Lost Passport in China: Emergency Steps

Losing your passport in a foreign country is stressful. The process in China is structured and you can get through it, but the order of steps matters. Follow this sequence exactly.

Complete Step-by-Step: Police Station → PSB → Embassy

Here is the full path. Do not skip steps or do them out of order.

Step 1: Search Thoroughly

Before starting the formal process, retrace your steps carefully. Common places passports go missing:

• Hotel safe (forgotten after storing)
• Airplane seat pocket (retrieved by cleaning crew and held at the airport lost and found)
• Restaurant table (turned in to restaurant staff)
• Taxi/Didi (contact the driver through the app — Didi has a dedicated lost item button in the ride history)
• Bag pocket you forgot about (it happens)

If you used your passport for a transaction (hotel check-in, SIM card purchase, train ticket) in the past 24 hours, go back to that location and ask.

Step 2: File a Police Report at the Nearest Police Station (派出所)

Go to the nearest police station immediately. In China, a police station is called a 派出所 (paichusuo). You find them on almost every major street — look for the blue sign with white Chinese characters and a police shield emblem. The station entrance has a reception window directly inside the door.

At the station:

1. Walk up to the reception window. Say: "我的护照丢了" (wǒ de hùzhào diū le — "I lost my passport").
2. The officer at the window directs you to a desk or interview room. You sit down with an officer.
3. The officer asks you to describe what happened. Use a translation app if needed. Key details they want:
   • When you last saw the passport (date, approximate time)
   • Where you last had it (hotel, restaurant, taxi, subway)
   • Your passport number (have a copy ready on your phone)
   • Your full name, nationality, and date of birth
4. The officer checks their internal system for any found passports matching your description.
5. If the passport is not found, the officer fills out a Certificate of Loss Report (遗失证明 / yíshī zhèngmíng).

What the loss report looks like: The report is a single A4 sheet, printed on official police station letterhead. It contains:

• Your name (in English and Chinese transliteration)
• Your passport number
• The date and time of the report
• A brief description of the loss
• The police station's red official stamp (圆形公章)

Get this certificate. You need it for every subsequent step. Make multiple copies or take a clear photo with your phone. Do not fold or damage it — embassies accept only clean, legible copies.

Step 3: Go to Your Embassy or Consulate

Contact your country's embassy or consulate in China. Most have an emergency after-hours number — call immediately even if it is outside business hours, as they can advise on next steps.

Major Embassy Contact Numbers:

Most countries also have consulates in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and/or other major cities. Go to the one closest to you. Consulate emergency numbers are listed on each country's embassy website.

At the embassy/consulate:

• Arrive during consular services hours (typically 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM, Monday to Friday). For emergencies outside these hours, call the 24-hour emergency number first — the duty officer may be able to meet you at the embassy or issue an emergency document outside normal channels.
• Bring identification: your police loss report, any other ID you have (driver's license, national ID), passport copies, and passport photos.

What you receive:

• Emergency passport (most countries) — a temporary passport valid for a limited period (often 6-12 months). Looks similar to a regular passport but has fewer pages and may have "EMERGENCY" printed on the cover.
• Emergency travel document (ETD) — a single-use document, usually a single sheet or small booklet, that gets you home and is then surrendered. Valid for one journey only.
• Replacement passport — full validity passport. Takes days to weeks.

What the emergency travel document looks like: The ETD varies by country. Typically:

• US: Single-sheet "Emergency Passport" with photo, valid for return to US only
• UK: "Emergency Travel Document" — a folded card document, light blue, valid for a specific journey
• Australia: Single-page document with photo, issued within hours
• EU countries: Temporary passport with purple cover, "PROVISIONAL" marked on the front

Photo Requirements at the Embassy: Most embassies have photo booths, but bring your own photos if possible. Requirements:

• Size: 2 inches × 2 inches (51mm × 51mm) for US; 35mm × 45mm for UK and most EU
• Background: Plain white or off-white
• Expression: Neutral, mouth closed, eyes open
• Recent: Taken within 6 months
• Headwear: Only religious headwear permitted

Step 4: Transfer Your Visa or Entry Record at the PSB (Exit-Entry Administration)

Once you have a replacement travel document, you must transfer your immigration record to the new document. This step is critical — your Chinese entry record (visa or visa-free stamp) was in your lost passport, and without it, the replacement document shows no authorization for your presence in China.

Go to the Exit-Entry Administration (出入境管理局) in the city where you are staying. Bring:

• Your replacement travel document (passport or emergency document)
• The police Certificate of Loss Report
• A copy of your lost passport (if you have one)
• A photo or copy of your entry stamp and visa (if you have one)
• Temporary Accommodation Registration slip (from your hotel or police station)
• One recent passport photo (white background)

At the PSB office:

1. Take a queue number for "外国人签证/居留许可" (Foreigner Visa / Residence Permit).
2. When called, explain your situation: "I lost my passport. I have a new travel document. I need to transfer my entry record."
3. Submit all documents.
4. The officer verifies your entry record in the immigration system.
5. If approved, you receive a stay permit or visa transfer stamp/sticker in your new travel document.
6. There is a fee — typically 160 RMB for a stay permit.
7. Processing may be same-day or take 3-5 working days. Ask the officer.

Step 5: Update Your Accommodation Registration

With your new travel document, go back to the police station or use the online system to update your Temporary Accommodation Registration with the new document number. Hotels can do this at the front desk — hand them your new document and ask them to update the registration.

Step 6: Update Other Registrations

Inform any institution that has your old passport number on file:

• Your bank (if you opened an account)
• Alipay and WeChat Pay (update passport number in identity verification settings)
• SIM card provider (your phone number is linked to your old passport — update at a carrier store)
• 12306 train booking account

Step 7: Plan Your Departure

If you received an emergency travel document valid only for returning home, book the earliest practical flight to your home country. You may need to transit through countries that accept emergency documents — confirm with your airline before booking.

If you received a replacement passport, you can continue your stay as planned, but always carry the Exit-Entry Administration transfer document to explain the change in passport numbers if questioned.

Alternative Options

• Temporary identification for domestic travel. If you need to take a train or check into a hotel while waiting for your embassy appointment, go to the railway station's railway police office or the local police station to request a temporary identity certificate (临时身份证明 / línshí shēnfèn zhèngmíng). This is a single-use A4 printout valid for a specific purpose (boarding a specific train, checking into a specific hotel). You need your passport number or a copy of your passport to obtain this. The certificate includes your photo, name, nationality, and the specific train/flight it authorizes.
• Contact your country's emergency consular hotline. Even outside business hours, consular officers can provide guidance and, in extreme situations, authorize emergency travel documents outside normal processing channels.