Emergency Travel Document
A travel document to return to Sierra Leone when your passport is lost, stolen or expired.
A travel document for Sierra Leonean nationals whose passport is unavailable, valid for the journey to Sierra Leone. Apply for a standard passport as soon as you can: the ETD may be retained by the authorities when you arrive.
At a glance
- Issued by
- The Sierra Leone mission that serves the country you live in.
- Processing time
- Most applications are decided within 10 working days of payment.
- How you get it
- Collect it from the mission, or have it posted to you in a prepaid envelope you send.
- When you pay
- When you apply.
Who can apply
Sierra Leonean nationals abroad whose passport is lost, stolen, expired, damaged or withheld, and who need to travel to Sierra Leone.
You must be
- Sierra Leonean national
What you need
Documents to upload
You can upload each of these, or bring or send it to the mission instead.
- A passport-size photographA recent photo of your face against a plain background, as for a passport.
- Copy of previous SL passport or birth certificateThe photo page of your last Sierra Leone passport, or your birth certificate.
- Police reportThe police report for the lost or stolen passport.Needed when reason passport is unavailable: lost or stolen
To send, bring or do
- Prepaid self-addressed envelopeSend a prepaid self-addressed envelope to the mission for the return of your ETD.Needed when return method: prepaid mail
Sending documents
Upload your photograph and documents with the application, or bring or send them to the mission. For return by mail, send a prepaid self-addressed envelope. The mission may ask to see original documents.
Before you apply
Booklet or single sheet
The mission issues an ETD booklet valid for up to 12 months. In a crisis it may issue a single-sheet ETD valid for one journey only. Both show Sierra Leone as the destination and the transit points of your ticketed route.
Check your route
It is your responsibility to check that every country you transit accepts the ETD.
Apply for a passport
The ETD replaces your passport only for this journey. Apply for a standard Sierra Leone passport as soon as you can.
The ETD may be kept
The authorities may retain the ETD when you arrive.
Your previous passport
Give the details of your last passport if you have them. If it was lost or stolen, report it to the police: the mission records it in the lost and stolen travel document database before issuing an ETD.
How it works
- Apply online and upload your photograph and documents.
- Pay the fee to the mission and submit your receipt details.
- The mission checks your identity and nationality and your lost or stolen passport report.
- The mission issues the ETD as close to your travel date as possible.
- Collect the ETD in person, or receive it by prepaid mail.
Fees and how to pay
You pay the mission when you apply, then send your receipt details with the application or from the tracking page.
The ways to pay depend on the mission. Choose the country where you live to see them.
What the form asks
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