What to do when Malaysian passport is lost? l Italy

1. Go to the police. MAKE POLICE REPORT AT ONCE.

2. Go to Malaysian Embassy.

What to do?

Tips #1. Before trip: Always take both-side photos of all your identity documents

(Passport, IC, bank cards, residence permit, visa, license etc.) Then upload them onto your Google Photo. Saving the photos in your phone only is insufficient because your whole backpack may be robbed.

Tips #2. Make police report right at where you lost.

If necessary, write everything you lost (or even write extra), FOR INSURANCE CLAIM PURPOSE. If possible, get an English translated copy of the police report too.

Tips #3. Nearest Malaysian Embassy may only operate on weekdays and require an appointment in advance.

Check online and book appointment in advance before you visit the embassy. In my case, I lost my passport on Saturday, which I had to wait until Monday 9am when the embassy opens. Besides, that time in Rome, Italy, they can only issue me an Emergency passport, which only allows my next flying destination to be Malaysia. That time I already booked tickets to Belgium-Spain-Hong Kong and doesn't plan to go back Msia that year. Which comes to my last option: try it in London.

As far as I know, in Europe, there are only two places where you can get your full passport renewal: London & somewhere in Germany.

Tips #4. Wear a waist bag!

After losing my passport, I no longer care about my appearance and instead pay full attention to taking care of my belongings

---

This is a story of me how I lost my passport and how I get one back. A horror story.

It was the first day I arrived in Rome, Italy.

And my boyfriend Tommy was scheduled to meet me the day after.

There's still a 10-days-holiday in Italy (Pisa-Florence-Venice) and 5-days in Belgium (Brussels-Bruges-Gent & Luxembourg) waiting for us ahead.

After the immigration at Rome airport, I kept my passport on the outermost zipped pocket as there's another big bag of stuff stuck inside . I thought this short distance to Airbnb would be fine. Upon arriving at my destined metro station, I'm carrying one backpack and a wheeled hand luggage. Obviously written I'm a tourist right.

A woman in her thirties came up and show me the way out with hand language, then two other women joined us. They brought me to take the lift and that time I was thinking, "Maybe they know I have hand luggage so we are taking a lift."

Before the door of the lift closing, they started pointing at the weight limit signboard and bullshxting something. I was like, "Ha, another language I don't speak again, fine." In a few seconds, they just opened the lift door and went out. I remember seeing the door closed in between of us. Then the lift went up to the second floor. The next thing I know is my backpack half-opened.

"No, no way, it's not my passport that was stolen, right?"

That was the only sentence in my mind.

Yes, it was, and it was the only thing stolen, which is troublesome enough. What's more, all these just happened within 3 minutes I separated with my friend Stanley who was going other direction along with the metro. I quickly went back to the first floor by lift and nobody was there. It was like an empty platform since the beginning.

I checked every single rubbish bin, hoping they would throw the useless passport, or the floor, or whatever places, and accepted the fate.

...

Sigh. Wtf had I done to myself.

I talked to the metro guard at once. It was five minutes after the incident happened. To be honest, those Italian guards I met are extremely unhelpful. And yes, you probably guess this too, they are really not English-friendly. They walked super slowly to the control centre while I was extremely nervous because it was just 5 minutes ago! "They could have achieved something already if they react fast!!" No, we still walked slowly together (they chit-chatting, none of the muscular male officers offered to help carry my hand luggage too. Fine I shouldn't expect too much from human) to the metro control centre, only to tell me,

"Oops sorry, the CCTV is only for observing purpose, there is no recording function."

They could have just told me on my way!

I still get angry writing this after a year:( Anyway, they told me I SHOULD GO TO POLICE STATION MYSELF, which is "just go up, turn right 5 minutes, when you see XXX turn left, then 2 minutes later turn right and left......" I was shocked, "Aren't you going with me? (Since you're the guard of this place and you know what is going on)" They were like no, no , no you'll go by your own, nah it's easy. Fuck it's easy.

Spending another half an hour looking for an un-obvious police station, I was dragging my hand luggage, lost, being ignored by a female sales assistant in the shop who turned right away she heard me speaking English. Fine, I found the police station.

I sat at the police station for 3 hours, just waiting to be served (among a total of only 4 citizens). No one spoke to me at all, just pointed at the bench and asked me to sit down and wait. Not even telling me what to wait. I can see at least 3 police officers kept going in and out of the office, happily chit-chatting, drinking coffee, working reeeeaally slooooooowly.

I still feel the frustration now: lost my passport, had no idea what to do then, eager but had to spend four five hours, waiting, waiting for the officers to drink coffee.

After that, I guess I finally used up all my unluckiness. The Malay ambassador at Rome's Malaysian Embassy was nice. My 1st option was to fly back to Malaysia immediately and the only thought I had was "Oh, I'm fucked, deeply fucked." Then the nice ambassador suggested again,

"Maybe I can make you an emergency passport which allows you flying to London only.

London has a bigger embassy that can make you a new passport. However, I'm not sure if you can on-board any airline and if you can pass UK immigration."

So I bought a one-way ticket for next day 6am to London! with only 80 British pounds on me and no accommodation pre-booked.

Everything went extraordinarily smooth after that. I was late to the London embassy (9am-12pm is application submission time and I arrived at 12:10pm), but they still helped me! (touched TT) I still remember the Aunty selling nasi lemak right outside the embassy for 5 pounds. I even get my new passport the same day! (3pm-5pm is collection time) However, I did not dare to leave the embassy and stayed until they closed cause I'm really phobia if anyone wants to pickpocket me again. In between, I booked a 30 hours bus ride back to Italy. I even passed the UK-France sea tunnel who only appeared in my textbook before!

So this is my story and lesson learnt.

I became extremely alert now. I used to hate the place but I realized those who did pickpocket stuff are rarely the locals but most of the time the immigrants who can't make a living. So yea, good people and bad people can be anywhere, right?

Hope this story helps anyone who is going to Europe!