you do not need to go to the police but to the municipality in which you live.
You can choose whether you want to register the loss and apply for a new document immediately, or if you only want to register the loss without applying for a new document. The holder of the passport, driving licence or identity card needs to report the loss himself.
Register the loss without applying for a new document
Have you lost your passport, driving licence or identity card? Do you want to register the loss but not yet apply for a new document? Do not go to the police but instead to the municipality in which you live. The municipal employee will prepare a declaration of loss and will register your document as missing. To do this, you need to go to the Department of Public Service counter at City Hall Spui or the Leyweg City Office.
Appointment
Make an appointment. This way you can avoid having to wait for a long time at the city office. While preparing the declaration, the document will be registered as missing in different systems. You need to attend the appointment in person.
Making a declaration of loss
You need to fill in a form at the city office: the declaration of loss. In this declaration you indicate when you last saw your document, where that was and so on. Once you make this declaration, the missing document will be made invalid. Should you find the document again, the loss can no longer be reversed and you will need to turn in the document. The document will then be destroyed; you will not get it back.
Register the loss and apply for a new document
You can also apply for new document immediately after registering the lost document. Make an appointment for:
- a driving licence under Apply for a driving licence after loss or theft. Report the missing licence to the RDW (in Dutch) before you apply for a new driving licence
- a passport and/or Dutch identity card under Apply for a Dutch passport or identity card after loss or theft
Your new document
- Your new travel document has a new document number and a new expiry date.
- A replacement driving licence has a new document number but the same expiry date as the missing driving licence.
- The municipality always checks your identity. Fraud will be dealt with severely.
Fees
There are no fees for a declaration of loss.
You pay for a new or a replacement document. See the fees under:
- Apply for a Dutch passport or identity card after loss or theft
- Apply for a driving licence after loss or theft
These fees must be paid upfront when you submit your application. It takes at least 5 working days before your passport, identity card or driving licence is ready.
Document lost abroad
If you lose your Dutch passport or identity card abroad, you must report the loss to the local police. You will receive a police report. You can use this police report to apply for a new travel document at the Netherlands embassy or consulate. The addresses are listed on the website of the Dutch government.
If you lose your driving licence abroad, you can report the loss to the local police. You will receive a police report. You can apply for a new driving licence at your municipality. You will also need to fill in a declaration of loss.
Foreign document lost in the Netherlands
If you lose your foreign passport, identity card or driving licence in the Netherlands, go to the police.
Good to know
Did you lose your Dutch passport because it was seized by a competent authority? Then you will get proof that it was confiscated.
- Your Dutch passport will be forwarded to the municipality. The municipality will then investigate what should happen with the passport. You will receive a letter about this.
- If your passport was not forwarded to the municipality, you should contact the agency which seized your passport.
- If your passport was seized, then you can identify yourself using your identity card.
If you do not already have an identity card, you can apply for a Dutch identity card.
More information about Dutch passport confiscation can be found on the website of the Rijksoverheid (in Dutch).
Published: 29 July 2021Modified: 16 August 2021