Losing your passport in Korea is stressful, but the problem becomes much easier once you separate three different tasks:
- Try to recover the passport.
- Document the loss or theft.
- Get a replacement passport or emergency travel document from your own government.
The Korean police cannot issue you a new foreign passport.
Your hotel cannot replace it.
And your airline normally cannot simply let you travel internationally without valid travel documents because you have a photo of the missing passport on your phone.
The authority that replaces your passport is your country's embassy, consulate, or passport authority.
But Korea's police, Police Civil Service 24 system, Immigration Contact Center, airport lost-and-found offices, and 1330 Travel Helpline can all help you reach that point.
Last checked: October 19, 2026. Passport replacement procedures, embassy appointments, police-report requirements, emergency-document validity, and immigration reporting rules vary by nationality and can change. Always follow the instructions of the embassy or consulate representing the country that issued your passport.
Quick answer: what should you do if you lose your passport in Korea?
Use this order:
- Check the last place where you definitely had the passport.
- Contact the hotel, taxi company, airline, airport, train operator, restaurant, or other relevant place immediately.
- Search Korea's police lost-property system, Police Civil Service 24.
- If you believe the passport was stolen or you need a police report, visit a police station or call 112 when immediate police assistance is needed.
- Contact your country's embassy or consulate in Korea.
- Ask whether you need a regular replacement passport or an emergency travel document.
- Check whether your airline and any transit country will accept the replacement document.
- If you are a registered foreign resident in Korea, also check whether your new passport information must be reported to Korean Immigration.
Do not wait until the morning of your flight to start this process.
First: was the passport lost or stolen?
The practical response is slightly different.
If you probably lost it
Examples:
- You left it in a taxi
- You left it at hotel reception
- It fell out of your bag
- You left it at an airport security or check-in area
- You cannot remember where you put it
Start with lost-property channels.
If you believe it was stolen
Examples:
- Your bag was stolen
- Your pocket was picked
- Someone took the passport from your hotel room or belongings
- You were robbed
Contact the police.
If a crime is happening now or you are in danger:
Call 112.
If there is no immediate danger, you can visit the nearest police station, police box, or substation and explain what happened.
Before assuming it is gone forever, search Police Civil Service 24
Korea's National Police Agency operates the nationwide Police Civil Service 24 lost-and-found system.
The found-item search includes a passport category under 증명서 → 여권. If online identification blocks a loss report, visit a nearby police station or police box instead.
People and organizations regularly turn found passports over to:
- Police stations
- Police boxes
- Airports
- Public transportation operators
- Other participating institutions
You can search:
Found items — 습득물
and file:
A lost-item report — 분실신고
Official source: National Police Agency Police Civil Service 24
Non-emergency police guidance
Police Civil Service 24 lists 182 as its paid representative line, available weekdays 09:00–18:00 Korea time. Its lost-property reporting page directs case-specific questions to the responsible police office. Official lost-property report and contact guidance; contact details checked October 19, 2026.
For an immediate crime or police emergency, however, use:
112
Do not use an emergency line only because you misplaced your passport in a hotel room.
If you lost it in a taxi, act immediately
If you used a ride-hailing app such as Kakao T, open the ride history and try to contact the driver.
If you hailed the taxi from the street, look for:
- Taxi receipt
- Card transaction
- Vehicle plate number
- Taxi company
- Pickup and drop-off time
A taxi can be much easier to trace within an hour than the next morning.
If you lost it at Incheon, Gimpo, Gimhae, or Jeju Airport
Contact the airport's Lost & Found service as soon as possible.
Also think carefully about where you lost it.
A passport left:
- On an aircraft → airline lost property
- At a terminal seat → airport Lost & Found
- On AREX → railway operator
- On an airport bus → bus company
- At a duty-free or controlled area → airport/customs-related handling may apply
Do not assume one airport office controls every lost item.
Related AllThingsK8282 guide:
What to Do If Your Luggage Is Lost or Delayed at a Korean Airport
Do you need a police report?
Sometimes yes, sometimes not.
This is one area where nationality-specific rules matter.
Some embassies ask for a Korean police report or police report number when replacing a lost or stolen passport.
Others may treat the report as useful supporting evidence rather than an absolute requirement.
For example:
- The Australian Embassy in Seoul asks applicants to describe the circumstances of a lost or stolen passport and provide any police report or report number. Australian Embassy passport guidance; page updated June 28, 2024, checked October 19, 2026.
- U.S. authorities state that a police report is not mandatory for passport replacement abroad, although it may help confirm the circumstances. U.S. lost-passport guidance abroad; page updated September 25, 2025, checked October 19, 2026.
So the safest question to ask your embassy is:
“Do I need a Korean police report before I apply for a replacement passport?”
How to get a police report in Korea
If your embassy requires one, or if the passport was stolen, visit a nearby police station or police box.
Bring whatever identification and evidence you still have.
Useful items include:
- Photo or scan of the lost passport
- Another government ID
- Residence Card if you live in Korea
- Hotel booking
- Flight itinerary
- Police Civil Service 24 report number
- Details of where and when the passport disappeared
A useful phrase is:
여권을 분실했습니다.
I lost my passport.
If it was stolen:
여권을 도난당했습니다.
My passport was stolen.
And:
경찰 신고서가 필요합니다.
I need a police report.
Contact your embassy promptly and confirm whether a police report is needed
Korean authorities cannot issue another country's passport.
You need to contact the embassy or consulate representing your nationality.
Ask:
- How soon you can get an appointment
- Which documents to bring
- Whether a police report is required
- How many passport photos are needed
- What identification or citizenship evidence is accepted
- Whether you qualify for an emergency travel document
- Whether you should change your flight now or wait
Do not assume every embassy can issue a document immediately.
Processing methods vary greatly by country.
What should you bring to the embassy?
The exact list depends on nationality, but prepare as much as you can.
Useful items commonly include:
- Police report or report number, if required
- Passport photo
- Copy or photo of the lost passport
- Another government-issued ID
- Birth certificate or citizenship evidence, if available
- Flight itinerary
- Hotel information
- Proof of urgent travel
- Payment method for the replacement-document fee
If you have none of these documents, still contact the embassy.
Consular officers may have ways to verify your identity or citizenship.
A photo of your passport can be extremely useful
Before traveling, keep a secure copy of the passport information page.
Store it separately from the physical passport.
A copy is not a replacement travel document.
But it can provide:
- Full legal name
- Passport number
- Date of birth
- Issue date
- Expiry date
- Issuing authority
That can make conversations with police, hotels, airlines, and consular staff much easier.
What is an emergency travel document?
An emergency travel document is a temporary or limited travel document issued by your own government when you cannot receive a normal replacement passport before urgent travel.
The exact name differs by country.
You may hear terms such as:
- Emergency passport
- Emergency travel document
- Temporary passport
- Limited-validity passport
These terms do not necessarily mean the same thing.
For example, the United Kingdom allows eligible British nationals abroad to apply for an emergency travel document when they do not have a valid passport and cannot obtain a replacement in time to travel. Check the official eligibility conditions, including planned travel within six weeks and prior UK-passport requirements. UK eligibility guidance rechecked October 20, 2026 (KST).
The United States may issue a limited-validity emergency passport in urgent situations.
Your own embassy decides what document is available to you.
Emergency documents can have travel restrictions
This is extremely important.
Do not assume that because an emergency document lets you fly home, it will also let you continue a complicated multi-country holiday.
The document may:
- Be valid for limited destinations
- Be valid for a shorter period
- Require specified transit countries
- Not qualify for certain visa-waiver programs
- Require visas that your original passport did not
Before traveling, ask your embassy:
“Can I use this document for my exact itinerary, including my transit airport?”
Then ask your airline too
Your embassy may issue a valid emergency travel document.
The airline still needs to confirm that your documentation satisfies the requirements for:
- Departure from Korea
- Transit countries
- Final destination
Send or describe the document to the airline before you arrive at the airport if there is any uncertainty.
Do not discover at check-in that your transit country does not recognize the document you were issued.
Do not buy a completely new itinerary before speaking to your embassy
If your flight is tomorrow, your instinct may be to cancel everything immediately.
Pause first.
Tell the embassy:
- Your scheduled flight
- Destination
- Transit airports
- How urgent the travel is
The type of replacement document available may affect which route you can take.
Changing to the wrong itinerary before you know this can create a second problem.
What if your flight is tonight?
Contact your embassy or consular emergency service immediately.
Do not simply travel to the airport hoping immigration or the airline will solve it at the counter.
For example, several countries maintain after-hours consular emergency lines, but routine passport issuance may still occur only during business hours.
A true life-or-death emergency may be handled differently from:
“My vacation flight leaves tonight.”
Be clear about the situation.
Can you leave Korea without your original passport?
International departure normally requires valid travel documentation.
If your passport is gone, the solution is usually a replacement passport or another travel document issued by your government—not a screenshot of the old passport.
When the new document is issued, check with:
- Your embassy or consulate
- Your airline
- Korean Immigration if necessary
For immigration-related questions in Korea, contact:
1345 Immigration Contact Center
The center provides immigration counseling and administrative guidance in multiple languages.
Current weekday counseling hours are:
09:00–22:00
After 18:00, service is limited to Korean, English, and Chinese.
Official source: Korea Immigration Service — 1345 Immigration Contact Center
If you are a tourist, your Korean immigration issue may be simple—but still check
A short-term tourist who loses a passport mainly needs:
Police/lost-property step → embassy replacement document → airline and departure confirmation.
But individual situations can become more complicated when:
- Your visa was physically inside the passport
- You plan to continue to another country
- You have a long transit
- You entered under a special travel authorization
- Your replacement passport has a new passport number
When in doubt, ask 1345 before departure.
If you had a K-ETA, a new passport matters
K-ETA approval is linked to passport information.
Source: Official K-ETA passport-change requirements; checked October 19, 2026.
The official K-ETA guidance states that even if an existing K-ETA approval has not expired, a traveler who receives a new passport must submit a new K-ETA application when a K-ETA is required for the next entry.
This is mainly relevant for your future entry into Korea rather than simply leaving after your current trip.
Official source: Korea Electronic Travel Authorization
If you live in Korea, there is an extra immigration step
If you are registered under Korea’s Immigration Control Act, Article 35 requires changes to your passport number, issue date or validity to be reported within 15 days of the change. Immigration Control Act, Article 35; current text effective October 2, 2026, checked October 19, 2026.
Contact 1345 promptly to confirm your record type, the date from which your deadline runs and the current reporting route, especially if the replacement passport reaches you late. Do not wait for a future trip. HiKorea’s registered-foreigner reporting guidance also lists a 15-day rule and the form, passport, Residence Card and supporting documents. That page was last modified April 9, 2021; its deadline was cross-checked against the current Act on October 19, 2026.
If you also lost your Residence Card
This is a separate problem from the passport.
If you lost either of the following cards, ask 1345 or your immigration office how to record the loss and arrange replacement. Check HiKorea for any online service available to your case:
- Residence Cards
- Domestic Residence Report Cards
Report the loss promptly and keep the reference or confirmation you receive.
The service is intended to reduce the risk of another person misusing the lost card.
If both your passport and Residence Card are missing, tell 1345 that you lost both.
Do not assume a recovered passport is automatically usable
This is another important trap.
Many governments cancel a passport once it has been formally reported lost or stolen.
For example, U.S. authorities state that a valid passport reported lost or stolen is canceled and cannot be used for international travel if it is later found. U.S. reported-passport guidance; page updated May 12, 2026, checked October 19, 2026.
Other countries have their own procedures.
If your passport reappears after you already reported it to your government, ask the embassy whether it is still valid before using it.
Lost passport or stolen passport? Insurance may care about the difference
If you have travel insurance, check the policy.
A claim for passport replacement costs may require documentation such as:
- Police report
- Embassy receipt
- Replacement-document fee receipt
- Additional transportation expenses
- New passport photo receipt
- Flight-change fees
Do not throw these away.
Ask your insurer which expenses are covered before assuming everything will be reimbursed.
What if your wallet disappeared with the passport?
Now you have several problems at once.
Prioritize:
- Cancel or freeze payment cards.
- Try to locate the wallet through the place where it was lost.
- Search/report through Police Civil Service 24.
- Contact police if stolen.
- Contact your embassy about the passport.
Keep access to at least one email account and one working phone number because embassies, airlines, police, and banks may need to contact you.
What if you lost the passport on a domestic trip inside Korea?
Suppose you are in Jeju but your embassy is in Seoul.
Do not automatically fly back to Seoul before contacting the embassy.
Ask whether:
- An in-person appointment is required
- The embassy has another consular office
- A temporary document can be handled another way
- You should return to Seoul first
For domestic flights, airlines can accept forms of identification other than a passport in some circumstances, particularly for registered foreign residents.
Tourists without other acceptable identification should confirm directly with the operating airline before attempting to fly domestically.
Related AllThingsK8282 guide:
Booking Domestic Flights in Korea: Foreign Names, Passport Details, and Check-In Problems
Do not send passport copies to random people online
A lost passport creates urgency.
Urgency makes people easier to scam.
If someone on social media says:
“I found your passport. Send me a copy of your ID and your bank details.”
verify the person first.
Prefer recovery through:
- Police
- Police Civil Service 24
- Airport Lost & Found
- Hotel
- Taxi company
- Airline
- Another identifiable official institution
Do not unnecessarily circulate full passport images containing personal data.
A realistic example: you lose your passport in a Seoul taxi
You notice the passport is missing ten minutes after arriving at your hotel.
Do this:
- Check the Kakao T ride history if you used the app.
- Call the driver immediately.
- If it was a street taxi, check your receipt or card record.
- Search/report through Police Civil Service 24.
- If the passport cannot be recovered quickly, contact your embassy.
- Ask whether a police report is required before the embassy appointment.
- Do not wait until your international flight day.
Another example: your backpack was stolen in Hongdae
The passport, wallet, and phone were inside.
Your first steps are different because this appears to be theft.
- Get to a safe place.
- Call 112 if you need immediate police help, or visit a police station.
- Freeze your cards and phone accounts.
- Obtain or request the police documentation needed by your embassy and insurer.
- Contact your embassy or consulate.
- Explain your scheduled departure date.
Do not spend hours checking cafes before reporting a clear theft.
Another example: you find the passport after the embassy canceled it
You report the passport lost on Monday.
Your government cancels it.
On Tuesday, your hotel finds it under the bed.
Do not immediately use it for your flight.
Contact the embassy and ask whether the reported passport remains valid.
For some nationalities, the answer will be no.
What to prepare before traveling to Korea
Before any international trip:
- Photograph or scan your passport information page.
- Store the copy securely away from the physical passport.
- Save your embassy's Korea contact page.
- Know your passport number.
- Keep at least one backup payment method separate from your wallet.
- Do not carry every important document in the same bag.
This takes five minutes before a trip and can save hours if something goes wrong.
Important numbers and services
112 — Police
Use for crime, theft, violence, threats, or immediate police assistance.
182 — Paid police representative line
According to the Police Civil Service 24 contact notice, the paid representative line is available weekdays 09:00–18:00 Korea time. For a specific report, use the responsible police office’s contact details; 112 remains the emergency number.
Police Civil Service 24
Search found items and submit lost-property reports.
Police Civil Service 24 — current lost-property portal
1330 — Korea Travel Helpline
Useful for tourist information, interpretation, and guidance when you do not know which Korean organization to contact.
In Korea: 1330
From overseas: +82-2-1330
1345 — Immigration Contact Center
Useful if you need help with Korean immigration procedures after receiving a new passport or if you are a registered foreign resident.
In Korea: 1345
Related AllThingsK8282 guides
- Lost Something in Korea? How to Find and Claim Lost Property
- What to Do If Your Luggage Is Lost or Delayed at a Korean Airport
- Booking Domestic Flights in Korea: Foreign Names, Passport Details, and Check-In Problems
Official sources checked
-
National Police Agency — Police Civil Service 24
Checked passport lost-property categories, found-passport records, lost-item reporting, and police lost-and-found procedures.
View Police Civil Service 24 -
Emergency and police contact guidance
KTO emergency guidance identifies 112 for police emergencies. Police Civil Service 24 contact guidance lists 182 as the paid representative line on weekdays 09:00–18:00. These specific contact details were checked October 19, 2026; no call was placed. -
Korea Immigration Service — 1345 Immigration Contact Center
Checked multilingual immigration counseling, operating hours, and administrative guidance for foreign residents.
View 1345 guidance -
Korea Immigration Service / HiKorea
Checked the 2023 Visa Navigator’s passport-information reporting options. Confirm current online access, replacement eligibility and case-specific deadlines through HiKorea or 1345. -
Korea Tourism Organization — 1330 Travel Helpline & Complaint Center
Checked tourist information, interpretation, complaint assistance, online chat, and overseas calling information.
View 1330 guidance -
Official foreign embassy and passport-authority guidance
Cross-checked examples from the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia to confirm that passport replacement and emergency-document procedures vary by nationality. -
Korea Electronic Travel Authorization — K-ETA
Checked current guidance stating that a new K-ETA application is required when a traveler receives a new passport and K-ETA applies to the next entry.
Official K-ETA website
Editorial note: This article was checked against official Korean police, immigration, tourism, K-ETA, and foreign-government consular sources on October 19, 2026. Passport replacement rules are set by the passport-issuing country, not by Korea. Emergency travel documents may have limited validity or route restrictions, so confirm your exact itinerary with your embassy and airline before traveling.
Editorial update: October 12, 2026. Replaced the representative illustration to match the report and embassy workflow without a simulated passport or outdated service screen.
Editorial update: October 20, 2026 (KST). Corrected the UK emergency-travel-document example to the official eligibility term “British nationals.” This wording check does not establish any individual applicant's eligibility or route acceptance.
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