Passport lost abroad: emergency documents and the 15-day report in Korea

This guide is for foreign residents of Korea who travel abroad for work, and for companies in Korea that send staff, Korean or foreign, on business trips. The rule in one line: only the country that issued a passport can replace it, and a registered foreign resident must report the new passport details to Korean immigration within 15 days. Fees and rules are as of October 2026.

First hours: search, then report the loss

Check the places you visited first: the hotel front desk and housekeeping, and the taxi company or transport operator you used.

If it does not turn up, report the loss. A reported passport cannot be used again, even if found later:

• The US State Department says a reported passport is not valid for international travel: your next destination may refuse entry, or you may not be allowed to leave.
• Under Korea's Passport Act (여권법), Article 13, a Korean passport loses its validity once the holder reports the loss. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (외교부) says a reported passport is registered with Interpol and cannot be used even if found.
• The UK usually cancels the old passport automatically once you pay for an emergency travel document.

Then ask the local police for a written loss or theft report. Requirements differ. The US says a police report is not mandatory but helps confirm what happened. Korea's foreign ministry tells Korean citizens to bring the original police report to the consulate. Travel insurers may ask for it as well.

Contact your embassy or consulate

Call the embassy or consulate of the country that issued your passport, give your travel dates and check opening hours. Most US embassies and consulates cannot issue passports on weekends or holidays. Their after-hours duty officers help with life-or-death emergencies, and in most cases a replacement is issued the next business day.

Korean citizens can call the foreign ministry's Consular Safety Call Center (영사안전콜센터) at +82-2-3210-0404, 24 hours a day, every day. It offers three-way phone interpretation in 7 languages, useful for police reports.

Bring what you can:

• the police report;
• passport photos in the issuing country's size: 2 x 2 inches (5 x 5 cm) for US passports, 3.5 x 4.5 cm and taken within the last 6 months for Korean passports;
• any photo ID, such as a driver's license, national ID card or expired passport;
• a copy or phone photo of the lost passport, or at least its number;
• your flight tickets or itinerary.

Emergency passport or full replacement

If you have time, apply for a full passport. If you must travel soon, you will usually get a limited emergency document instead. Three examples:

Some details matter for employers:

• For humanitarian trips, such as a relative's death, serious illness or injury, Korea charges USD 17 instead of USD 50.
• Korea does not issue an emergency passport when identity cannot be confirmed, or to a person with 3 or more losses within 5 years. Repeated losses also shorten the validity of the next regular passport.
• The US may issue a free emergency passport to a victim of a serious crime or disaster who cannot pay.
• A UK emergency travel document may show your travel plans. If the plans change, you must apply and pay again.

After the trip, replace the emergency document with a full passport.

Check that the document gets you back to Korea

Not every country accepts emergency documents. The UK tells applicants to check acceptance in every country they will leave, enter or pass through, including visa rules. Korea's passport website (passport.go.kr) publishes a country-by-country list for Korean emergency passports, last updated June 9, 2026.

Korea's Immigration Act (출입국관리법), Article 2, treats a document issued instead of a passport as a passport only if the Korean government recognizes it as valid. Before you book, ask your embassy and the airline whether your document will be accepted for entry to Korea.

If you hold a residence card (외국인등록증), you generally do not need a re-entry permit (재입국허가) when you return within 1 year of leaving, or before your permitted stay ends if that comes first. Permanent residents (F-5) have 2 years (Enforcement Rule of the Immigration Act, Article 44-2). Keep the card with you.

Back in Korea: report the new passport within 15 days

A new passport changes three items in your foreign resident registration: the passport number, the issue date and the expiry date. Under Article 35 of the Immigration Act, you must report the change within 15 days to the immigration office (출입국·외국인관서) for your place of stay. Submit the change report form with your residence card and the new passport (Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Act, Article 44). The 15 days run from the change itself, so file soon after you return. A missed report can bring an administrative fine of up to ₩1,000,000 (Article 100).

For questions, call the Immigration Contact Center at 1345 (+82-2-1345 from abroad), weekdays 09:00~22:00 except public holidays.

Update airline bookings and other records that hold your passport number. Korea's foreign ministry reminds travelers that flights must be booked with the new, valid passport.

Money, company support and insurance

If you cannot pay the fees:

• US citizens: the State Department's emergency financial assistance page explains how family can send money.
• UK applicants can have a relative or friend pay the online fee.
• Korean citizens can use quick overseas remittance (신속해외송금). Someone in Korea pays money into a foreign ministry account at Woori Bank or NongHyup Bank, and the consulate hands it over, up to USD 3,000 per case. You apply and collect in person during consulate working hours.

Business travelers should also ask their company's HR or general affairs team about emergency funds and travel insurance. Check whether the policy covers a lost passport, keep receipts for fees and photos, and file the claim with the police report.

Checklist

Before each trip:

• Check passport validity. Keep copies on paper and in cloud storage or email.
• List embassy, consulate and police contacts for each country.
• Check whether every country on the route accepts emergency documents.
• Buy travel insurance that covers a lost passport.
• Companies: keep a crisis manual (contact chain, emergency fund procedure) and train travelers on it.

If the passport is lost:

1. Search, then get a police report.
2. Contact your embassy or consulate.
3. Get an emergency document or a full passport, and confirm your route home accepts it.
4. Back in Korea, report the new passport within 15 days.
5. Replace the emergency document and file the insurance claim.