Emergencies

What to do if your documents are lost or stolen

Where to go in the first hours, which deadlines apply to foreigners in Slovakia, how to replace your residence document, and how to get a new passport or a return certificate from the consulate.

Who this guide is for

For Ukrainian citizens in Slovakia who have lost their passport, residence document (including the ODÍDENEC document), bank card or other documents, or have been robbed.

What to prepare

  • Copies or photos of the lost documents (passport, residence document) if you have them; everything goes faster with them.
  • Any other document with a photo, such as your Ukrainian internal ID or driving licence, and your birth certificate if you have it.
  • The police confirmation of the reported loss or theft; it is issued when you report, and both the consulate and the foreign police ask for it.
  • Passport-size photographs and money for the consular fee and, if needed, for the new residence document.

What to do, step by step

  1. 1First block your bank cards and SIM card through the app or the hotlines of your bank and operator. If the theft has just happened or you are in danger, call 158 (police) or 112.
  2. 2Report the loss or theft at any police station (obvodné oddelenie Policajného zboru) and ask for written confirmation. Under the Slovak act on the residence of foreigners, the loss, theft or damage of a passport or residence document has to be reported to the police within five working days of the day you found out.
  3. 3If a residence document was lost (including the ODÍDENEC document), go to the foreign police department (oddelenie cudzineckej polície) for where you live and ask for a new one. Bring the police confirmation, another photo document and a photograph; ask about the fee and how long it takes.
  4. 4If your passport was lost, book an online appointment with the consular section of the Embassy of Ukraine in Bratislava. It issues a new passport or, if you need to return to Ukraine urgently, a certificate for return to Ukraine, which only allows entry into Ukraine; with a complete set of documents it is issued the same day. Check the document list and fees on the embassy website.
  5. 5Once you have the new passport, tell the foreign police within five working days: the law requires you to report a replaced travel document and any changed details in it. Update your details with the bank, your employer and your health insurer as well.
  6. 6From now on keep photos or scans of every document in secure cloud storage and carry only what you need that day. If you find a document you have already reported lost, do not use it, as it may be recorded as invalid; tell the police.

Fees and deadlines

Report the loss, theft or damage of a passport or residence document to the police: within five working days of the day you found out. Report a replaced passport: within five working days as well. Consular fees and the fee for a new residence document depend on the document and the processing time; check with the consulate and the foreign police.

Official sources

Open these links before submitting documents—the official authority defines the current rules.

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