Lost Passport in Japan: What to Do, Who to Call, and How to Get Help

If you lose your passport in Japan, report it at the nearest koban (police box) or police station first, and write down the report number they give you. Then contact your country's embassy or consulate in Japan for a new passport or an emergency travel document, and tell your airline, hotel and travel insurer once you have it.

Losing a passport far from home is frightening, but it happens to travelers every day, and Japan has a clear process for it. This guide walks through each step in order, using the pages of Japan's police, immigration authorities, JNTO (Japan's national tourism organization) and embassies. To avoid losing it in the first place, see why you have to carry your passport in Japan, and how to carry it safely.

Step 1: Check the places you've been

Lost items in Japan are often handed in. Before anything else, think back over the last few hours:

• Your hotel: ask the front desk, and check the room safe and your bags again.
• Trains, buses, taxis and airlines: the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department advises contacting railway and bus companies, airlines and the businesses where you left the item, because they may keep lost property for a few days before it goes to the police.
• Shops and restaurants you visited: a quick call or visit can save a lot of time.

If it doesn't turn up quickly, go to the police. You can keep searching after you file the report.

Step 2: File a lost property report with the police

Go to the nearest koban or police station. In Tokyo, you can file the report at any police station or koban; it doesn't have to be the one near where you lost it. The National Police Agency asks people who lose belongings to file a lost property report right away. If you are staying at a hotel, JNTO suggests asking the front desk to help you find the nearest koban.

• What they'll ask: when and where you think you lost it, a description of the item, and how to contact you.
• Write down the report number. The police record each report with a number. The City of Osaka explains that this receipt number from the police is needed when you apply to your embassy or consulate for a new passport.
• Ask your embassy about a police certificate. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department says to check first with your embassy or consulate whether you need a police certificate to replace your passport.
• Leave contact details that work. The Tokyo police contact you if your item is found, and they ask for a Japanese phone number; as a rule they don't make international calls. If you have no Japanese number, ask what other contact they can use, such as your hotel. The National Police Agency asks residents outside Japan to give an email address or phone number that works after they go home.

If your passport was stolen rather than lost, tell the police that. For which number to call in other situations, see 119, 110 and #7119: who to call in Japan.

Need help in English, Chinese or Korean? The Japan Visitor Hotline (JNTO) is open 24 hours, every day: 050-3816-2787 (from overseas +81-50-3816-2787).

Step 3: Contact your embassy or consulate

Only your own country can replace your passport. JNTO notes that you will need to contact your embassy for a replacement. Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes a list of foreign embassies in Japan. Tell them your travel dates, because what they can issue depends on how soon you need to fly.

• A new passport can take time. For example, the U.S. Embassy in Japan says regular processing may take up to 8 weeks.
• An emergency passport or travel document is the usual choice if you fly soon. The U.S. Embassy issues emergency passports valid for 1 year or less, in most cases on the same day, by appointment. The U.K. issues an emergency travel document, usually valid for one single or return journey, to British nationals who need to travel within 6 weeks.
• Check that it works for your route. The U.S. Embassy warns that some countries may not accept an emergency passport, and that airlines or immigration officers could refuse it. Check your next destination's entry rules.

What to bring differs by country, but the U.S. Department of State's list gives a good idea of what is usually needed: a passport photo, identification such as a driver's license, proof of citizenship such as a copy of the lost passport, your travel itinerary, and the police report if you have one. A copy of your passport and a spare passport photo kept apart from the passport make this step much easier.

Some countries cancel a passport as soon as you report it lost. The U.S. Embassy says a U.S. passport reported lost or stolen can't be used for travel, even if you find it later. If yours turns up, ask your embassy what to do, and let the police know.

Step 4: Ask about the landing stamp in your old passport

When you entered Japan, immigration recorded your landing permission in your passport. The Immigration Services Agency of Japan explains that people who have been issued a new passport can apply to a regional immigration office to have a valid landing permission stamp from the lost passport transferred to the new one, bringing the old and new passports, or a certificate of loss if they have one. Ask your embassy whether you need to do this before your flight home, and allow time for it if you do.

Step 5: Tell your airline, hotel and travel insurer

• Airline: if your booking has your passport number, update it with the number of your new passport or travel document before you check in. Ask the airline whether it accepts the document your embassy issued.
• Hotel: hotels in Japan ask to see the passport of guests who have no address in Japan and keep a copy. If you change hotels or the front desk asks, show your new document. Our passport guide explains this rule.
• Travel insurer: JNTO says a police report is needed to receive an insurance payment after a theft or loss, so keep your report details. Check your policy for extra hotel nights or changed flights; see travel insurance and medical costs in Japan.
• Cards and phone: if your wallet or phone went missing with the passport, the National Police Agency says to contact the card issuers and your phone company right away to stop them.

Your checklist

1. Check the hotel, trains, taxis and the places you visited.
2. File a lost property report at a koban, and write down the report number.
3. Contact your embassy or consulate, and tell them your flight date.
4. Ask whether you need a police certificate and a visit to an immigration office.
5. Update your airline booking, and tell your hotel and insurer.

Before your next trip, save your embassy's contact details on your phone and keep a copy of your passport apart from it. Those two small steps make every step above faster.

Last reviewed: November 2, 2026. Procedures, fees and processing times differ by country and can change. Please follow your embassy's instructions and the official pages below.