FCO launches passport care campaign

Losing your passport while on holiday can be a nightmare – both for you and the British Consulate! Because of this, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has launched a social media campaign asking British travellers #WhereDoYouKeepYours? to help reduce the number of lost passport cases.

Last year, 20,612 UK passports were reported as lost or stolen around the world and 39,053 emergency travel documents were issued overseas.

"Passports are essential for travelling and it is important to take care of them," said John Heppenstall, FCO head of consular campaigns.

"Although most holidaymakers do, a lot of consular time could be saved if more people treated their passport as something as valuable as their phone or wallet.

"We also see people travelling who are not aware that certain countries require a UK passport holder to have six months of validity left on their passport from the date of entry, and even up to two blank pages in your passport.

"We strongly advise people to look after their passport, keep it safe and check its validity well in advance of travel."

He urged travellers to go to www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice to find out the exact requirements for the country they are visiting.

The FCO's five top tips for looking after your passport are:

• Value your passport and look after it carefully. A damaged passport cannot be used for travel
• Your passport is not always safer on you (e.g. lock your passport in a safe if you have access to one), unless the local law requires you to keep it with you.
• Make two photocopies of your passport - leave one with friends or family and take the second with you, or store it online using a secure data storage site
• Use this photocopy as alternative ID, for example when going out at night
• Make sure your passport is valid. For certain countries your passport must be valid for 6 months after the date you travel - check the entry requirements before you go