Business trips are an integral part of an entrepreneur’s life, either to meet clients or to sign contracts. But when it’s a last-minute trip with the hope of a business opportunity, panic sets in, especially if you discover your passport is missing or expired. The stress is there. So how can you overcome pre-departure difficulties?
Lost or expired passport, a dose of stress
Many people realize that they have lost their passport a few days before their trip or even that their passport is invalid. If this problem is a source of intense stress for the annual vacation, it is even more the case for leaders who need to travel to a country where a passport is mandatory. Whatever the reason, you can’t postpone this journey that has proven to be crucial in your business. There are solutions to deal with this emergency.
Extreme urgency, what to do?
In case of extreme emergency, it is possible to issue a temporary passport for travel. This solution is not automatic, it asks the traveler to explain the reason for his urgency. Prefectural offices may be accommodating depending on the accompanying documentation. As part of a trip for professional reasons, a temporary passport can be issued for an unforeseen departure that cannot be postponed. This is exceptional and depending on the reason, you may be refused the presentation of this document. The passport will be valid for only 1 year and can be issued on the same day. To take the necessary steps, it is best to go to the nearest prefecture and submit such a request. City halls are not authorized to make passports on the spot, except for certain city halls in Paris.
Prefecture?
As with any passport application, official documents must be submitted to the prefecture. They differ depending on the situation. As for the cost of the temporary passport, you will have to pay an amount of 30 euros in tax stamps. Even if the situation remains urgent, sometimes it is difficult to complete all the formalities in one day. Therefore, in the event of loss or theft, you will have to present to the police station a certificate of filing a report. Of course, this is an urgent procedure with a deadline of one day, which, depending on the prefecture, can be extended.
Exceptional cases
For travel to the United States, the new passport will not contain the previously established visa. In case of going to this destination, you will have to submit another visa application. Therefore, if the visa is on an expired passport, the prefecture services allow the old document to be kept for travel purposes only.
In the case of travel within the European Union, an identity card is sufficient. Like a passport, it can sometimes be lost or expired. In emergency cases and without a passport, it is impossible to get a temporary identity card. For emergencies, only a passport can be issued. On the other hand, an identity card cannot be issued at the last minute.
And the flight is cancelled, what to do?
For business trips, stress sometimes becomes omnipresent, especially in case of flight cancellations. This equally stressful situation requires an organizational review in a short time. Not all companies have employees dedicated to travel reservations, especially for small organizations. But what do you do when it’s an opportunity you can’t miss and your flight is cancelled?
According to French law, airlines must honor cancellation obligations. They must take care of you on the next flight and offer you compensation while you wait. Refreshments, snacks, communication as well as accommodation (in the case of a flight the next day) must be provided by the company. Depending on the company, it will be possible to claim compensation for the canceled flight. However, this solution does not apply to air traffic controller strikes or strikes announced by the company two weeks before departure.
But what to do there, once at the airport?
If you really cannot delay your departure, then you must go to the company’s boarding counter and file a complaint. Otherwise, she should offer you solutions to get you to your destination as soon as possible. For long journeys, there may be such a delay that you will have to change your plans.
Do not forget to plan solutions in advance so that you do not panic at the slightest unexpected event. And everything should go well! What if you checked the validity of your passport now to eliminate the opportunity for unnecessary stress in advance?