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When your ID is gone

For anyone in the United States whose ID or papers were lost, stolen or left behind, and for the people helping them. Where to start when each paper seems to need another one, who to contact for a birth certificate, a Social Security card and a state ID, and the words to say when you call. Losing your papers does not change who you are.

Right now

Passport lost or stolen? Report it to the State Department: 1-877-487-2778.
Think someone is using your name or your numbers? Report it at IdentityTheft.gov or call 1-877-438-4338.
Need local help with a fee, a ride or an address? Call 211. Free and confidential.
Too much to bear? Call or text 988, any hour.

What to do

Gather anything with your name on it: an expired ID, mail, a pay stub, a W-2, a benefits card.
Birth certificate: contact the vital records office of the state where you were born. The CDC lists every office at cdc.gov/nchs/w2w. USAGov says most states have another way to check who you are if you have lost all your ID.
Driver’s license or state ID: contact your state’s motor vehicle agency. USAGov lists them at usa.gov/state-motor-vehicle-services.
Social Security card: replacements are free. Start at ssa.gov/number-card/replace-card or call 1-800-772-1213.
Stolen? Report identity theft at IdentityTheft.gov or 1-877-438-4338.
Too much to bear? Call or text 988.

With JavaScript on, this page builds the words to say from what you tick, and has more on passports, immigration papers, Medicare cards, marriage, divorce, military and tax records, flying and voting without ID, and what to ask when you have no address or no money for fees.

The basics, one at a time

Trouble rarely comes alone. Each of these pages works the same way: pick what’s going on, and get a place to start and the words to say. All of them are free, and none of them save anything.

Not enough to eat?When you need food
Nowhere to stay, or about to lose your place?When you need a place to stay
Sick or hurt, with no insurance?When you need a doctor and can’t pay
Can’t cover the bills?When the money runs out
ID or papers gone?When your ID is goneYou are here

More help

A message asking for your Social Security number? Is this a scam?
Everything feels too big to start? One step at a time.
Might not have signal? Save our tools on your phone.
All our free tools and Get help now.

General information from people who care, not legal or immigration advice. We can’t tell you what a particular office will accept, what it will charge or how long it will take. Rules differ from state to state. The office that issues the document has the final word; when in doubt, ask them. For immigration papers, ask a licensed immigration lawyer or an accredited representative before you file anything.

This page and its wording were written with AI (Claude) for Scarlet Beast (our AI policy). The facts come from the government’s own pages (USAGov, Medicare.gov, the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Veterans Affairs), and the phone numbers were checked on each service’s own site on September 30 and October 1, 2026. Some of the pages we link to (the CDC’s list of vital records offices, Social Security, USCIS and Medicaid.gov) would not open for our checker, so for those we give the links USAGov gives and say only what USAGov says. Fees and rules change, so check with the office. This page saves nothing: no account, no cookies, nothing you tick is stored or sent, and no analytics (privacy). Scarlet Beast is not a government agency and can’t issue, replace or speed up any document. Found a mistake? Email [email protected].

When your ID is gone

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