This Travel Error Has Caused U.S. Passports to Be Voided Mid-trip-What to Do If It Happens to You

"Traveler Parker Anderson, for example, recently posted a TikTok video detailing an experience where he said he was detained in Thailand after his passport was flagged as lost. However, Anderson said he safely had the passport in his possession. Nonetheless, Anderson said he was still sent back to the United States. "This was one of the most traumatizing things to happen in my, and my girlfriend's lives," Anderson shared in the video. "We are financially damaged. We are emotionally scarred. It was a horrible experience.""

"Reached by Travel + Leisure, a spokesperson for the Department of State confirmed a U.S. passport could be cancelled in error in extremely rare cases. The spokesperson said that once a passport has been reported lost or stolen, it is no longer considered valid and cannot be used during travel. The spokesperson added travelers who apply online to renew their passport are not able to travel on their previous passport since those are automatically invalidated after the online application is submitted."

"In a separate instance, another creator, marcyistraveling, detailed a similar experience in which she said her passport was flagged as lost or stolen after landing in Rome. In that case, she said she was allowed to enter Italy and make her way to the embassy to request an emergency passport. Both creators have said they did not receive a satisfactory answer about how something like this could have occurred."

Some travelers have reported U.S. passports being wrongly flagged as lost or stolen while traveling internationally, creating detentions, denied departures, repatriation, and emergency passport needs. Social media creators described cases including detention in Thailand and being returned to the United States despite retaining their passports, and arriving in Rome where entry was permitted but an embassy visit was needed for an emergency passport. Passports can be cancelled in error in extremely rare cases. Once reported lost or stolen, passports are invalid for travel. Online renewal applications automatically invalidate the previous passport. Affected travelers reported not receiving satisfactory explanations.

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