r/travel • u/IndependenceFinal274 • 2d ago
Question HELP PLEASE- Left Passport on plane and being told they are going to send me home.
I just flew on TAP Air 204 from EWR to Lisbon. I left my passport and wallet in my seat back pocket. I messed up big time. I am sitting in the police holding station in the airport. They are telling me no one has found my passport. It was in the seat back pocket, 100%. Now I am just sitting here feeling hopeless. They are saying they are going to send me back today. Does anyone have any advice??? Is there any TAP air number I can call??? All the ones I have called have done nothing. Just forwarded me to someone else. Please help. I am devestated.
UPDATE Holy Hannah this post blew up. Supporters, thanks for the support and advice. Haters, I deserve it. Bonehead move on my part. I just landed back at Newark, waiting to get off plane. I was pretty much completely denied being allowed to talk to TAP while in Lisbon. Hopefully I can speak to a gate agent here and get some info. The plane I was on went back to Newark after my flight, and I am hopelessly hoping it was on that flight and made it back here... if so, I'm getting on the 1050 flight backđ. If not, I secured an 8am passport appointment in the city tomo morning. If all goes well, hopefully I can get on the 5pm out of Newark tomo and meet my lady to salvage some of our trip! Also, still need to hope I make it through customs at a reasonable hour tonight. Global Entry, its your time to SHINE.
UPDATE 2 Global Entry for the W. Walked right back into the U S of A, no questions asked. Not one form of ID on me. TAP in EWR was just as useless, call this email that, no one could give a shit and I no longer have the energy to push. Going home and getting some sleep, then passport place in the AM. Also, TAP seemed to cancel my flight home because I flew home today... seems kinda fair but also kinda BS. Any advice on that? Should I just eat my loss and rebook round trip? Sorry if my wording right now is confusing I am delerious.
UPDATE 3 For anyone still curious... I got my passport at 2pm in NY today. Made the 535pm flight to lisbon out of ewr. Currently in the customs line in Lisbon. Wish me luck!
FINAL UPDATE Cleared customs! 48 hour detour and way too much money later, we made it.
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u/AutistMarket 2d ago
Putting your passport in the seat pocket is crazy lol. All you can do is hope they find it, maybe if you are lucky you can convince them to let you go search for it
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u/Isho Australia 2d ago
Need to show my wife this thread cause she thinks Iâm way too anal every time I take my passport out I HAVE to put it back inside my backpack and lock the zipper with a tiny padlock!Â
Cons - My anxiety goes up through the roof. Pros - I donât lose my passportÂ
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u/AutistMarket 2d ago
I definitely am not that anal about it but it is one of those things that had a dedicated pocket and it comes out to be used and then immediately goes back in that pocket
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u/kimincincy 2d ago
100% this! I travel with a neck/crossbody wallet that is big enough for just my phone and passport. That is where they live during transit. So they're is No way for me to misplace, leave behind, or (easily) get stolen. This also keeps me from leaving my phone in a taxi or Uber while I'm traveling.
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u/Mysterious-Fan-5711 2d ago
El ganso con la rinonera
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u/FrostingLegal7117 2d ago
I have a specific pocket in my backpack that it goes in. It always goes in that pocket.Â
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u/alliterativehyjinks 2d ago
In Singapore, when I checked out of my hotel, they asked if I had my passport. I handed it to them, and they said, "no, we don't need it. We just want to make sure you didn't leave it in the room." Then I went to the front door and asked if they could get me a taxi. He said, "sure. Do you have your passport?" Again I said yes, and he said he was just ensuring I didn't forget it. The taxi came, I asked to go to the airport, and he said, "before we leave, do you have your passport?" He asked one more time on the way. Some might have found it demeaning, but I feel like it is a genuinely helpful question.
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u/somedude456 2d ago
That's exactly what I just in another comment. You can misplace something like a pen, but not a passport. It has 1 single place to be and goes nowhere else.
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u/two-story-house 2d ago
I'm also very anal about maintaining possession over my passports. Going through airport security in the winter time drives my anxiety way up because there's just so many items to juggle. I swear I check and recheck that I have them on my person too often to count.
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u/PrincessMagDump 2d ago
OMG, me too! my husband and I agreed not to let security scare us into going through the scanner area in a hurried panic because of the way they treat us, that's how you lose and misplace things.
The fact that we are required to have the most important paperwork we are expected to maintain throughout our trip just out loose in our hands while also being yelled at to hurry up and get half undressed in public so we can then walk around shoeless with our pants falling off and follow exacting instructions about the millilitres of every liquid we currently are carrying plus figure out where they have decided you need to put electronics this time and maybe our jacket off or maybe not and also be subject to strangers focusing all their attention on our boobs and crotches while the rest of our possessions are completely out of our sight is fucking ridiculous.
I purposefully wrote the above sentence with no punctuation to echo the chaotic nature of airport security.
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u/countkahlua 2d ago
You fucking nailed it. And then they treat you like youâve lost your fucking mind if you ask how they want the electronics. Hoodie or no hoodie? Do they want the laptop in its own separate bin? Shoes on a bin or not? Acting like they do it the same way at every airport which they fucking donât. Iâve been through so many airports and itâs never the same.
AlsoâŚ
Every. Single. Fucking. Time. I. Fly. I only wear leggings, undies, a shirt, a bra, and a light, long sleeve sweater thing on purpose because I donât want to deal with any metal or anything else setting off their stupid body scanners. It still gets set off every single time. Right on my crotch area. Not my tits where the metal in my bra is. Noooo. The only thing in there is my fucking IUD. âOh, that wouldnât set it off.â Then how is it every time it gets set off, in the same place, I donât have pockets, and I donât have anything on me? How? HOW?! This is the only constant through every single airport.
TSA is a fucking joke.
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u/Resetat60 2d ago
I might have an answer, but this may be TMI for the gentlemen on this tread! As an over 60 female solo traveler. I sometimes wear a large pad or even the occasional "adult" diaper for long trips. They always detect it at the scanner (How embarrassing- I now wait until I'm near my gate.) The last time I told the female TSA agent what it was, she did a discreet "search" of the waste band to confirm. I asked her why they alert if they don't have metal. She said it's due to the bulge (or detetection of other foreign object in the crotch area, and showed me how it lights up on the screen. This is a common place for smuggling drugs.Truthfully, based on her cursory search, I could have been carrying a lot of drugs that day.
This may be what's happening to you.
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u/Fit-Significance5044 2d ago
I have had the same thing happpen to me, it's very embarrasing. Now I wait till I am past the security screener to add the sanitary protection I wear when I fly. I also have to go through the body scanner every time because I have two titanium knees. We took 30 flights last year so I am very familiar with the proceedures by now.
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u/Resetat60 2d ago
We are twins. I had a knee replacement 8 years ago, so I have to go through the body scanner as well. ( I now wait to put on a pad/napkin after I go through the screening process. These are the things nobody tells you about when traveling.đ)
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u/lisette729 2d ago
This annoys me the most. The way they all act like itâs a uniform process in every airport. It sure as fuck is not. And I only fly maybe twice a year for vacation so there have been times even my home airport has changed things just when I had that one down.
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u/countkahlua 2d ago
My closest airport is SEA and fortunately they are usually pretty consistent so I know what to expect there. Fuck me if I fly out of PDX though.
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u/ConstableGrey 2d ago
What gets me is I've been at several US airports, in the regular security line, suddenly it's "shoes on" day. No one has to take their shoes off. TSA just making up security rules on the spot?
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u/GapNo9970 1d ago
It's always my bra that sets of scanners and I am happy to make the security people uncomfortable by saying it's the underwire. The ever shifting charade is a bit much.
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u/YouveBeanReported 2d ago
I have a fold up fabric bag I use during winter solely to stuff my coat / mitts / etc into while indoors. It's a bitch when you need to get re-dressed, but for travelling you'll be waiting 30 minutes for luggage anyhow. It's technically not another bag if you put them on once your through the bag check and use that coat as a blanket.
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u/LupineChemist Guiri 2d ago
Yeah, for me with two I have the rule that they just don't get separated ever except when actually presenting to immigration to give only one.
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u/Trudestiny 2d ago
Putting it back into a zipped area is normal .
So it every time i fly as does all my family.
Even the kids from the time they were doing the EU / Uk / canada alone at 12.
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u/justmynamee 2d ago
I check my zippered purse multiple times to make sure my passport is exactly where i left it when I checked five minutes prior. I also agree putting it in the seatback is crazy work, putting much of anything in a seatback is crazy work because that shit is not cleaned.
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u/pudding7 United States - Los Angeles 2d ago
It's literally the single most important thing you own when you're traveling internationally. Your wife needs to get with the program.Â
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u/Lazy-Barracuda2886 Scotland 2d ago
Nope. Zipped in my pants pocket. If thereâs an emergency on the plane Iâm getting off with my passport.
Always keep my passport on my person.
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u/hedonistic_wandering 2d ago
100%. I'm always wearing pants with zippered pockets for my passport and phone while traveling.
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u/sancheta 2d ago
I have my "traveling" pants. I do not like cargo pants, but this pair has a zippered side pocket that is just bigger than a passport. My passport goes there and nowhere else. I never wear those pants while at home.
Seat pocket? Those are for books and a water bottle.
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u/Qr8rz 2d ago
Cons - If your forget your bag or someone steals your bag then you have also lost your passport.
If you keep your passport on your person then at least you're limited to threats, assaults, and pickpockets.
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u/weaselsouptogo 2d ago
This happened to me a few years ago and it was a nightmare to get a replacement. Luckily I wasn't abroad at the time, but it sucked massively. Lost my laptop, PS4, and my late grandmother's necklace as well.
LPT: Don't put all your favorite things in one carry-on.
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u/Lady-of-Shivershale 2d ago
Man, I check our passports before we leave our apartment and then I do a second check five minutes later before we get into our taxi.
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u/sancheta 2d ago
Many years ago we were just about a minute into a taxi ride from home to go to the airport and I already cannot find my passport. Told the driver to go back and I luckily found it on the floor of my hallway. Turns out that my new (at the time) track jacket did not have inner pockets. What I thought was a pocket was merely the other side/inside of the side pocket. When I put something there, it actually just falls out. Glad I always double check.
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u/RiverHawthorn United States 2d ago
I have a neck wallet I use for my passport and any documents I need for travel. My passport always goes back into it when it's not in my hands. Easy access, and much harder to accidentally stick it in the wrong place, and it only leaves my neck to go in the bin through security. The wallet is also bright purple and easy to spot, along with being bigger than my passport. Does it feel a little silly wearing it? Yes. But I'd rather feel silly than accidentally leave my passport on the security conveyor belt again.
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u/BeneathAnOrangeSky 2d ago
Do you have to occasionally reach back and touch it to make sure it's still there? I am not like this with anything but my passport, LOL.
I put it in the seatback pocket once when I was much younger and temporarily thought I lost it. Now it's the thing I check for first when getting on/off the plane. Multiple times lol.
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u/Whole-Company318 2d ago
The only time my husband touches his passport when we travel is when he shows security to go through TSA and immigration when we arrive - handed to him by me and returned to the exact same pocket every time. Otherwise, it's in my possession at all times. The man loses everything if it's not attached to his body.
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u/ZolaMonster 2d ago
I know people make mistakes, and this is one that seems to happen pretty commonly. Itâs one of the times Iâm thankful for my crippling anxiety. When I fly with my passport, im checking on its location during the flight, and on my way off the plane. Which is even stupid considering I put it in my backpack and it never leaves that exact spot.
Iâm so paranoid, that I make sure my hand is on it in my backpack as Iâm walking down the aisle of the plane. As if some sorcery voodoo is going to make it disintegrate or somehow fall through a nonexistent hole in my bag. Gotta check it didnât osmosis through the bag and out the emergency exit window, and if I check 15 times before I get off the plane, I can convince myself Iâm good.
Putting it in the back seat pocket of the airplane seat is something my neurotic anxious ass could never fathom.
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u/andres57 CL living in DE 2d ago
My wife did, while traveling to the UK. fortunately the RyanAir steward went back to her seat and found it instantly. After that we're traumatized and triple check every time we leave the plane
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u/conebone69696969 2d ago
Sometime shortly after 9/11 I got on a flight and noticed something in the seat back pocket after takeoff. It was some Saudi dudes passport/wallet folio thing and I gave it to the FA. Dude must have been shitting bricks in some holding area in Dulles Airport. I hope they got it back to him before they sent him packing to Guantanamo. Lesson learned thru his mistake. Passports never leave my body and I triple check like a madman anytime getting on/off a flight.
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u/TGrady902 2d ago
Seat pockets are EXCLUSIVELY for storing things you are 100% okay leaving behind. OP learning a lesson the hard way, but thatâs also how I like to learn my lessons haha.
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u/AKA_Squanchy Los Angeles, CA 2d ago
Seriously. I have taught my kids it is the single most important item when you are traveling. When you get it handed back to you at customs you put it back in its pocket immediately. Donât walk around with it in your hand! PUT IT AWAY. I do not understand posts like this. I do not understand how people can be so incredibly careless with the most important thing they have.
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u/AlltheSame-- 2d ago
Due to security reason once you leave the aircraft you're not allowed back in. That's why they always make an announcement saying to make sure you take everything with you because you won't be allowed back into the aircraft.
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u/crackanape Amsterdam 2d ago
Putting your passport in the seat pocket is crazy lol.
Yes, this is one of the weirdest travel choices I've seen here so far. Why would anyone do that? Keep that thing on you at all times when you're on the move. Pat your pocket to check for it every time you get up when you're in an airport or on the plane.
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u/Guadalajara3 2d ago
Putting anything in the seat back pocket imo. Every day it's "I left my ipad, I left my laptop, I left my airpods"
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u/WilsonRachel 2d ago
Lesson learned, Iâm sure you wonât make this mistake again. Passport/wallet should always come out and go back in the same zipper. And always check the seat back pocket even when you didnât put anything in there.
If the plane has cleaners they probably gave it to the gate agent so might be holding on to it until they have time to take it to the lost and found. You should call the airport and ask them to find the gate agent who worked your flight.
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u/nim_opet 2d ago
Yes, they are going to send you back because you donât have documents to enter the country.
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u/Ccjfb 2d ago
I donât think anyone wants to be in a foreign country undocumented.
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u/supergraeme 2d ago
Are you ABSOLUTELY certain that it was in there? No chance you dropped it elsewhere or under the seat? No chance that it's in your bag somewhere? An unusual coat pocket?
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u/BimbleKitty 2d ago
It might have been there and then cleared as garbage or taken as useful to resell
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u/iamda5h 2d ago edited 2d ago
Not sure why youâre getting downvoted. One time I fell asleep and left an iPod on a seat in my grogginess and the cleaning crew stole it. Went back almost immediately after disembarking.
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u/Electronic_Plan3420 2d ago
The best case scenario is that the plane isnât going some place right away and it is thoroughly cleaned. If thatâs the case the chance of TAP employee finding your passport is pretty good as people constantly leave stuff (mostly trash) in those pockets. Otherwise the plane might be on its route to Mozambique or some other place. Itâs a shitty situation but unfortunately not having your passport is one of the worst things that can happen when you are crossing a border
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u/scammerino_rex 2d ago
Same thing happened to someone on a group trip I was on, flying Air Canada. He swears up and down that it was in the back pocket (also poor dude was plane-sick and was throwing up the entire flight, so I don't blame him for being out of it), and only realized after he got off the plane. They didn't let him get back on to search and the FAs claimed that they didn't find it. He had to fly home.
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u/defroach84 85 Countries Visited 2d ago
You don't have a passport. You will be sent home.
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u/UnoStronzo 2d ago
Also, how can someone be admitted in their home country without a passport?
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u/duucfho 2d ago
US Border Patrol agents have access to the system that tracks passports, in order to verify. I would imagine they could manually enter in some information to pull up the correct person. Not saying it wouldn't be a huge hassle, but certainly doable.
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u/imnotminkus 2d ago
They can't deny citizens entry back to the US. They can be annoying and make your life difficult and hold you up for a while, but you will be let back in once you prove your identity in enough different ways.
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u/crackanape Amsterdam 2d ago
They will look you up in other ways. It will take a little while. but of course there has to be a mechanism for this.
Otherwise, airports would eventually fill up with all the people who lost their passports and now had to live out the rest of their lives in the transit area, and there wouldn't be any room for the rest of us to sit anywhere.
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u/Dexter52611 2d ago edited 2d ago
You could potentially ask the border officers nicely if they can get you in touch with someone from TAP at the Lisbon airport. Hopefully, someone will take pity on your situation and help you but please donât count on it. Apart from this, youâre already doing the other option which is to call any and all TAP phone numbers.
Unfortunately, if the airline cannot find your passport, the border officers have no choice but to send you back.
Once youâve settled a bit and accepted your fate about going back home, please make sure you cancel your credit/debit cards, just to avoid any potential scenario where the cards could fall into wrong hands and your bank accounts could be drained.
And finally, I understand you might be panicking and rightly so, but please donât beat yourself up too much. Mistakes happen and hopefully, youâve learnt your lesson. They are just sending you back home where you can relax a bit with your family and friends and sort out getting new docs - passport, ID etc.
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u/cubixy2k 2d ago
Isn't it wild how resistant people are to taking the simple path towards solving the problem? Border official calls on the gate agent who goes in and checks for the passport.
Yet it never seems to work that way, everyone comes up with some bs barrier to getting the job done. It's not like the plane has time to turn around and leave between deplaning and getting to passport control. Yet between dragging feet and it's not my job mentality, OP's plane certainly left by now.
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u/I-Here-555 2d ago
It's not like the plane has time to turn around and leave between deplaning and getting to passport control.
You'd be surprised how quick some turnaround times are these days. Ryanair does it in 25 minutes. I've been in many border queues longer than that.
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u/i_spill_things 2d ago
Whyyyyy why why why does anyone ever put their wallet and passport in the seat back pocket of a plane?? That seriously just boggles my mind! I canât for the life of me figure out the thinking.
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u/IndependenceFinal274 2d ago
There was no thinking. I once thought I was a bright, organized person. No longer.
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u/Finest_Mediocrity 2d ago
Where are you now? Iâm invested. I have imaginary money itâs a weird place. I once found my keys in the fridge, so that is my data.
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u/IndependenceFinal274 2d ago
Sitting in the police station. Theyre putting me on a flight back in 2 hours unless my passport magically appears. Ive accepted my fate by now
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u/Finest_Mediocrity 2d ago
What a stinker. Someday it will be a funny story you tell over and over. I donât think that day is today or tomorrow, but have a drink and that day gets closer. I was nearly deported from Irelandâs airport and lost 3 passports in India (only one was mine). Shit happens when you travel. What matters is how you roll with it. đť
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u/Ok-Bus-2420 2d ago
I get it, OP. I was soooo tired bc the flight was extremely turbulent and I had no sleep. I really did think I had my phone and when I told the bus driver he spoke no English and I thought it would be fine bc I reported it right away.
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u/Poochie_McGoo 2d ago
Such a crappy situation. I hope it works out for you.
I thought I left my passport on a plane once. It was in my backpack thankfully but had fallen all the way to the bottom so I didn't see it in time to make my connection. Felt horrible about it and feared I had ruined my trip so I can't imagine what you are going through.
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u/uniqueme1 2d ago
Nothing tap is going to be able to do if you aren't able to enter the country legally. I believe they are bound to.return you to your point of origin.
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u/Desperate_Truth_7029 2d ago
There's not much you can do because without your passport, you are not allowed through immigration. Unless the airline staff find your things, you're out of luck. And you're going to have a problem when you get back to the US without your passport. This is why I always keep my passport in my bag so that there is no chance of me forgetting it on the plane. Sorry that this happened to you.
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u/nevertotwice_ 2d ago
oof. there really isn't much anyone can do if you don't have the passport. I'm not sure that even the embassy would be much help since you aren't really "in" the country yet. look through all your belongings just to be sure. otherwise it sounds like you might've learned a lesson the hard way (ALWAYS keep your passport on your person/in your bag!!)
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u/Kikinette 2d ago
Happened to me once a long time ago when I went to Greece. At the time, I had reasons to think it was stolen by the lady seating behind me on the plane. Luckily, I had a photocopy of my passport and the chief border control officer allowed me to enter the country at the condition that I had to go first thing to my countryâs consulate to get an emergency passport. I also had to make a loss report with the airport police. Best of luck!
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u/Ok-Bus-2420 2d ago
Fuck. I flew TAP and lost my phone in seat pocket and realized it right when I got on the bus to terminal. Reported immediately and nothing. They will say they will help you and you can def call the numbers but I'm sorry my friend, you are likely fucked. I'm so sorry. Portuguese bureaucracy is fucking shit man. I've been there twice this year.
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u/IndependenceFinal274 2d ago
Ugh. I do feel a little thankful that I am at least being put on a direct flight right back to the airport that I came from. Would be a mess without my documents anyways.
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u/shartheheretic 1d ago
I would suggest you fly any airline other than TAP when you fly back. They are a prime example of the lack of organization, lack of efficiency, and general uncaring/unmotivated attitude that permeates the whole country.
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u/BigBadAl United Kingdom 2d ago
TAP don't actually clean the plane. That will be done by a service company based at the airport, and they'll know if it's there long before TAP do.
When we lost something after a flight to Hong Kong on British Airways, we contacted the Lost and Found office at the airport, and got referred to Jardine Airport Services, who found it for us.
Jardine have been bought by Menzies, and it's Menzies who service Lisbon airport. You could try the number here.
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u/CommanderFate 2d ago
Not much you can do, but a future tip, I have a TILE QR Finder on my passport wallet and I have a TILE wallet tracker in the wallet as wallet.
My hope with this that even if my backpack is stolen and passport wallet thrown in the trash, I can still find it or someone can find it and scan it.
We all learn the hard way, hope they find it eventually. If not already there, my only guess they throw it in the trash while cleaning after passengers without looking what it was.
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u/Quesabirria 2d ago
Left my passport on a plane once. They never found it -- which I don't believe.
Fortunately, Canada let me in without a passport. A few days later I got a new passport from the US consulate.
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u/BerussKingKiller 2d ago
Invest in a small cross body/sling bag that sits on your chest or abdomen when you travel. I always keep a bag like thatâs meant for my essential documents and possessions. Passport, money, other forms of ID. Never let that bag leave your person and check it frequently. This method ensured I kept my documents even while working in conflict zones.
Super sorry for the loss of your adventure though, itâs so easy to fumble the ball especially when there is so much going on during travel.
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u/knavingknight 2d ago
OP call your embassy for travel doc help.
This is a good travel lesson: Never leave your passport inside something one could possibly forget, get stolen, or misplaced. It's either in a special secure pocket on my personal item backpack when not needed, or in my hands when in use. Never anywhere else.
I almost lost my passport once on a plane, cuz I had it in my jacket pocket, I took off my jacket halfway thru the flight, and put my jacket away on the overhead bin. Somehow my passport slipped out of the zipped jacket pocket, and onto the aisle floor. A kind passenger alerted a flight attendant and it was returned to me before we landed. I would have been SOL had they not.
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u/BCcrunch 2d ago
I know someone who had something similar happen. They had to call family in the U.S. and they were able to track the plane that was going back to the US. When it arrived they did find the passport. They had to stay in a holding cell in the airport until their passport made the flight back to Europe. The plane was searched before it left Europe but no one found it. Their family was able to push people to look harder and find the passport in the seat. Good luck
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u/flyingcircusdog 2d ago
If nobody finds the passport, you'll be sent home. But my guess is TAP will thoroughly search the plane before sending you home since they are financially responsible for it.
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u/rirez 2d ago
In general, this is incorrect. The airline is responsible for taking you back in that they must physically take you away from the border (otherwise the airline could just ditch you and leave you stranded).
This does NOT require the airline to buy you a free ticket back out.
Sometimes the airline may cover the retun, especially if the denial is for no fault of your own. But if you lack paperwork, that's on the traveler, and they'll (do their best to) charge you for the return.
See the comments and other answers here.
Under TAP's CoC:
13.3 Refusal of Entry If you are denied entry into a country, you will be responsible for the payment of any fine, penalty, sanction or charge imposed on us by any governmental agency of the involved country, for the payment of any detention costs that may be imposed on us, for the payment of any costs that we may reasonably pay or agree to pay and for the cost of transporting you from such country. The amount collected for your carriage until the point where you have been denied entry shall not be refunded by us.
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u/Early_Ad5368 2d ago
They are not responsible for items you leave on the plane. They are responsible if THEY lose your luggage but not if YOU lose your luggage (or anything else).
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u/DripDry_Panda_480 2d ago
The airline which brings passengers to a country is responsible for getting them out again if they don't have correct documentation.
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u/flyingcircusdog 2d ago
If someone is denied entry to a country at the airport, the airline is responsible for taking them back where they came from. My comment is that I assume the airline would rather search the plane and help find OPs passport than use a seat on an international flight. But they are not obligated to help if they don't want to.
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u/anonym 2d ago
The airline is responsible for the cost of flying the OP home if they are turned away from entering the country.
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u/rirez 2d ago edited 2d ago
They would bill OP for that cost, it's in the Conditions of Carriage. See my other comment.
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u/SadPea7 2d ago edited 2d ago
The comments never pass the vibe check here
Was it dumb that OP left their passport in the seat back pocket? Absolutely. Old news.
But why do we have to kick people when theyâre already down?
OP, mistakes happen and Iâm sorry youâre going through this.
What I recommend is you can try to ask the guards nicely if you can contact TAP in their presence. If I were you, I would play up my sympathy card. Worst they can do is say no - theyâre gonna put you back on a plane to the States anyways
Good luck! I hope it works out for you
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u/Mammoth-Clock-8173 2d ago
Yes, what is with the kicking the person who is down?
I have done exactly what OP did (although I was returning home - much less complicated). I realized halfway along the long walk to passport control, so I just turned around (illegally, I later learned) and returned to the ramp (because nobody stopped me), and completely freaked out the gate agent who was boarding the next flight. He lost his shit. Luckily for me, this motivated him to call the flight attendant on the plane to go have a look. She found it and it was walked back to me.
Point is: the airline staff on the plane -can- do something if they are motivated. Finding them to motivate them is a bit of a trick, though. Not sure how to do that.
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u/Extreme_Medium_1439 2d ago
You cannot enter without it. If you don't find it, they send you home. It's that easy. Dump all of your things out of your carry on and hope it is stuck in a book or at the bottom of the bag.
When you get home, report it lost and get a new one.
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u/IndependenceFinal274 2d ago
I have a passport appointment in Philly tommorow at 9 am... going to try and get it the same day
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u/MortyFromEarthC137 2d ago
Had something similar happen a few years baxk entering Mauritius, however the flight departed before I reached the top of the immigration queue.
Immigration gave me a temporary 3 day access to contact the embassy who provided me an emergency travel doc. Maybe ask the police can they contact the US Embassy on your behalf?
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u/nopetynopetynops 2d ago
I once left my passport in the plane seat magazine holder and only realized when I reached the baggage belts. Ran back to my gate as they were prepping the place for the next flight. Lcukily remembered the seat I was on (changed from the assigned seat since the plane was empty) and asked the security at the gate to check since I wasn't allowed on the plane. Thankfully, they found it and returned it. This was while I was vacationing in another country. Never has my passport since then left my pocket or bag when in a plane.
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u/in_and_out_burger 2d ago
I literally check the seat pocket ten times before I get off the plane just in case.
I also check every back seat of a taxi or Uber or train or anywhere Iâve randomly sat down when I get up. Iâm weird but I donât loose much stuff.
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u/FirstClassUpgrade 1d ago
Iâve found other peopleâs keys in my Uber because I do the same thing!!
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u/PhobosTheBrave 2d ago
Quite an expensive and time consuming way to realise you shouldnât put your passport in a seat pocketâŚ
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u/toolazytocare01 2d ago
Shit.. you have to be more responsible, careful and aware of your surroundings from now on.. Have a safe trip back home.
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u/ObjectAcrobatic8138 2d ago
Had my passport stolen in Beijing on my way back to Newark. They would not let me call the US Embassy, and felt I had sold my passport. I was held in a room, searched and warned I would go to Prison. Spent overnight in Beijing, called my husband back home and he called the Embassy. They finally put me on a flight the next morning back home. I was so happy to be home! Very Anal about my passport when I travel now.
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u/derpderpsonthethird United States 2d ago
Not sure is helpful, but it looks like the plane you were on was `CS-TXK`. This plane is currently back en route to EWR, so if your passport is still on the plane, it's headed back to the US (landing in 30 minutes), then headed back to Lisbon. May be worth trying to get in touch with ground crew at EWR to see if they have it.
Here are the aircraft's flight logs https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/cs-txk
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u/WoodyForestt 1d ago
Hereâs a fun fact for you. âI lost my passport on the planeâ is actually a common gambit used by migrants who then pretend to be from a country thatâs more dangerous than their actual country, so they can request asylum. Like theyâll sometimes flush their Pakistani passport down the toilet on the plane and then claim to be from Afghanistan.
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u/IndependenceFinal274 1d ago
Interesting... they were def pretty rude to me. Maybe they thought I was scamming
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u/pinkmooncat 2d ago
This happened to me (sort of - my passport was found stashed behind the FA jump seat later) - I had flown from Bangkok to Siem Reap and was sent back to Bangkok. I had been in touch with the US embassy in BKK who were going to issue me an emergency passport to get home, but the flight attendant ended up finding my missing passport and I was able to rebook flights back to Siem Reap the following day.
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u/AriesUltd 2d ago
I had this exact same situation when I arrived in Rome from Heathrow a few years back. Turns out they werenât actually checking the seat back pockets and when they did they werenât checking the correct ones. They eventually found my passport. đ
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u/ekkkooo 1d ago
i have also made the same mistake - it was 1130pm on dec 31 and i was shopping at EWR duty free on my layover. when they asked me for my boarding pass, i realized i left it in the seat pocket
by the time i ran back, the plane had left the gate but the FAs found my passport on it. i full on had a panic attack, i absolutely had to get home that day. i was on the phone with the emergency embassy line when the gate agent told me that somehow, it started thunderstorming and that the flight was stuck on the runway. she literally told me âgod donât play with youâ 𤣠30 min later a ramp agent found me at my gate soaking wet. the pilot wrapped my passport in a garbage bag and threw it out the window to him.
so many people were involved in helping me that night who didnât even need to so huge thanks to united. i will never make the same mistake again. aaand thatâs how i started 2025 đ
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u/Sharontoo 2d ago
When traveling internationally, your passport is âlifeâ. Thatâs why mine is in a cross body bag, zipped closed, attached to me under my sweater. My father once went to Russia as a professor. Put his camera bag with his passport in it down between his feet to get something and it disappeared. This was in the late 1980s. Getting out of Russia took several favors and a friend in a high place in German government. They sell passport holders for a reason
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u/SameRice3596 2d ago
Lost my train ticket on the Shinkansen line...stuck at Tokyo trying to leave station....simple solution ticket inspector phoned train asked what seat I was in and the on train inspector found it down the side of the seat... Why is the world not as simple as Japan?
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u/Iluminiele 2d ago edited 1d ago
Try working in a busy airport with tens of thousands of silly irresponsible tourists with no common sense and try attending to their every need. Lost documents? Sure, we'll halt the airplane messing the schedule of other airplanes, not a big deal at all. It's not like people need to make it to connecting flights or anything, take your time
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u/No_Recording1467 2d ago
Call your embassy.
Did they find your wallet? If there is an embassy in Lisbon for your country, you may be able to get an emergency passport.
My purse was stolen in Spain with my passport inside and I got a police report and was able to travel to Portugal with that and the pic of the passport I had on my phone. But I couldnât fly back to the US without a paper passport and had to go to the embassy and get an emergency passport.
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u/Powered_by_JetA 2d ago
The difference is that you were already in the Schengen area and were able to get to the embassy. The OP wonât be allowed in to Portugal in the first place without a passport.
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u/Extension_Canary_480 2d ago
Right. Iâm surprised all the comments donât say this.
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u/psyched_2bhere 2d ago
I once landed in Germany on a layover to Italy and my passport fell out of my backpack into the plane. I went to an American consulate? In the airport and they gave me a temp passport. I was to then go to American consulate in Venice during my stay in Italy. When boarding my new flight to Italy, someone handed me my passport they found on my previous flight (this was probably about 8 hours after I deplaned)
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u/woohoo789 2d ago
Not sure what you expect them to do? You canât legally enter the country and they wonât keep you there in holding forever
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u/Prestigious-Comb4280 2d ago
Tap customer service 1 800 903 7914 Go through everything. Why was your wallet and passport in the seat pocket and not in your bag
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u/NiagaraThistle 2d ago
Just be glad they are not black bagging you and deporting you somewhere else and keeping you in a cell here indefinitely.
Chalk it up to an expensive error, and ask yourself why you took out your passport on the plane and put it into the seat pocket in front of you. And never do that again.
EDIT: This is another reason why I am so vocal about people traveling with a money belt. Put your passport in it, keep it there, and never wonder where it is or if you've lost it. Wear a Money belt.
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u/Civil-Key7930 2d ago
So in a police holding station, you have the time (and ability) to scroll through social media and make multiple comments? đ¤Łđ¤Ł
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u/Civil-Key7930 2d ago
People, thereâs no way TAP doesnât know about this. An airline that âlandsâ a passenger without proper documentation is likely to be fined $$$. They also have to âpayâ to fly the passenger back to the USA.
So they would have been notified by immigration by now. Itâs in their interest to find the passport.
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u/GardenPeep 2d ago
Probably too late but the rule of thumb is to empty out all the bags that might contain the lost item.
(I left my black purse under the seat on a plane once--it's so easy to see down there--but politely & luckily convinced the gate agent to push through the jetway and get it. It's easy to do something like this, but you'll never do it again & have a good story to tell in the meantime.)
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u/cwajgapls 1d ago
Wishing you luck, OP. Keep us posted. Found it? Replace it? Any support from TAP on a rebooking?
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u/LatinHoser 1d ago
I once had a similar thing happen to me: the mechanics were different but I lost my passport and green card on my way to Paris, and only noticed it once I was in front of the immigration officer in Paris. I ran back to the plane but was not let past a certain point and while I stood in line at the Air France desk, the plane took off back to the us. I was then led to a cell where I spent a couple of long hours with other folks not allowed into France for different reasons. Meanwhile my wife and the kids were talking to everybody they could to figure out if they could find my documents. At some point I was told I was going to be denied entry into France and sent back to the US. After a while a police officer came and got me and told me my passport had been found but not my green card and they were going to let me into the country. I was reunited with my family and spent the next couple of weeks on vacation. I had to apply for a âboarding foilâ at the us embassy in Paris. After a couple of weeks in France and Italy, my boarding foil - which is a one time document to enter the us - was not ready yet, and my wife and kids flew home. I stayed in France for another 10 days while the boarding foil was approved. It was probably the single most stressful event of my life. It was made worse by being a LPR instead of a US citizen. After all that waiting I picked up my passport from the embassy and convinced Air France to send me back home using the original ticket without additional payment. I have to say the French police had zero attitude about it, and my wife was a saint for not wanting to divorce me after this. She carries passports wherever we go now. The mistake cost me nearly 1500$ in USCIS fees, a long stressful stay alone in Paris and Iâm sure a couple of years of my life as well.
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u/GrapeSoggy164 1d ago
I did this years ago in Milan. They luckily went straight to find it as soon as I told them and it was still there. Donât feel too bad. It probably happens more than you think! It just sucks they couldnât find it for you. Big lesson learned eh? I always now make sure that after I board, my passport goes straight into a zipped pocket of my bag.
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u/ZindaMe 20h ago
Our family of 5 landed flew RDU>CDG and realized my 14 year old teen son left his passport in the seat back pocket only after preparing to transfer between terminals. I normally collect our passports once we get on the plane and keep them all together, but forgot this time cause we were seated separately. Anyhow, we panicked for sure, but the good folks at Air France sent a team member out to the plane and recovered it. They also discovered my sonâs phone in the seat back pocket. Doh.
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u/Previous_Repair8754 2d ago
Find an airport number for Lisbon and ask to be connected to the gate crew for the flight you just left.
Keep trying every TAP number you can find.
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u/blisterbabe23 2d ago
I have done this before and thankfully was able to run back and get my passport. Call TAP Lisboa Office, tell then what happened. Then search through all your stuff make sure it's not in the bottom of your bag. Hope it's all works out, update us if you can
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u/silverfrog1 2d ago
Had a cousin sent home from Turkey to the US for the same thing, except when she was on the plane back, she found her passport in between pages of the book she had with her. Search your stuff thoroughly, twice.