Do three things before changing the rest of your trip
Quick answer: Check the last controlled place you used the passport, report the loss through the Korean police, and contact the embassy or consulate of the country that issued it. Do not assume a photo or police report is a travel document.
- Protect the immediate situation: call the transport operator, hotel or venue where the passport was last handled, and secure cards or documents lost with it.
- Create a Korean police record: use LOST112 to search found-property records and visit a police station if you need to report the passport missing.
- Ask your issuing authority what comes next: only your embassy or consulate can tell you which replacement or emergency document it can issue and what it requires.
If there is theft, danger or another active emergency, call Korean police on 112. For non-emergency travel information or interpretation, the Korea Tourism Organization lists 1330; it is not a replacement-passport authority. Save our Korea emergency-number guide offline.
Search LOST112 and obtain the police document you need
The Korean National Police Agency’s LOST112 service provides an English interface for lost-property searches and guidance.
Search LOST112 using the location, date and item description, then check with the relevant transport or venue lost-and-found desk. A listing that resembles your passport is not proof that it has been recovered for you; follow the collection instructions and bring whatever identification the office requests.
For a formal loss record, ask the nearest police station what it can issue for your embassy. Record the station name, report or reference number and the officer’s instructions. LOST112’s multilingual passport guidance points travelers to a police report and their diplomatic mission, but your own embassy decides which document and wording it accepts.
Contact the country that issued your passport
Your own embassy or consulate in Korea—not the Korean tourism hotline—sets the replacement-document process for your nationality.
Use your government’s official overseas-mission website or Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Foreign Missions in Korea directory to find the contact. Avoid phone numbers copied from an old blog or map listing when an official mission page is available.
Ask the mission these questions before travelling to its office:
- Do I need an appointment, and is there an after-hours emergency route?
- Which police record, photographs, proof of citizenship or identity and application forms are required?
- Will the mission issue a full replacement passport, an emergency passport or another travel document?
- When can it be collected, what payment methods are accepted and what happens if my flight is soon?
- Is the document valid for my destination and every transit country on my itinerary?
Requirements, fees and processing times differ by issuing country and case. None are promised here.
Separate the police report, replacement document and entry record
A police loss report, a replacement travel document and Korea’s record of your stay solve different parts of the problem.
| Item | Who handles it | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Loss or theft report | Korean police | The document or reference your embassy needs |
| Replacement or emergency document | Your issuing-country embassy or consulate | Validity, collection and identity requirements |
| Entry or immigration record question | Korea Immigration Service | Whether your changed document requires any additional step |
| Boarding or transit acceptance | Airline and destination/transit authorities | Whether the issued document is accepted for the whole itinerary |
Hi Korea lists the Immigration Contact Center at 1345 in Korea and +82-2-1345 from overseas, with multilingual service Monday–Friday 09:00–22:00 excluding public holidays. Use it for Korean immigration questions after following your embassy’s instructions; it does not issue your foreign passport.
Rebuild the travel plan only after the document is confirmed
After your embassy confirms what it can issue, contact the airline and check the entry rules for the destination and every connection.
Do not buy a replacement flight solely because a police report has been filed. First confirm the collection time and the exact document name, then ask the airline whether it can be used on the intended routing. A carrier accepting a document for check-in does not itself establish admission by another country.
Keep written notes, receipts and copies of reports for your insurer, but read the policy before assuming reimbursement. This guide does not interpret insurance coverage or compensation. If your hotel dates may change, follow our booking-change evidence checklist; a request to waive a fee is not an approved change.
Reduce identity and account problems while waiting
While waiting for instructions, protect accounts and avoid sharing a passport image beyond a verified official channel.
- Block or monitor any bank cards lost with the passport.
- Change passwords if a phone, email access or written codes were also lost.
- Keep a secure copy of the police reference and embassy correspondence.
- Tell accommodation staff only what they need to extend or change the stay.
- If the passport is later found, ask the issuing authority whether it remains valid before trying to use it.
For address sharing with a station, embassy or driver, use our Korean address guide. For a broader first-response plan, see travel safety in Korea.
Lost-passport questions in Korea
These answers identify the correct authority without guessing nationality-specific rules.
Can 1330 replace my passport?
No. 1330 can provide travel information or interpretation support, but your issuing-country embassy or consulate handles the replacement document.
Is a passport photo enough to fly?
No. A copy may help prove details to an authority, but it is not a valid travel document.
Should I go straight to Incheon Airport?
Not unless your embassy, airline or another responsible authority directs you there. Confirm what document you need and where it is issued first.
What if I find the passport after reporting it lost?
Do not assume it can still be used. Ask the issuing authority whether the loss report invalidated it and follow its instructions.
Does a police report guarantee insurance payment?
No. It documents the report; coverage, exclusions and evidence requirements depend on the policy and insurer.
Checked on 21 October 2026. This independent checklist is not legal, immigration, insurance or financial advice. It does not replace instructions from police, your embassy, Korea Immigration Service, an airline or a destination authority.