Lost passport in Korea
Losing a passport in Korea is recoverable. What matters is the order you do things in, and one decision you cannot undo.
For most countries, reporting the loss to your embassy cancels the passport permanently. Even if it turns up the next day, it is dead. A Korean police report does not cancel anything — it is a record of the loss, and for several embassies it is a document you need. The two are not the same act.
So the first question is not where the embassy is. It is whether you have time to look.
What to do in Korea, whatever your nationality
1. Work out how much time you have
Check your flight. If you leave tomorrow, stop reading and go to your embassy — the rest of this page will not help you.
If you have several days, you have a real choice to make. Read your country's page before you report the loss to the embassy, because that step is the one that cannot be taken back.
2. File a Korean police report
Do this early. It does not cancel your passport, and several embassies will not issue an emergency document without it.
It is free, and you get the receipt immediately.
3. Search while you still can
Found property is logged in the Korean system and held for six months. Items handed in at a hotel, a restaurant or a taxi company may take days to reach it, which is why a search a week later can still find something a search that evening did not.
4. Then decide: replace, or keep looking
Each country page sets out what its emergency document costs, how long it takes, where you can get it, and what you lose by reporting the loss. They differ more than you would expect.
Find your country
Pick the country that issued your passport. Each page covers the emergency document, where to apply in Korea, and what happens once you are home.
If you live in Korea rather than visiting: once you have a new passport, the new number has to be reported to immigration within fifteen days. That is 출입국관리법 제35조, and the fine for missing it runs to ₩1,000,000. It does not apply to short-stay visitors.
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Lancer une recherche →Questions
Does a Korean police report cancel my passport?
No. A police report records the loss. Cancellation happens when you report the loss to your own embassy, and for most countries that is permanent — the passport cannot be reinstated even if it is found afterwards.
Should I report the loss to my embassy straight away?
Only if you are travelling soon. Reporting the loss usually cancels the passport for good, so if your flight is not imminent it can be worth searching first. Check your country's page, because the rules differ.
How long are found items kept in Korea?
Six months.
Can I travel on an emergency document?
Usually only home. Several countries issue a document that is valid for a direct return and nothing else, so it will not carry you on to a third country. Check your country's page before you book anything.