Passport lost

[John Markham]

Hi all. My daughter Katie Markham started the Camino in Sarria 9th April. Unfortunately she has mislaid her passport. Would like to put the word out there. Many thanks John

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi all. My daughter Katie Markham started the Camino in Sarria 9th April. Unfortunately she has mislaid her passport. Would like to put the word out there. Many thanks John

Hi, John,
Just a point of clarification. Is this her national country passport, or her pilgrim credencial? If it's the credencial that she lost, I think the pilgrims' office tends to be understanding, so long as she gets a replacement ASAP. A few pictures from the early parts will also help. But I know there may also be some sentimental value to trying to find it. You might also want to edit the title to say something like "Pilgrim passport lost near Sarria" or something to narrow it a bit. Good luck with this quest! Laurie

 

[JulieandPeter]

Our son's US passport was stolen in Spain (he was in Ibiza, we were at mile 450), but was easily replaced at the embassy in Madrid. It does not take more than a few hours to replace (unless it is a holiday in Spain). So please reassure her that it will be okay whether it is a pilgrim passport or an national passport.

 

[trecile]

Depending on the country of citizenship a national passport is required to check into lodging.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

but was easily replaced at the embassy in Madrid.

It cannot be done on a weekend, and be sure to have cash. The U.S. embassy there is among the most unhelpful I have encountered.

 

[JulieandPeter]

It cannot be done on a weekend, and be sure to have cash. The U.S. embassy there is among the most unhelpful I have encountered.

I guess like most services, it depends on who is at the window when one steps up to it. We arrived on a Thursday afternoon - our son was going to meet us in Madrid on Friday. He had miraculously (after several hours of begging and providing a photo of his passport on his phone) managed to get on a plane in Ibiza back to Salamanca where he was taking classes.

As you noted, the embassy is closed for the weekend and we found out on that Thursday afternoon, that Friday was a holiday. Our plane back to the US left on Sunday . . . . The very kind woman at our window said she would wait there after hours (of course they were also closing at 1:00 that day due to the holiday on Friday) if we could get our son from Salamanca to Madrid that day. He managed to get himself there via a two hour bus ride by late afternoon. There is a photo booth for the replacement passport photo in the lobby of the embassy - the photo on his temporary passport is a great visual for how miserable the experience was for him.

A few weeks later, on a particularly nice day, he noted how he wished he had not been so consumed with worry when his passport was stolen. It all worked out and it was not that difficult to replace. That is why I commented on this thread.

However, we were at the end of our trip and as Trecile notes, one needs both passports for lodging, so I hope Katie finds her passport or is not too far from an embassy.

Good luck!

 

[John Markham]

Hi all.
Am glad to report that my daughters password showed up. Many thanks due to all involved. Particularly the good folk of Villamartin Albergue in Portomarin. Also I want to say that the owner of Albergue Outeiro in Palas de Rei was really helpful. He made all the phone calls and treated the problem as if it was his own passport that had gone missing. Great guy. A big problem averted. Thanks to you all for the advice. We are now on track to get to Santiago in time for Pilgrims mass Friday.
Best wishes John

 

[Jeff Crawley]

It cannot be done on a weekend, and be sure to have cash. The U.S. embassy there is among the most unhelpful I have encountered.

Can't be worse than the one in London surely . . . .