Most people have good hearts. At least, that's the impression you get
after looking at studies regarding lost wallets. For example, a 2007
study using planted wallets and hidden cameras showed that 74% of the
people who found the wallets attempted to return them. In 2009, the
Toronto Star did a similar test with 20 wallets and found that 15 were
returned.
It stands to reason, then, that most people would also try to return a
lost passport. After all, in many ways a passport is just as personal a
possession as a wallet. Here's how to go about it:
Identify the Owner
Obviously, the first step in returning a lost passport is to identify
the owner. You can get their name, birthday and picture by looking on
the second page. To try to make contact, turn to the third page, where
they should have listed emergency contact information. This information
should include the name of the person they would prefer the State
Department to contact in the event of an emergency as well as that
person's phone number.
If you're lucky, the number will still be valid, and the emergency
contact personcan put you in touch with the owner of the passport.
Going the Extra Mile
If calling the emergency contact number doesn't work, there are still
a couple of things you can try. First, if you found the passport at a
business, ask someone who works there if anyone has asked about it. If
not, consider calling your local police department to see if anyone has
filed a report on it. Finally, you can utilize Google or online yellow
pages to see if you can find a current contact number for the person on
the passport.
Last Resort
If you do manage to find the owner of the lost passport before they
report the passport missing, you'll be saving that person passport fees
of at least $135, possibly more if they have a trip scheduled soon.
However, if you can't find the owner, you need to return the lost
passport to the Department of State so that they can cancel it.
Here's the address:
U.S. Department of State
Passport Services
Consular Lost/Stolen Passport Section
1111 19th Street, NW, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20036
Even if you can't get the passport back to the person who lost it, trying to return a lost passport virtually guarantees that you'll have good karma for years to come.
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