My Passport Has Been Taken
What to do if your employer or agent has taken your passport and will not give it back — your rights and safe next steps.
In almost every country, it is illegal for an employer or agent to keep your passport without your free consent. If your passport has been taken and you cannot get it back, this is a serious warning sign of exploitation, and you should act.
What to do now
- Ask your employer clearly, and if possible in writing, to return your passport.
- If they refuse, contact the ILSI helpline for your country immediately.
- Contact your country's embassy or consulate — they can often issue an emergency travel document if your passport is never returned.
- If you kept a photo or photocopy of your passport, keep it safe and accessible — it will help ILSI and your embassy confirm your identity.
What not to do
- Do not try to take the passport back yourself by force or by entering a locked area without permission — this can create legal risk for you.
- Do not agree to "give" your passport to your employer again once you get it back, even temporarily, without contacting ILSI first.
- Do not assume nothing can be done — passport confiscation is illegal in most destination countries and is one of the clearest indicators authorities act on.
What ILSI can do
ILSI can contact your employer formally, involve your embassy, and, where passport confiscation is linked to broader exploitation, connect you with anti-trafficking support and legal representation. If you feel your safety is at risk, tell the helpline immediately — see our safeguarding approach in safeguarding.
Why employers do this, and why it is still wrong
Some employers claim they hold passports "for safekeeping" or to prevent workers leaving before a contract ends. Neither reason makes it lawful in most destination countries. A worker's passport belongs to them, not their employer, and withholding it is treated in many jurisdictions as a serious labour rights violation, sometimes linked to forced labour.
If you need to travel without your passport
If you need to leave the country urgently and your passport is being withheld, your embassy can often issue an emergency travel document once your identity is confirmed. ILSI can help coordinate this alongside your embassy — see also I need to return home if this applies to you.