Lost Items
I lost my passport in Korea. What should I do?
Short answer
Contact your country’s embassy or consulate in Korea as soon as possible.
Ask how to get a replacement or emergency travel document. Report the loss to Korean police; tell your embassy if you need to travel soon.
Practical next steps
- Prepare your nationality, any passport copy, planned departure date and transit countries. Contact your own country’s official embassy or consulate in Korea.
- Ask which police record and replacement document are required for your case. Confirm onward travel with the airline and relevant authorities; a loss report alone is not a travel document.
Korean message to show or send
여권을 분실했습니다. 제 국적은 ___이고 출국 예정일은 ___입니다. 제 나라 공관 연락과 분실 신고를 도와주세요.
Fill in any blanks, show it, and check the reply you get.
Choose your own country. If the directory does not load, use your country’s foreign ministry website or ask your hotel to help find its embassy in Korea.
A police report is not a travel document and does not guarantee boarding.
Four questions for your embassy and travel providers
- Police record: which type of report or certificate does your embassy require, and must you attend in person?
- Replacement document: can you apply for an emergency travel document, and what evidence and appointment does your embassy require?
- Old passport: does reporting the loss cancel it, and what must you do if you find it later?
- Departure and transit: check the document and itinerary with your embassy, airline and destination/transit authorities; ask Korean immigration about any separate departure procedures. These are questions to confirm for your nationality, not universal requirements.
What to do
- 1. Contact your embassy
Find your own country’s official embassy or consulate website. Ask what document you can get, what identification or police record it needs, and how an upcoming flight affects the process.
- 2. Report the loss
For lost property, contact the Korean police at 182 (weekdays 09:00–18:00; call charges apply) or use the Police Civil Service 24 portal. You can also ask at a nearby police station. If it was stolen and you need police assistance, call 112. Ask for a record of your report if your embassy needs one.
Open Police Civil Service 24 ↗The portal opens in Korean and has a Language menu. On its home page, look for “분실물 신고” (report lost property) or “습득물 검색” (search found items). Online reporting may require sign-in; a police station can take a report in person.
- 3. Check before you travel
Follow your embassy’s instructions. Check with your airline whether your new document is accepted for your itinerary. For questions about Korean immigration procedures, call 1345 during its counseling hours.
Important cautions
- Passport replacement rules depend on your nationality. Your embassy decides what evidence and documents it requires.
- A police report does not replace a passport or guarantee permission to board a flight.
- If you find the old passport after reporting it lost, ask your embassy whether it is still valid before using it.
Official sources
Last checked online: September 29, 2026. Confirm current requirements with your embassy, airline and the relevant Korean authority.