What to do if you lose your passport in China
A cautious, official-help sequence for immediate safety, a police loss report, consular replacement documents, and the local exit-entry step that may still be needed before travel continues.
If your passport is lost or stolen in China, first get to a safe staffed place and report the loss to the local police station. China's 2025 visitor guide directs foreign visitors to do this immediately; it also lists 110 for personal assault or property crime, 119 for fire, and 120 for first aid. Keep the police record and any safe copies of your identity details, then use the official website or emergency route of your own embassy or consulate to ask how it will issue a replacement passport or temporary travel document. A new document alone may not finish the China-side process: ask the local exit-entry administration which visa, stay, residence, or exit-entry action applies to your status and do not assume a flight, hotel, railway, or border will accept an old photocopy or a new document automatically.
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Emergency numbers in China
Call only for a real emergency. Say the exact location first; ask nearby staff to help communicate when safe.
Protect people first and use the right official help
Do not return alone to an unsafe location or confront a suspected thief. The State Council's 2025 visitor guide says to call 110 for personal assault or property crime, 119 for fire, and 120 for first aid. If the immediate danger is over, move to a well-lit staffed place such as a hotel reception, transport service desk, police station, or hospital desk, and ask that staff to help identify the local police-report route. A lost passport is an official document problem, not something an informal driver, fixer, or online contact can solve.
- For an assault, theft, fire, or medical emergency, call the applicable emergency number first; do not delay urgent care while collecting travel paperwork.
- Tell the hotel, tour operator, school, employer, or host only the practical facts they need to help you reach official assistance; do not send passport scans, bank-card details, account passwords, or recovery codes through an unverified chat.
- Write down the last confirmed time and place the passport was seen, the relevant address in Chinese if available, and the police-report or case reference once issued.
Make the local police report your first document
The State Council guide says to report passport loss to the local police station immediately. Beijing's foreigner service guidance uses a local police report and a passport-loss certificate as the opening stages of its process. Exact offices, photos, translations, appointments, fees, hours, and document requests vary by city and case, so treat Beijing's sequence as a concrete example of the official handoff—not a nationwide checklist or a promise of same-day processing.
- Take any safe identity evidence you have, such as a copy of the passport data page, another government ID, booking record, or an old document number; ask the officer what is acceptable rather than inventing a replacement record.
- Keep the original report, receipt, certificate, and photos protected. Make separate copies or secure images only when the responsible authority or your consular service tells you how to use them.
- If the passport was lost in a different city from your current stay, ask the police station or local exit-entry administration which office should handle the report and the next certificate; do not travel blindly between offices.
Contact your own embassy or consulate through its official channel
Your own government, not ChinaTripKit, decides whether it can issue a replacement passport or a temporary travel document and what identity evidence, appointment, photos, witnesses, fees, or travel constraints it requires. Beijing's official foreigner guide places this consular step after the police and loss-certificate steps. Use your foreign ministry's official country page, the embassy or consulate website, or a number you independently verify; search results, unsolicited messages, and a look-alike social account are not a safe substitute.
- Ask the consular service what it can issue, which original police or local-authority records it needs, whether you must attend in person, and what it says about your existing Chinese visa, stay permission, or departure date.
- Keep accommodation registration, travel bookings, and any case reference available, but do not buy a replacement flight on the assumption that a document will be issued by a certain time.
- If you need medical, safety, or language support, tell the consular service and local staff the immediate constraint. Consular assistance, a hospital, an insurer, and local public-security or exit-entry authorities have different roles.
Finish the China-side status before attempting onward travel
National Immigration Administration guidance says foreigners who need replacement or reissuance of visas, stay permits, residence permits, or exit-entry permits apply through the local public-security exit-entry administration. It says a lost-visa reissuance can require a passport-loss report or consular note plus a new valid passport or other international travel document. In the limited case where a foreigner cannot obtain reissued documents from their embassy or consulate, NIA describes an application path for a foreigner exit-entry permit; that is an authority decision, not an automatic fallback. Keep every deadline visible and follow the local office's live instructions.
- Ask the responsible exit-entry office which application applies to your exact entry basis, current document, accommodation registration, and onward plan; visa-free, visa, group-tour, stay-permit, and residence-permit cases can differ.
- Preserve an acceptance receipt or official instruction if the authority keeps a document for processing. NIA says an accepted visa or stay-permit application can come with a receipt valid for a limited period; do not treat an unaccepted request, screenshot, or verbal assurance as proof of lawful status.
- Before changing a train, flight, hotel, or border plan, ask the carrier or operator what document it requires and ask the responsible authority—not a third party—to confirm the China-side status. Keep a staffed transport fallback if the timetable is tight.
Before you rely on this answer
China travel rules and app behavior can change by city, route, account, passport, airline, and local inspection practice. Treat this page as a traveler-friendly starting point, then verify official or provider details before booking or packing anything important.
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Frequently asked questions
Which emergency number should I call in China if my passport is stolen?
For personal assault or property crime, the State Council's 2025 visitor guide says to call 110. If you also need urgent medical help or there is a fire, call 120 or 119 respectively. Once immediate safety is addressed, report the passport loss at a local police station and follow its official reporting process.
Do I contact the police or my embassy first after losing a passport in China?
Address immediate danger first, then report the loss to the local police station as soon as possible. Beijing's official foreigner guidance starts with the police report and loss certificate, then directs the traveler to their embassy or consulate for a new passport or temporary travel document. Confirm your city and nationality-specific sequence with the responsible authorities.
Can I leave China with only a passport copy after losing the original?
Do not assume so. A copy can help identify you, but NIA guidance describes official passport-loss, consular-document, and visa, stay, or exit-entry procedures. Ask the responsible exit-entry authority and your carrier what current document and status are required before attempting departure.
Will a replacement passport automatically restore my China visa or stay status?
No. NIA guidance says lost visas may need a reissuance application using a passport-loss report or consular note and a new valid passport or travel document. The correct step depends on the person's actual status and local authority, so do not rely on the replacement passport alone.