Document copies: what to carry and where to keep them

The points below about travel documents are ordered by how much difference they make, not by how often they get repeated.

What a copy actually does

A copy of your passport data page does not let you travel, but it lets a consulate confirm who you are and which document was issued, which shortens the replacement process. It also satisfies the many situations where identification is requested for a hotel, a rental or a domestic transaction.

In some countries you are legally required to carry identification, and the acceptability of a copy varies, so check the local rule. Where a copy is acceptable, carrying one and leaving the original secured reduces the chance of losing the original at all.

Two formats, two places

A digital copy in secure cloud storage survives losing everything physical, provided you can access the account without the phone that was stolen. A printed copy carried separately from the passport survives a dead battery and no connectivity, which is the specific scenario the digital copy fails. Emailing a copy to yourself is the crude version and works, though it puts the document in a system a compromised account exposes.

On a long trip, two formats in two locations covers the realistic failure modes without any effort.

What else belongs in the set

Insurance policy number and the twenty-four hour assistance telephone number, which is the one you need when you cannot search for it. Booking references for flights, trains and accommodation, along with the address of your first night. Card issuer emergency numbers for reporting loss, which are different from the everyday customer service line.

Nine times in ten, prescriptions and a note of any medical conditions and allergies, which matters more the further you are from home.

Account access is the weak point

Two-factor authentication that sends a code to a stolen phone is the reason people lose access to their own backups at the worst moment. Recovery codes stored offline, or a second authentication method on a separate device, prevent this.

At the airport, a trusted person at home with access to a copy of the key documents is an old technique that still works. Test that you can reach your documents from a browser you have never used before, because that is the situation you will be in.

If the passport goes

Report it to the local police and obtain a report, since consulates commonly require it and insurers always do. Contact your own country's embassy or consulate, which may issue an emergency travel document valid for a limited journey. Timescales, fees and requirements vary by country and by where you are, so the consulate's current guidance is the only reliable source.

A lost passport is usually cancelled once reported, so a document later recovered is generally no longer usable.

Airline and carrier policies differ, and they change without much notice.

Reduce what you carry

The passport does not need to leave the room in most countries and on most days, and the risk of loss falls accordingly. Carry one card and a small amount of cash for the day, leaving the backup card and reserve elsewhere. Loyalty cards, extra bank cards and unnecessary identification stay at home, since each is one more thing to cancel.

The smaller the set you carry, the shorter the list of calls if the whole wallet disappears.

Everything above, in order of what to do first

1. What a copy actually does. A copy of your passport data page does not let you travel, but it lets a consulate confirm who you are and which document was issued, which shortens the replacement process.
2. Two formats, two places. A digital copy in secure cloud storage survives losing everything physical, provided you can access the account without the phone that was stolen.
3. What else belongs in the set. Insurance policy number and the twenty-four hour assistance telephone number, which is the one you need when you cannot search for it.
4. Account access is the weak point. Two-factor authentication that sends a code to a stolen phone is the reason people lose access to their own backups at the worst moment.
5. If the passport goes. Report it to the local police and obtain a report, since consulates commonly require it and insurers always do.
6. Reduce what you carry. The passport does not need to leave the room in most countries and on most days, and the risk of loss falls accordingly.

The takeaway

Two copies, two formats, two places, plus a way into your accounts without the phone you just lost.

Pack for the trip you are actually taking, not the one in the photographs.