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.
Step-by-Step Guide
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)
- 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 (Immediate)
Go to the nearest police station (派出所 / paichusuo). If you do not speak Chinese, go to a station in a central area where officers are more likely to speak some English, or use a translation app.
Tell them: "我的护照丢了" (wǒ de hùzhào diū le — "I lost my passport").
The police will:
- Take a statement about when and where you last had the passport
- Check their system for any found passports matching your description
- Issue a Certificate of Loss Report (遗失证明 / yíshī zhèngmíng)
Get this certificate. You will need it for every subsequent step. Make copies or take a clear photo with your phone.
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.
Locations of major embassies in Beijing:
- US Embassy: No. 55 Anjialou Road, Chaoyang District
- UK Embassy: No. 11 Guanghua Road, Jianguomenwai
- Australian Embassy: No. 21 Dongzhimenwai Dajie
- Canadian Embassy: No. 19 Dongzhimenwai Dajie
- German Embassy: No. 17 Dongzhimenwai Dajie
- French Embassy: No. 3 Liangmaqiao Road
Most countries also have consulates in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and/or other major cities. Go to the one closest to you.
At the embassy/consulate, you will apply for a replacement travel document. What you receive depends on your nationality:
- Emergency passport (most countries) — a temporary passport valid for a limited period
- Emergency travel document — a single-use document to get you home
- Replacement passport — if you have time to wait for processing (days to weeks)
Bring to the embassy:
- The police Certificate of Loss Report
- Any identification you still have (driver's license, national ID card, copy of lost passport)
- Passport photos (most embassies have photo booths, but bring your own if possible)
- Proof of citizenship (birth certificate copy, previous passport copy — digital copies are acceptable)
- Embassy fee (varies by country; most accept cards)
Processing time varies from same-day (emergency travel document) to several weeks (full replacement passport).
Step 4: Transfer Your Visa or Entry Record
Once you have a replacement travel document, you must transfer your immigration record to the new document. This 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 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
The Exit-Entry Administration will verify your entry record in their system and issue a stay permit or visa transfer in your new travel document. There is a fee for this service.
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.
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.
