Lost Passport, Phone, Wallet, or Luggage
Police report, embassy, emergency travel document — the lost-passport sequence in order, plus the first-hour moves for a lost phone or wallet and how airline baggage claims actually work.
The short version
Lost passport: police report first, then your embassy for an emergency travel document, then sort out your exit paperwork — in that order, because each step needs the previous one. Lost phone or wallet: the race is against whoever has it, so freeze cards and payment apps within minutes, not hours. Lost luggage: don't leave the airport without filing a report. None of these situations is trip-ending if you move in the right sequence.
Lost passport: the full sequence
- File a police loss report
Go to the nearest police station (派出所) or, better, the local Exit-Entry Administration, and get a loss report (报失证明). Your embassy requires it. Bring hotel staff or a translation app — the process can take 2–4 hours, and same-day issuance is normal in big cities.
- Contact your embassy or consulate
Call ahead and book an appointment for an Emergency Travel Document (ETD). Bring the police report, a copy of your lost passport, passport photos (any photo shop near the embassy does them), and your flight details.
- Get the Emergency Travel Document
ETDs are typically issued in 24–48 hours and cost roughly $50–190 depending on nationality (US ~$140, UK £100, Canada CAD 110, Australia AUD 188). It usually only covers a direct trip home.
- Sort your exit paperwork — call 12367 first
If you entered visa-free, border inspection can verify your identity and entry record and let you exit on the ETD directly. If you entered on a visa, you may need a replacement visa or exit permit from the Exit-Entry Administration, which takes several working days. The 12367 immigration hotline (English, 24/7) will tell you exactly what your case needs.
- Update your hotel, airline, and insurer
Your hotel must re-register you under the new document. Tell the airline you're flying on an ETD before you show up. Travel insurance often reimburses replacement costs — keep every receipt.
Lost phone: the first hour decides everything
- Freeze payment apps immediately
Call Alipay at 95188 and freeze your account; freeze WeChat Pay via wechat.com or another logged-in device. Travelers have seen fraud attempts within five minutes of losing a phone — this step beats everything else.
- Locate, then lock and wipe
Use Find My (Apple) or Find My Device (Android) from any other device. If recovery looks unlikely, lock it remotely and erase.
- Suspend your SIM and change key passwords
Contact your carrier to kill the SIM so SMS verification codes can't be intercepted, then change email and banking passwords from a safe device.
- Check DiDi or the metro before giving up
Left it in a DiDi? Contact the driver through the app's lost-item function — returns are common. On the metro or a train, items end up at the line's terminus lost-and-found; for trains call 12306 with your ticket info (items kept 30 days).
- Police report if insurance needs it
Police rarely recover lost phones, but insurers want the report. Having your IMEI number written down beforehand makes the report worth filing.
Lost wallet
- Cancel cards on your bank's 24/7 international line
Keep those hotline numbers somewhere that isn't your wallet or phone — email yourself the list before the trip.
- Get emergency cash
Western Union or MoneyGram transfers from family arrive in minutes and can be collected with your passport. Hotels sometimes extend credit to guests; embassies can give a repayable loan as a true last resort.
- File a police report for insurance
Quick to skip, annoying to need later. If your passport was in the wallet, switch to the lost-passport sequence above.
Lost luggage at the airport
- Report before leaving baggage claim
Go to the airline's baggage service desk and file a Property Irregularity Report (PIR). Without it, you have no claim. Keep your baggage tag.
- Track with the reference number
The PIR gives you a WorldTracer reference. Most bags surface within 24–48 hours and get delivered to your hotel.
- Buy essentials and keep receipts
Airlines commonly reimburse around ¥500–1500 of emergency purchases — toiletries, underwear, a change of clothes. Receipts or it didn't happen.
- File the compensation claim at 21 days
If the bag isn't found within 21 days it's formally lost; international-flight compensation caps around $1,700. File with both the airline and your travel insurance.
Numbers you'll need
Before-you-lose-anything checklist
Five minutes of prep that saves your trip
Common questions
Passport
Can I leave China without my passport?
No. You need an Emergency Travel Document from your embassy, and depending on how you entered, possibly exit paperwork from the Exit-Entry Administration. Showing up at the border without valid documents gets you detained, not waved through.
How long does the whole replacement take?
Police report same day in big cities, ETD in 24–48 hours, and exit paperwork anywhere from immediate (visa-free entrants with verified records) to 5–10 working days if you need a replacement visa. Budget a week to be safe and call 12367 for your specific case.
Items
Will the police find my phone or wallet?
Almost never — reports are for insurance, not recovery. Your real odds are DiDi's lost-item system and transit lost-and-found offices, which are surprisingly effective.
What if I'm left with literally no money?
Western Union transfer from family (collect with passport), hotel credit if you're a guest, or an embassy repatriation loan you must repay. In that order.