Lost/Stolen Paperwork (passport/visa/carnet)
 

I've looked about on the HUBB a bit, and haven't found reference to this, but this is my first post, so forgive me if I've missed something.....

I have a friend who is currently stranded in Managua, Nicaragua. She was carrying a Malaysian passport with a US visa to end her trip with a flight from San Francisco CA to HongKong. She was mugged (more on that later) and lost it all - passport, visa, tickets, creditcards (save for one), etc.

Advice?

So far she has contacted the Malaysian embassy in Mexico City and received an Emergency Certificate (temp passport) and the airlines will replace her tickets once she can prove who she is, but the US Consulate is being coy about re-issuing a visa.

What would you do? and is there anyone in the area who could provide moral support? Note: she's a world traveler, but not on a motorcycle.

Now, the mechanism by which she was robbed was: In a cab, she was in the back seat, passenger side. The cab stopped and another man got in the front seat, passenger side, dropped the seatback into her lap and turned around kneeling on it pinned her to the seat while he beat and robbed her.
WATCH OUT. BE PREPARED TO BAIL OUT OF ANY VEHICLE THAT STOPS UNEXPLAINEDLY. She continued to try to escape and was finally discharged from the moving vehicle. Major road rash.

So, again, a thought provoking question - what do you do when you lose it all?

Phew, bad story, hope she coop ok with this.

About the visa:
Do you need a visa in US for a transit flight?

I mean did she planned to get off the airport and explore San Francisco or just arrive and get another plane to Hongkong? (In a lot of countries you don't need a visa if you just wait for a connecting flight)

regards

Sorry to hear of her difficulties. Hope it resolves without too much heartache - and bucks!

Too late here, but an idea I like -

Before starting a journey, scan all personal and vehicle documents, including Passport, Visas, tickets, etc and send them as attachments to your Email address and leave them there in your In-Box.
If the originals later become lost or damaged, to be able to print off copies in any Internet Cafe should make it easier to overcome and obtain temporary replacements.

Good luck.

Transit Visa thru USA
 

My friend was able to get an Emergency Certificate from the Malaysian Embassy in Mexico City, and after a surprisingly quick and painless visit with the US Vice-Consul in Mangua was re-issued her B1/B2 Visitor Visa. Cathay Pacific was great about getting replacement tickets so all is well.
Yes, you now MUST have at least a TRASIT V1 Visa to go THROUGH the USA. The old Transit Without Visa no longer exists.

Lessons: Make friends and keep phone numbers in the internet where you cannot lose them.
Scan copies of your vital documents into secure files on the internet.
Keep separate piles of important stuff to minimize the chance of losing it ALL.
Develope your radar, avoid bad situations/set-ups and be ready to bail out of bad situations that develope.