If You've Lost Your Passport — The Three-Stop Route: Police, Embassy, Immigration

The reason your mind goes blank the moment you realize your passport is missing is because there's not just one place to go. Korean citizens finish everything at the city or district passport office, but foreigners must visit three agencies in order: Police (report the loss) → Your own country's embassy (passport reissuance) → Korean immigration (passport information change notification). If you don't know the sequence, you'll hear "this isn't the right office" at every counter and walk away empty-handed.

First, here's grounds to calm the panic. Article 27(1) of the Immigration Act (as of 2026) lists what you must always carry: passport, seaman's identity certificate, foreign entry permit, Alien Registration Card, mobile Alien Registration Card, or landing permit — listed side by side with "or." If you have a valid Alien Registration Card, you still meet the carry requirement even without your passport.

The flip side is equally clear. When a foreigner departs Korea, they must undergo departure inspection at a port of entry with a valid passport (Article 28(1) of the same Act). Inside Korea there's a substitute, but for leaving, there's no substitute. And once you receive a new passport, you must report it to immigration within 15 days (Article 35(2) of the same Act).

The Moment You Realize It's Gone — Three Things to Do in Thirty Minutes

Sequence matters. Search before you report.

① Search — The "Found Property Search" (MW-201) on the National Police Agency's Police Civil Service 24 (minwon24.police.go.kr) is open without login (verified 2026-08-26). Support type is listed as "Information Provision," eligible recipients as "All Citizens, Foreigners," and the guidance says to search for ID cards and certificates by the owner's name.

② Report — For a loss, it's "Lost Property Report" (MW-001) on the same site. However, this service states in the guidance "when you lose your own property or assets (excluding theft)." If you were pickpocketed, this screen is not the right one — call ☎112 for a crime report.

③ Call — Next comes your own country's embassy. Making a new passport isn't something police or immigration does — it's the embassy's job, so asking first what you need to bring from the police saves wasted trips.

Why Can't the Korean Government Reissue My Passport — And Three Exceptions

Passport issuance is the authority of your country of nationality. That's why no Korean government office can make a new foreign passport. However, the absolute statement "Korea never issues any travel document to foreigners" is not true. There are three statutory exceptions.

• Recognized refugees — The Minister of Justice issues a refugee travel certificate upon application to a recognized refugee who wishes to depart (Article 76-5(1) of the Immigration Act). Valid for three years, unlimited exits and reentries during that period, and no reentry permit required (paragraphs 2 and 3).
• Departing stateless persons — The Minister of Foreign Affairs may issue a travel certificate (Article 14(1) of the Passport Act, Enforcement Decree Article 16(1)). Valid for up to one year.
• Deportees — Persons subject to forced deportation under Article 46 of the Immigration Act who cannot obtain a passport or substitute certificate from their country of nationality (Enforcement Decree of the Passport Act, Article 16(6)).

Don't self-diagnose whether you fall into these categories. Check first with ☎1345 (Ministry of Justice Immigration Contact Center) and your regional immigration office.

For reference, under Korean law a passport's validity is lost when a loss report is filed (Passport Act Article 13(1)(3)). But this is Korean law about Korean passports. Whether a reported passport can be revived later depends on the issuing country's law, so confirm with your own embassy.

Step 1: Police — Where to Go and What Comes Out

The lost property report (MW-001) on Police Civil Service 24 lists application method as online or in-person, applicant qualification as the person themselves or a representative, the form as "Loss Report," and no required documents and no fee. Processing time is stated as immediate (within 3 hours during business hours).

But there's a wall for online. If you enter the application screen without logging in, it pops up a login window and sends you back to the previous screen (verified 2026-08-26). Found property search works without login, but reporting requires login — an asymmetry. If you don't have Korean identity verification, going in person is the sure path. Found property is submitted to the police station with jurisdiction over where it was found, which includes substations, police boxes, and branch offices (Enforcement Decree of the Lost Property Act, Article 1(1)). You don't need to hunt down a big police station.

Don't let language delay you. Police Civil Service 24 offers a language selector at the top of the screen with over 30 languages including English, 日本語, 中文, ไทย, Tiếng Việt, and you can download the loss report form in both Korean and English from the form section.

Fill it out accurately. Loss reports filed online cannot be edited to prevent false reports — you have to cancel and resubmit. And submitting false information on an application or notification under the Immigration Act is subject to an administrative fine of up to 500,000 KRW (Article 100(3)(2) of the same Act).

Don't give up if one search turns up nothing. Found property search works by "owner name," but you have no way of knowing what spelling police entered for a foreign name. Try switching the order of family and given names or including/excluding middle names. The same guidance page also lists city and provincial police lost property centers and partner agencies like KORAIL, subway, express bus, and airports.

What Proves You While You're Without a Passport — How Far Does the Alien Registration Card Go

Article 27(1) of the Immigration Act places passports and Alien Registration Cards side by side. When immigration officials request it in connection with their duties, you must show it (paragraph 2), and violating the carry requirement is subject to a criminal fine of up to 1 million KRW (Article 98(1) of the same Act). Under-17s are exempt from the carry duty (Article 27(1)), but regardless of age, you need a passport to depart.

You can also board domestic flights. Articles 15-2(1) and (2) of the Aviation Security Act impose an obligation on passengers to possess and present identification, and the Alien Registration Card is explicitly listed (Enforcement Decree of the Aviation Security Act, Article 15-2(1)(1)(e), effective 2025-12-16). One condition: if there's a validity or renewal period printed on it, that period must not have passed (paragraph 2).

When you need written proof, there's the Alien Registration Certificate of Fact. The head of a regional immigration office, a city/county/district, a town/township/neighborhood office, or an overseas diplomatic mission can issue or allow inspection of it (Article 88(2) of the Immigration Act). Immigration-related certificates of fact are in paragraph 1 of the same article.

Railways, intercity buses, and taxis are not subject to Article 15-2 of the Aviation Security Act. But that doesn't mean "no ID needed at all" — places that operate on internal rules like bank counters or telecom shops vary by institution. Call ahead to avoid wasted trips. Some online booking screens ask for passport numbers (Survival Before Your ARC Arrives), so the habit of saving a photo of your passport bio page pays off here.

Step 2: Your Own Country's Embassy — From Here It Splits by Nationality

Only two things can be generalized in this section. Call first, and finalize on that phone call what you need to bring. The following five items vary by country, so this article cannot provide answers.

• Passport reissuance timeline
• Fees and payment methods
• Whether emergency travel documents are available
• Whether appointments are needed and how to book
• What to bring from police — the name and format of the document differ by nationality

We were also unable to confirm the exact name of the document you receive from an in-person police station visit. Police Civil Service 24 only says "the reference number stated on the receipt." So don't assume in advance that "a police receipt is enough" — call the embassy first, then go to the police station in that order for safety.

Factor in travel too. Embassies in Korea are concentrated in Seoul; as of 2026-08-25 lookup, only Busan 8, Jeju 2, and Gwangju 1 are listed outside Seoul. How to find your embassy is in How to Find Your Embassy in Korea, and what embassies can and can't do is laid out in What Your Embassy Can Do for You.

Step 3: Immigration — 15 Days Once You Have the New Passport

Once you hold the new passport in your hands, the final step remains. A foreigner who has completed alien registration must report an alien registration change to the head of the regional immigration office with jurisdiction over their residence within 15 days if the passport number, issue date, or expiration date changes (Article 35(2) of the Immigration Act, as of 2026). Failure to do so is subject to an administrative fine of up to 1 million KRW (Article 100(2)(1) of the same Act).

Fortunately, this notification doesn't always require a counter visit.

Electronic filing hours are 07:00–22:00 (excluding Sat/Sun/holidays), processing time is immediate for in-person or within 3 business days for electronic (HiKorea Civil Service Guidance, as of 2026-08). Inquiries to ☎1345. However, some HiKorea electronic services require a public certificate to apply, so if you hit a wall at login, switch to in-person.

Let's clear up two common misconceptions here.

First, just because your passport number changed doesn't mean you need to remake your Alien Registration Card. Enforcement Decree Article 44(2) of the Immigration Act says that when a change notification is received, the Alien Registration Record is updated, but cards are reissued only for changes in Article 35(1) items (name, gender, date of birth, nationality). Passport information changes are not on HiKorea's ARC reissuance reason list either.

Second, the "14-day deadline to apply for reissuance of a lost Alien Registration Card" has no legal basis. The entire text of the Immigration Act and its Enforcement Decree and Rules contains no "14 days," and HiKorea's ARC reissuance guidance only says "immediately upon occurrence of the reason." The widely circulating 14 days is the residence relocation reporting deadline from Article 6(2) of the Overseas Koreans Act, misapplied.

If you lost your passport and Alien Registration Card together in your wallet, the sequence is set. Passport is a required document for ARC reissuance, so the passport or a certificate from your embassy comes first. ARC reissuance costs 30,000 KRW, processing typically takes 2–3 weeks (HiKorea Civil Service Guidance, as of 2026-08). The process itself is laid out separately in ARC Reissuance and Address Change. HiKorea also has a separate "ARC/Residence Card Loss (Withdrawal) Report" window, but we couldn't verify the actual input values and login requirements, so ask ☎1345.

If Your Departure Date Is Just Days Away — Ask All Three Places the Same Question on the Same Day

The most dangerous combination is "embassy reissuance timeline > remaining stay period." If this article tried to answer that, you'd be stopped at the airport, so instead here are the questions to ask. Ask all three on the same day.

• Your own embassy — "My scheduled departure is ○month ○day — can I receive my passport or an emergency travel document by then?"
• Airline — "Can I board this route with an emergency travel document? What are the transit requirements?"
• ☎1345 — "My stay period expires ○month ○day — what do I do if passport reissuance is delayed?"

Your newly received passport won't have the existing Korean visa sticker in it. How to connect them, whether a reentry permit is needed (Article 30(1) of the Immigration Act addresses both reentry permits and exemptions) — these split by individual, so this article won't make that call. Check together with ☎1345, your regional immigration office, and the airline. If your stay period has already passed, see What to Do When You've Overstayed first.

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Things You Should Not Decide Based on This Article — Where to Get Final Confirmation

Refer all decisions involving stay status to ☎1345. This article organizes the sequence of visiting agencies in a passport loss situation; it does not determine loss of stay status or the possibility of notification or forced deportation.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1. If I lose my passport, do I have zero ID right now? No. Article 27(1) of the Immigration Act lists passport, Alien Registration Card, mobile Alien Registration Card, etc. side by side with "or," so if you carry a valid Alien Registration Card, you meet the carry requirement. For domestic flight boarding too, the Alien Registration Card is explicitly listed as acceptable ID (Enforcement Decree of the Aviation Security Act, Article 15-2(1)(1)(e), effective 2025-12-16). However, the card's validity period must not have expired (paragraph 2), and for departure you still need a valid passport (Immigration Act Article 28(1)).

Q2. Does police give me a receipt when I report? Can I submit that to my embassy? The lost property report on Police Civil Service 24 lists no fee and no required documents, processing time as immediate (within 3 hours during business hours), and says it will inform you of the reference number stated on the receipt. However, we could not confirm the exact name and format of that document or whether it's recognized as the "police report" required by each country's embassy. It varies by nationality, so call your embassy first before going to the police. And if it's theft not loss, this service is marked "excluding theft," so the target is different — call ☎112.

Q3. Do I have to remake my Alien Registration Card within 14 days too? The "14-day" deadline has no legal basis. The entire text of the Immigration Act and its Enforcement Decree and Rules contains no "14 days," and HiKorea's ARC reissuance guidance only says "immediately upon occurrence of the reason." The widely circulating 14 days is the residence relocation reporting deadline from Article 6(2) of the Overseas Koreans Act. For reference, if only the passport number changed, you don't reissue the card (Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Act, Article 44(2)). If you lost passport and card together, passport is a required document for card reissuance, so passport comes first.

Q4. I got my new passport. By when and what do I need to do at immigration? If the passport number, issue date, or expiration date changed, you must report an alien registration change to the regional immigration office with jurisdiction over your residence within 15 days (Article 35(2) of the Immigration Act, as of 2026). Failure is subject to an administrative fine of up to 1 million KRW (Article 100(2)(1) of the same Act). This case can be done through HiKorea electronic civil service, submission is one image of the passport bio page, no fee. Filing hours 07:00–22:00 (excluding Sat/Sun/holidays), processing within 3 business days (HiKorea Civil Service Guidance, as of 2026-08). If name, date of birth, or gender also changed, you must visit in person.

Q5. If my lost passport is found later, can I get it back? If it was logged as found property, there's a timeline. If the owner doesn't claim rights within 6 months of the posting, the finder acquires ownership (Civil Act Article 253, counting starts the day after internet posting — Lost Property Act Enforcement Decree Article 12); if they don't collect it within 3 months after that, they lose ownership (Lost Property Act Article 14) and it reverts to the national treasury (same Act Article 15). However, whether a recovered passport can be used again is a matter of the issuing country's law, so confirm with your embassy. Upon return, reward is set in the 5–20% range of the item's value (Lost Property Act Article 4), but we couldn't confirm how a passport's item value is calculated. The actual amount is negotiated at the police station upon return (Enforcement Decree of the Lost Property Act, Article 4).