Yes. If you are a short-term visitor in Korea without an Alien Registration Number, the clearest officially verified option is to report the loss in person at a nearby police station, district police substation, or police box.
Police Civil Service 24 currently provides both online and in-person lost-item reporting. However, its public guidance does not clearly confirm that a short-term tourist without Korean resident credentials can complete the online identity process. The accessible English LOST112 FAQ specifically tells foreigners without an Alien Registration Number to visit a nearby police office to make the report.
Last checked: August 31, 2026. Korea’s police lost-property services are currently available through Police Civil Service 24. Online procedures and identity-verification methods can change, so travelers without Korean resident credentials should use the verified in-person route when online verification is unavailable.
| Situation | Where to Start |
|---|---|
| You have no ARC or Alien Registration Number and need an official loss report | Visit a nearby police station, district police substation, or police box |
| You want to see whether the item has already been turned in | Search Police Civil Service 24 found-property records |
| You need language help | Use the 1330 Travel Helpline |
| You believe the item was stolen or there is an immediate crime or safety concern | Call 112 |
The Safest Route Without an Alien Registration Number
If the online login or identity-verification process does not work for you, use the in-person route instead of entering information that does not belong to you. The current Police Civil Service 24 lost-item reporting guidance lists both online and in-person reporting.
For an in-person report, the police guidance lists nearby police stations, district police substations, and police boxes as reporting locations. The older official LOST112 English FAQ remains particularly useful for foreign visitors because it specifically says that a foreigner without an Alien Registration Number should visit the nearest police office and report the loss there.
Police Civil Service 24 lists no supporting documents as formally required for an ordinary lost-item report. Bringing your passport or another form of identification is still a sensible practical step if you have it, but it should not be treated as a stated documentary requirement.
What to Prepare Before You Visit the Police
You do not need a perfect record of what happened, but specific details make it easier to describe the item and compare it with property that may later be turned in. Write down what you remember before visiting the police.
- Date and approximate time: Record the closest time you can reasonably identify.
- Location: Note the station, restaurant, hotel, taxi pickup point, store, attraction, street, or other place where you last had the item.
- Item description: Include the type, brand, model, color, size, case, and distinctive marks.
- Electronics information: Save the serial number or IMEI if you already have access to it.
- Contents: For a wallet or bag, list useful identifying contents without exposing full card numbers, passwords, or unnecessary personal information.
- Photo or purchase record: A photo or receipt may help you describe and identify the property, even though the police do not list these as required documents for an ordinary loss report.
- Contact information: Prepare an email address and phone number you will continue to monitor during the rest of your trip.
If you need help checking the Korean name or address of a police office, the Naver Map vs KakaoMap guide for Korea travelers explains how to verify Korean place names, addresses, and map results.
How to Report the Lost Item in Person
- Go to a nearby police office. A police station, district police substation, or local police box is an appropriate place to start.
- Say that you want to report a lost item. You do not need to explain the entire situation in Korean before asking for assistance.
- Explain that you do not have an Alien Registration Number. This makes clear why you are using the in-person route.
- Give the loss details. Provide the approximate time, location, item description, and identifying information you prepared.
- Provide a contact method you can access. If you are offered the option to receive SMS or email notifications, use information you will continue to monitor.
- Ask for the report receipt. Keep the receipt and any management or reference number shown on it.
분실물 신고하러 왔어요. — I came to report a lost item.
외국인등록번호가 없어요. — I do not have a foreigner registration number.
분실신고 접수증을 받을 수 있을까요? — Can I get a receipt for the lost-item report?
You Can Still Search for Found Property
Reporting a loss and searching for property that has already been turned in are separate steps. Police Civil Service 24’s found-property search service specifically lists foreigners among the people it supports.
Use the details most likely to distinguish your property. The police guidance recommends searching for identification documents and certificates by the owner’s name. For mobile phones, a serial number can help make the search more precise.
Do not assume the item is gone simply because it does not appear immediately. Police guidance notes that participating institutions may keep found property for up to seven days, or transfer it immediately, before unclaimed items are sent to the relevant police station or lost-property center.
Contact the Place Where You Lost It Too
If you know where the item probably disappeared, contact that facility as well as checking the police system. A subway operator, airport, hotel, restaurant, store, attraction, or transportation company may still be holding the property locally.
Give the facility the same factual details you prepared for the police: approximate time, exact location, item description, and useful identifying information. If staff confirm that the item has already been transferred to a police facility, ask which facility received it before traveling there.
If the missing property is a laptop, there are additional account-security and device-tracking steps worth taking immediately. The separate guide to what to do if your laptop goes missing in a Seoul cafe covers those device-specific precautions.
If You Do Not Speak Korean
You do not have to solve the language problem before going to the police. Police Civil Service 24 includes tourist interpretation services among the assistance options for foreigners who have difficulty dealing with lost property.
The Korea Tourism Organization’s 1330 Travel Helpline & Complaint Center provides tourism information and interpretation support by telephone and real-time chat. Inside Korea, call 1330. From overseas, the Korea Tourism Organization lists +82-2-1330.
1330 can help with communication and guidance, but it does not replace the police loss report itself. If you need an official report or receipt, complete that process through the police.
Keep the Receipt if You May Need Travel Insurance
If you may make a travel-insurance claim, keep the lost-item report receipt and its management or reference number. Police Civil Service 24 uses the management number printed on the receipt to identify and review an in-person loss report.
Whether that documentation is sufficient for an insurance claim depends on your insurer. Keep it together with any purchase records, card statements, photographs, serial numbers, and messages from the hotel, store, transportation operator, or other place where the property may have been lost.
When You Should Use 112 Instead
Police Civil Service 24 describes its ordinary lost-property report as a service for property that was lost rather than stolen. A misplaced wallet, phone, suitcase, or other possession normally belongs in the lost-property process.
If you witnessed someone taking the item, believe a theft or another crime has occurred, or face an immediate safety concern, the situation is different. Call 112 for police assistance rather than trying to confront another person or recover valuable property yourself.
What to Do Next
If you are a tourist without an Alien Registration Number, the practical route is straightforward: check the place where the item may have been lost, search the official police found-property records, and make an in-person report at a nearby police office when you need an official loss report.
Keep the receipt and reference information, monitor the contact details you provided, and use 1330 if language is the main obstacle. If the situation involves theft or an immediate crime or safety concern rather than an ordinary loss, use 112 instead.