Phone Lost or Stolen Abroad? What to Do in the First Hour (2026)

If your phone is lost or stolen while travelling, act in this order: locate and lock it, block your SIM, secure your accounts, then report it. The first three steps take about 15 minutes from a borrowed phone or a hotel computer, and they matter most in the first hour, before anyone has time to get into your apps.

This guide walks through each step for iPhone and Android, explains what happens to your Canadian number and your travel eSIM, and ends with a five-minute routine to do before your next trip so a lost phone is an inconvenience rather than a crisis.

Step 1: Locate and lock the phone

Borrow a phone or use a computer, and sign in to the service your phone is linked to:

• iPhone: go to iCloud.com/find and choose your device. Apple’s guide to finding a lost iPhone or iPad walks through each option. Turn on Mark As Lost: the phone locks, Apple Pay is suspended, and you can show a message and phone number on the lock screen.
• Android: go to google.com/android/find and sign in with the Google Account on the phone. Google’s Find, lock or erase a lost Android device page explains Secure device, which locks the screen and signs you out of your Google Account on the phone.

Both services show the phone’s last known location. If it is somewhere you were, such as a restaurant, a taxi company or your hotel, call them. If the location suggests it was taken, do not go after it yourself: give the location to the police instead.

Step 2: Block your SIM with your carrier

Call your Canadian carrier, or use its website from another device, and report the phone lost or stolen. They suspend your line, which does two things:

• Stops charges. No one can run up roaming fees or calls on your account.
• Stops your text message codes. Many banks and apps still send sign-in codes by SMS. With the line suspended, a thief cannot receive them. Our guide to SIM swap and SMS scams when travelling explains why that matters.

Reporting the phone stolen also blocks the handset itself. Canadian carriers share a blacklist of reported lost and stolen devices by IMEI, the phone’s unique serial number, so the phone cannot be activated on their networks. You can check any device’s status at devicecheck.ca.

Ask your carrier about a replacement SIM or eSIM for your number. You can usually activate it on a new phone when you get one, and you get your number back the same day.

What about your travel eSIM?

A travel eSIM is tied to the phone it was installed on and cannot be removed and reused in another device, which is one of the security advantages Apple points out in its guide to using eSIM while travelling. A thief can only use its data in your phone, and only if they get past your lock screen. Once you have a new phone, contact our support team with your order number: we will tell you what can be done with the remaining data on your plan.

Step 3: Secure your accounts

Assume someone might try to get into your phone. Change these passwords first, from a device you trust:

1. Your Apple Account or Google Account. It unlocks everything else: email, photos, passwords and backups.
2. Your email. Whoever controls your email can reset almost any other password.
3. Banking and payment apps. Call your bank’s 24-hour number (it is on the back of your card) if banking apps or cards in your phone’s wallet were on the device. Card numbers in Apple Pay and Google Wallet are separate from your physical card, and Lost Mode suspends Apple Pay.
4. Messaging and social media. WhatsApp, Instagram and others let you sign out other devices from their security settings once you sign in elsewhere.

If you use a password manager, start there: it shows which accounts to change and stores the new passwords.

Step 4: Report it to the police

Go to the local police and ask for a written report, even if you do not expect to see the phone again. Travel insurance and home insurance claims usually need one, and insurers often set a short deadline after the theft. Write down the report number and keep a photo of the document.

You will be asked for your phone’s IMEI. You can find it in your carrier account, on the original box, or in your Apple or Google account’s device list.

If your passport or wallet went with the phone, contact the nearest Canadian embassy or consulate. Global Affairs Canada’s Emergency Watch and Response Centre answers 24 hours a day at +1 613 996 8885, as listed on its emergency assistance page.

Step 5: Decide whether to erase

Erasing the phone remotely protects your data but removes the photos and files that are not backed up. Do it once you are sure the phone is gone for good. Even after an erase, Activation Lock on iPhone and Factory Reset Protection on Android keep the phone tied to your account, so no one else can set it up as theirs. Do not remove the phone from your account until you have made your insurance claim.

Before your next trip: a five-minute routine

Most of what makes a lost phone stressful can be prepared for at home:

• Turn on Find My or Find My Device and check you know your account password without the phone.
• Turn on theft protection. On iPhone, Apple’s Stolen Device Protection asks for Face ID or Touch ID before sensitive changes when you are away from familiar places. Recent Android phones have Theft Detection Lock, which locks the screen if someone snatches the phone and runs.
• Back up the phone, then check the backup date.
• Write down your IMEI. Dial *#06# to show it, and save it somewhere other than the phone.
• Keep a paper card with your carrier’s lost-phone number, your bank’s number and one family number, in your bag, not your phone case.
• Switch sign-in codes to an authenticator app where you can, so losing your SIM does not lock you out.

Our phone checklist before you fly covers these and the rest of a pre-trip routine, and our guide to public Wi-Fi safety at airports and hotels helps keep your accounts safe while you travel.

The short version

Lock it, block it, change your passwords, report it. In that order, from any device you can borrow. Then get back to your trip: once you have a new phone, a travel eSIM for your destination installs in minutes. Find yours in our destinations.