Lost Stolen Passport Korea: Your 1-Hour Golden Time Emergency Checklist

Knowing the right lost stolen passport Korea response can save you from serious complications. Follow this priority order: lock your phone (accounts) first, freeze your cards (money), block identity misuse (passport/ARC), then file official reports.

If your life or safety is at risk, call 112 (police) / 119 (emergency medical) first. If Korean is difficult, say “English please / Interpreter please” right after connecting for translation assistance. (VISITKOREA)

Lost Stolen Passport Korea: “Lost” vs “Stolen” in 10 Seconds

• Theft/robbery/pickpocket suspected (someone likely took it) → Call 112 first (creating an official case record matters)
• Likely left behind (cafe/subway/taxi etc.) → LOST112 + contact the relevant facility’s lost-and-found

LOST112 (National Police Agency Lost & Found Portal) allows you to file a lost item report and search for found items. The helpline is 182. (lost112.go.kr)

0-10 Minutes: Block Phone and Cards First

A. If You Lost Your Phone (Most Urgent)

1. Remote lock immediately from another device/PC

• iPhone: Go to icloud.com/find and enable Lost Mode, then remote erase if needed. (Apple Support)
• Android: Go to android.com/find (Find Hub/Google) to locate, lock, or factory reset. (Google Help)

2. Change Google/Apple account password + verify 2-step authentication

• If your email gets compromised, financial accounts and social media are at risk in a chain reaction.
• In Google Account security settings, use “Manage devices” to sign out of and protect the lost device. (Google Help)

3. Contact your carrier to suspend your SIM (USIM/eSIM)

• Since phones function like credit cards in Korea, cutting the phone connection reduces the risk of OTP/verification text abuse.

B. If You Lost Your Wallet (Cards)

1. Temporarily freeze or cancel cards

• Use your card app to freeze instantly (choose temporary freeze so you can unfreeze if found).
• If the app was on the lost phone, call the card company hotline directly.

2. Also suspend transit cards (T-money) and mobile payment (Samsung/Apple Pay)

• Block not only physical cards but also mobile payment tokens.

10-30 Minutes: File Police Reports and Lost Item Claims

A. If Theft Is Suspected: Call 112

• English/Chinese interpretation on 112 is available 24 hours. (Korea.net)
• If language is a barrier, say “Interpreter please” after connecting to 112. (VISITKOREA)

4 key things to tell 112: Location (station/store/building name), time (when you last had it), what was lost (passport/phone/wallet), and why you suspect theft (bag cut open, someone bumped into you, etc.).

B. If Likely Left Behind: LOST112 + Relevant Facility

1. Search found items and file a report on LOST112 (lost112.go.kr)

2. For quick phone inquiry: 182 (Police Civil Service Center)

C. Phone Lost/Stolen: IMEI-Related Steps

1. If possible, check and register the loss using your IMEI number. (imei.kr)

2. The Phone Finder Call Center (1566-4300) also provides assistance. (kait.or.kr)

Tip: Write down your IMEI number in advance. It dramatically speeds up the response process if your phone is lost or stolen.

Lost Stolen Passport Korea: 30-60 Minutes Identity Protection

A. If You Lost Your Passport (Foreign Nationals)

1. File a police report at the nearest police station (get the confirmation document)

• Requirements vary by country, but for example, the U.S. Embassy in Seoul advises reporting to the nearest police station and bringing that report. (kr.usembassy.gov) Most other embassies have similar police report requirements.

2. Contact your embassy/consulate immediately (emergency passport/travel document)

• Most embassies have emergency contacts available outside business hours.
• Within the first hour, focus on: scheduling an appointment/email submission + preparing required documents.

Common documents for emergency passport reissuance: Passport copy/photo (if available), passport number (or airline ticket/visa screenshot), passport-size photo file or photo studio shot, and police report (if available). Also see our guide to passport expiration issues for related visa and banking concerns.

B. If Your Alien Registration Card (ARC) Was in the Lost Wallet

1. Report the loss on HiKorea online

• The Ministry of Justice (Immigration) provides an online loss reporting function on HiKorea. (immigration.go.kr)

2. Then call 1345 (Foreigner Information Center) for reissuance procedures and appointment booking.

Reissuance deadlines and required documents may vary by visa status and jurisdiction. Calling 1345 is the most reliable way to confirm.

Emergency Interpretation and Help Numbers

• 112 Police (English/Chinese interpretation 24 hours) (Korea.net)
• 119 Emergency Medical/Fire (“English please”) (VISITKOREA)
• 1330 Korea Travel Hotline: 24/7 tourist support and interpretation (eng.safekorea.go.kr)
• 182 Police Lost & Found Center (LOST112) (lost112.go.kr)
• 120 Dasan Call Center Foreign Language Service (Weekdays 9-18): From overseas 82-2-731-2120 (120dasan.or.kr)

Ready-to-Use Report Phrases

At the police station (112):

• EN: “I think my passport/wallet/phone was stolen. I want to file a police report.”
• KR: “지갑/여권/휴대폰을 도난당한 것 같습니다. 신고 접수하고 확인서가 필요합니다.”

Requesting interpretation: “Interpreter please. English please.” (VISITKOREA)

5 Records to Keep Within the First Hour

• Last confirmed time and location (map screenshot)
• Your route before and after the loss (subway station/taxi/cafe)
• Card payment alerts and suspicious transaction times
• Phone remote lock execution time (screenshot)
• Report/receipt numbers (police/bank/carrier)

Lost Stolen Passport Korea FAQ

Q1. Phone, wallet, or passport — what is most urgent?
Usually phone (accounts/authentication) then cards (money) then passport/ARC (identity fraud). Losing your phone puts verification texts and mobile payments at immediate risk. (Apple Support)

Q2. Can I call 112 if I do not speak Korean?
Yes. English and Chinese interpretation on 112 is available 24 hours. Say “Interpreter please” after connecting. (Korea.net)

Q3. Do I have to go to a police station for lost items?
If you likely left something behind, you can search and file a report on LOST112 first. Call 182 for assistance. (lost112.go.kr)

Q4. I lost my Alien Registration Card (ARC). What do I do first?
Use the HiKorea online loss report function to prevent misuse, then call 1345 for next steps. (immigration.go.kr) See also our ARC application guide for reissuance documents.

Q5. Where can I remote-lock my Android or iPhone?
iPhone: icloud.com/find for Lost Mode/erase. Android: android.com/find for locate/lock/erase. (Apple Support)

Replacing the Passport: What It Actually Takes

Once the reports are filed, the next step is a new passport. The thing to know is that a full replacement and an emergency travel document are different papers, and your departure date decides which you need.

	Full replacement	Emergency travel document
Purpose	Continued residence and normal travel	A single journey home
Time	Days to weeks, varying widely by country	Same day to a few days
Validity	A normal passport	Limited period and purpose
Re-entry to Korea	Possible	Generally not — you need the new passport first

Take the police report confirmation to the embassy without fail; many countries will not start the process without it. Photo specifications, fees and whether an appointment is required all vary, so check that embassy’s own page before you go — turning up unannounced at an appointment-only mission costs you a day.

A new passport number triggers a chain of updates: immigration records, your bank, your mobile carrier, and any booked flights. Airline tickets matter most — a mismatched passport number can mean being refused boarding, so tell the airline first.

If You Lost Your Residence Card

Day to day, losing the residence card disrupts more than losing the passport, because nothing — banking, telecoms, hospitals — verifies your identity without it.

1. Apply for a reissue. This goes through immigration and needs a statement of loss, a photo and a fee. Confirm the procedure and timeline at Hi Korea or on 1345.
2. There is a deadline. Failing to apply within the set period after the loss can attract a fine, so do not postpone it.
3. Identity in the meantime — your passport plus the application receipt can sometimes stand in. Carry the receipt when you have business at a bank or government office.
4. Watch for identity theft. Your registration number has been exposed, so ask your carrier about a service blocking new lines in your name, and verify that nothing has been opened.

One preventive step is worth more than all of this: photograph your passport and residence card now and store them in the cloud, and keep one paper copy at home. Knowing the numbers alone makes both the report and the replacement far faster. Do not keep the originals and the copies in the same bag — they get lost together.

My flight is in two days and my passport is gone. What now?

Contact your embassy the same day and say the departure date out loud — emergency processing exists precisely for this, but it has to be requested. Expect to need the police report, photos, proof of your booking, and a fee. Some missions handle it same-day; others cannot, which is why the call matters more than the visit.

Tell the airline in parallel. Changing the passport number on a booking is routine, but doing it at the counter on the day is not. If the document will not arrive in time, rebooking costs less than a missed flight and airlines treat a documented passport loss as a normal reason.

Someone found my wallet and wants to return it. Is that safe?

Usually it is genuine, but arrange it safely: meet in a public place during the day, or ask them to hand it to the nearest police station, which is the normal route in Korea and costs them nothing. A finder who insists on a private location or asks for a reward transfer before returning anything is a different situation.

Be wary of messages claiming to have found your phone and asking you to sign in to a link to “unlock” it. That is a credential-harvesting attempt, not a good samaritan. Legitimate returns never require you to enter an account password anywhere.

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