What matters
- Replacement and emergency travel-document rules are set by the traveler's own government, not by a hotel, airline or Korean travel site.
- The Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes a directory of foreign missions in Korea.
- A police report may be requested by a mission, insurer or other authority, but the exact required document depends on the case.
- A replacement travel document does not automatically settle Korean visa, stay-status or departure-record questions.
- 1345 is Korea's official multilingual immigration contact center and publishes its current counseling hours.
Protect yourself and establish the facts
Move to a safe place and call 112 if the passport was stolen, someone is threatening you or other valuables are at risk. If it was misplaced, contact the last transport operator, accommodation and venue, then search LOST112 without delaying contact with your mission.
Record the passport number if available, last confirmed time and place, police or lost-property reference and any planned international departure. Do not post a passport scan or number publicly while asking for help.
- Keep a secure copy separate from the original before travel.
- Cancel or protect linked cards and accounts if the wallet or phone is also missing.
- Treat messages from an unknown 'finder' as unverified until the item is produced safely.
Contact your own embassy or consulate
Use your government's official website or the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs directory to locate the correct mission. Ask about appointment or emergency contact rules, required identity evidence, photographs, fees, police documentation and whether the document is valid for your planned route.
Opening hours, holiday closures and emergency service eligibility vary by mission. Do not rely on a travel blog's phone number or assume another country's embassy can issue your document.
- Verify the domain before sending personal documents.
- Ask how long issuance is expected to take without treating the estimate as guaranteed.
- Confirm whether visas for onward countries must be replaced or transferred.
Confirm Korean immigration status separately
Call 1345 for current Korean immigration guidance, especially when the lost passport contained an entry record or visa, you hold a residence card, your permitted stay is close to expiring or the replacement has a different number. Follow the office and appointment instructions given for your case.
Keep the old passport number, new document details, entry date and police or mission records together. An airline's willingness to change a booking is separate from Korean immigration clearance and destination-country admission.
Rebuild the departure plan
Contact the airline only after the mission explains what document it can issue. Confirm the passenger name, document type and number, transit-country rules and check-in deadline. A direct route may be safer than a connection that does not accept an emergency document.
Tell the accommodation and insurer about the changed timeline when necessary, keep receipts and arrive early enough for manual document checks. Do not book a non-refundable replacement flight until the document and immigration steps are credible.
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