Travelling to an international destination is an important event for most of us. If you are going to one soon, you must be very excited and probably busy with the preparations. Out of the several essential items to pack, there are two items that you must not miss. The first is the passport – it is nearly impossible for us to travel overseas without it. The second is travel insurance.

A good travel insurance plan can ease your trip by providing you with financial aid and assistance in times of trouble. Importantly, it can also help you when you lose your passport. Losing your passport is more likely than you think. Since it is a small document, there are higher chances of it getting misplaced.

In such a scenario, travel insurance can be your friend in need. Let’s see how.

Assistance in getting a new passport

Being in a foreign land and losing an important document like the passport can be a nightmare. You are probably unfamiliar with the language or the procedures that are followed there. So, understanding the next step could be quite difficult. If you have a travel insurance plan, however, you can get assistance quickly. You can contact your insurer and let them know of the situation. Their representative at the destination will help you in obtaining a new passport. Along with the passport, you may require other necessary documents to show that your old passport has been lost. Your insurer may help you with the procurement for these documents as well.

Reimbursement for new passport expenses 

You may incur several expenses when you undergo the process of obtaining a new passport. Under passport coverage given by your travel insurance, you are liable to get the reimbursement for these expenses as well. The terms and conditions for such reimbursement may be stated in the policy, so make sure to read them before you sign.

Read more: 7 Car Insurance Terms You Must Know Before You Buy Coverage

Loss of other important documents 

Besides your passport, you may have several other important documents in your checked-in baggage. Your travel insurance provides coverage in case of loss of checked-in baggage too. As such, you will get reimbursement for the items that you have lost with the baggage.

Important points to remember while raising claims in case of loss of passport 

• It is to be kept in mind that before the process to issue your new passport begins, you may have to establish that your passport has been truly lost. For this purpose, you may have to file a report with the police of the area where your passport has been lost. Make sure you get several copies of the report to provide to the insurer.
• You may also have to provide any documents that have been issued in the process of getting the new passport when you are requesting for reimbursement.
• Many travel insurance plans do not provide passport coverage. Make sure you choose one that does as the probability of you losing your passport may not be very high, but it is still there.
• If the old passport gets traced and is delivered to you before or post the issuance of the new passport, you may have to contact your insurer regarding the same. The insurer may advise you on the next step.

The information provided here may differ according to the insurer you select and their process. Always remember to read the fine print of the travel insurance policy before you sign.

Happy Journey!