Replacing Lost or Stolen E-Passports

Until recently, border control had changed little over the years, despite advancing technology. Now, travelers routinely print out e-tickets from their computers, and many countries have started issuing e-passports with embedded biometric information. However, countries are taking different approaches to e-passports, raising concerns about how travelers can replace them in the event they´re lost or stolen. Travelers report the loss or theft of hundreds of thousands of passports each year. The Australian government estimates that 30,000 of the 1 million passports it issues annually are lost or stolen (http://foreignminister.gov.au/releases/2005/fa083_05.html), and in 2006, the United Kingdom reported that more than 290,000 passports were lost or stolen (http://press.home-office.gov.uk/press-releases/passport-warning?version=1).