Last checked: September 22, 2026. Police reporting procedures, Korea Immigration contact information, the 1330 Travel Helpline, and international travel-document guidance can change, so confirm time-sensitive requirements with the relevant authority.
If you lose your passport in Korea before an international flight, do not go straight to the airport and hope a police report, passport photo, or photocopy will be enough. Start by reporting the loss, contacting your country’s embassy or consulate about a replacement passport or emergency travel document, and notifying your airline that your travel document has changed.
If your flight is only a few hours away, contact the embassy or consulate and the airline immediately. Whether you can still travel that day depends on how quickly your issuing government can provide an acceptable document and whether that document is valid for your destination and every country where you will transit.
Quick answer: Report the passport loss to Korean police, obtain the available report or receipt, contact your embassy or consulate for the appropriate replacement travel document, and ask the airline to verify that the new document is acceptable for every flight segment before you go through check-in.
If Your Flight Is Today, Do These Three Things First
- Contact your embassy or consulate. Explain that your passport is lost and give them your scheduled departure time. Ask specifically what urgent replacement document is available to you as a citizen of your country, such as an emergency passport or emergency travel document.
- Report the loss to Korean police. Korea’s Police Civil Service 24 provides both online and in-person lost-item reporting. If you need to report in person, visit a nearby police station, district police substation, or police box.
- Contact your airline. Tell the airline that your passport has been lost and that you are obtaining a replacement document. Ask whether the exact document your government will issue is acceptable for your destination and every transit point on the ticket.
Do these steps in parallel when possible. Waiting until you reach the airport check-in counter can leave too little time to resolve a document problem or change your ticket.
Report a Lost Passport to Korean Police
Korea’s Police Civil Service 24 lost-item guidance lists both online and in-person reporting. For an in-person report, you can visit a nearby police station, district police substation, or police box.
The official service currently lists no supporting documents as required for an ordinary lost-item report. Still, bring any information you have that can help identify the missing passport, such as a saved copy, passport number, another form of identification, and details of when and where you last saw it.
If you need a receipt or confirmation of the report, ask the officer what documentation can be provided for your case.
여권을 분실했습니다. 분실 신고 접수증이 필요합니다.
I lost my passport. I need a receipt for the loss report.
If you need more detail about reporting property as a short-term visitor, see the KoreaEasyTrip guide to reporting a lost item in Korea without an ARC.
If you believe the passport was stolen, do not describe it simply as an ordinary lost item. The Police Civil Service 24 lost-item procedure specifically excludes theft, so tell the police that the passport was stolen and explain what happened. If you need immediate police assistance, call 112. Korea Tourism Organization also lists 112 as the police emergency number on its Emergency Situations guidance.
Contact Your Embassy or Consulate
Korean police cannot issue a replacement for a foreign passport. Replacement documents are issued under the rules of the government that issued your passport, so contact your country’s embassy or consulate in Korea as soon as possible.
The exact document name, application requirements, fees, appointment rules, and travel restrictions vary by nationality. Depending on your government, an emergency passport, emergency travel document, or another urgent replacement document may be available when a normal passport cannot be issued before necessary travel.
Gather whatever records you already have before contacting the embassy. Useful information may include a photo or copy of the missing passport, the passport number, another photo ID, your flight itinerary, passport photographs if your government requires them, and your police report information. This is not a universal checklist, so follow the instructions given by your own embassy or passport authority.
If you do not know how to find your embassy, the Republic of Korea Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides a directory of foreign missions in Korea with contact information.
A Police Report Does Not Replace Your Passport for the Flight
A police report documents that you reported the loss. Do not assume that it can be used by itself as a replacement travel document for an international flight.
Likewise, a photograph or photocopy of your old passport may help identify you or support a replacement application, but it should not be treated as a substitute for the travel document required for boarding.
Once your embassy or passport authority tells you what replacement document will be issued, give the airline the exact document type and ask it to verify the current requirements for your itinerary.
Check Every Transit Country, Not Just Your Final Destination
An emergency passport or temporary travel document that can take you home does not automatically work for every possible route. Transit requirements can matter even when you do not plan to leave the airport.
This is especially important if your new itinerary connects through another country. Ask the airline to verify every segment, and check current passport and visa requirements through the IATA Travel Centre or the relevant destination or transit government.
If the document issued to you has restrictions on where or how you may travel, a direct flight may sometimes avoid complications created by an international connection. Do not assume this will always be necessary; follow the conditions attached to your document and the current entry and transit rules that apply to your nationality.
Contact the Airline Before the Original Departure Time
If your embassy tells you that a replacement document cannot be issued before departure, contact the airline before the scheduled flight leaves. Explain that you cannot currently present the required travel document and ask what change or rebooking options apply to your ticket.
Refunds, change fees, same-day rebooking, and no-show rules depend on the airline and the conditions of your fare. Losing a passport does not create one universal airline refund or rebooking rule.
If you have travel insurance, keep your police documentation, embassy communications, airline messages, receipts, and records of any additional transportation or accommodation costs. Whether those expenses are covered depends on your individual policy.
When to Call Korea Immigration at 1345
If your replacement passport creates a question about your Korean immigration record, visa, status of stay, departure procedure, or registered passport information, contact the Korea Immigration Contact Center.
Within Korea, dial 1345. The official service currently provides counseling on weekdays from 09:00 to 22:00. After 18:00, telephone counseling is available in Korean, English, and Chinese.
This can be particularly relevant to registered foreign residents because passport details such as the passport number are among the information that may need to be updated with immigration when they change. If you are unsure whether a report or other procedure applies to your situation before departure, ask 1345 for current instructions rather than assuming that simply receiving the new passport completes every Korean immigration requirement.
For general tourism information or language assistance, Korea Tourism Organization also operates the 1330 Korea Travel Helpline.
What If You Find the Old Passport Later?
Contact your embassy or passport authority before attempting to use it. A passport that has been formally reported lost and canceled by the issuing authority may remain invalid even if you later recover the physical booklet.
Continue using the valid replacement document and follow your government’s instructions for returning, surrendering, or destroying the recovered passport.
The Practical Order to Remember
If your passport disappears shortly before leaving Korea, focus on obtaining the correct travel document rather than rushing toward the departure gate. Report the loss, contact your embassy or consulate, obtain the replacement document your government authorizes, and have the airline verify that it works for the entire itinerary.
If same-day travel is no longer realistic, contact the airline before the original departure time and deal with the ticket before it becomes a no-show. Keep your police, embassy, airline, and expense records until the situation is fully resolved.