How to get a new emergency American passport in Bali in one week

The last week of my incredible month in Bali (October 2017), my wallet and passport went missing. I searching the web to understand the process to get a new emergency passport, but couldn't find much information. Thus, I thought I'd put together an overview of how I got an emergency American passport in a week.


I'll set the scene. 

I had received the free Visa On Arrival while I landed at the Denpasar airport, which allows you to stay in Bali for up to 30 days. Not expecting anything would go wrong, I booked my flight for the 30th day (Tuesday, Nov. 21). This gave me no wiggle room when it came to leaving the country if I didn't get my passport on time (spoiler alert, I did!).

My wallet and passport went missing in Ubud, Bali, on Sunday, Nov. 12, giving me exactly 10 days to get a new passport. Plenty of time, right? HA! Barely. Luckily I had a photocopy of my old passport -- and I ended up showing it to everyone as my "proof of ID."


If your passport goes missing, the first thing you need to do is go to the police station. Since I was staying in Ubud, I went to the police station that's east of the downtown area. It was quiet and there were only two officers working. They took me in right away and had me fill out a form. Then, they inputted in my info into the computer and printed, signed and stamped an official police report. KEEP THIS WITH YOU and maybe get a copy of this, as you'll need to reference this until you get home. 


In order to get an emergency, temporary passport, you'll need to bring a new passport photo. There are a few places in Ubud that offer them -- I can't remember what it cost, but it was way less than it would have cost in America. Less than $10 for sure, and I got 6, just in case. I ended up only using 2.


*Please refer to this link for the most updated process info, I'm only writing about my personal experience which could be different than your experience or the official process.

Hire a driver (driving there by scooter is quite the endeavor) and get your butt as fast as you can to the Consulate Agency in Denpasar. You're supposed to make an appointment, but if it's an emergency (which this was), you can just show up. I got there at 8:45 a.m., and they opened at 9 a.m. I was the only one there. They did a security scan and then had me fill out paperwork. When you get into the office, you'll have to provide your passport photo, money for the passport ($135, payable in Indonesian Rupiah cash or by credit card), and fill out two forms in advance: DS-11 and DS-64. You'll also need to provide your police report (you still have it, right?).

They will tell you that they can't actually process passports and that they will need to send everything by mail to the U.S. Consulate office in Surabaya on the island of Java. If you have a photo ID, you could fly there and get it processed and picked up same-day. However, since I didn't have a photo ID since my wallet also went missing, I couldn't fly anywhere. It takes up to a week to receive your passport.

Submitted Monday. It would arrive in Surabaya by Wednesday. They would process and send back on Thursday. Then, it could arrive by either Friday or Monday (since the agency office is closed on the weekend.) 

Even if it arrived on Monday, it'd be fine right?! NO. 

After you have your emergency passport in your hot little hands, you then have to go to the immigration office that's 45 minutes to an hour away (south of the airport) to get an entrance stamp, since your new passport doesn't show record that you entered the country. That office closes at 4. If you get your passport on Monday at 2, that gives you only two hours to get to the office and get the stamp before they close. And with Bali infrastructure, the mail could be delayed or the immigration office could close early -- you never know. 


Luckily, my passport arrived on Friday afternoon. But, it was right before they closed the agency office, meaning I would have to pick it up bright and early Monday morning. 

I arrived at 9 a.m. Monday, Nov. 20. I signed for the passport and the agency staff also gave me an official letter to give to the immigration office. I then hitched an uber from the mall next door and arrived at the immigration office at 10:30.

If you can get a copy of both your flight itinerary in - and out - of the country, your new passport, and the police report, do so before going to the immigration office. Otherwise, they'll have you go get it copied. It's just pass the office - the next building over, and cost about $2 to get it all copied. 

The office you're looking for is on the second floor in the back. 

Then, of course, typical government, they closed for lunch at noon, so there I sat. I finally got my passport and stamp at 2:30 p.m. and was on my way.


My experience added a bit more stress, since I had a week trip planned to Japan on my way home from Bali. In talking to many officials on the phone in both the U.S. and Japan, nobody knew if I could use my emergency passport to enter Japan, even though it had a full year validity.

I just winged it. 

At the Denpasar airport, I had to show my police report, the letter from the consolate agency and my passport to get through security. I had to do the same during my layover in KL.

When I arrived in Japan, they asked about my passport (since it's smaller than a regular passport.) I just said my original one was stolen in Bali, and that it was an emergency passport. 

They just looked at it a bit, and let me in.

Getting back into America, I had the same process getting through immigration and I was home!

Hopefully, if you're reading this because your passport was lost or stolen in Bali, this gives you hope that you can get home. It's a lot of hoops to jump through, but it's relatively painless.

Good luck, and make sure to keep an eye on that passport better next time!