Lost your passport while traveling in Japan and worried about an upcoming flight? Start contacting the police and your country’s embassy or consulate while you look for it. Requirements, fees and processing times depend on your nationality and circumstances, so confirm the details with your own consular office.
What to do first
- Check your hotel room and bags. Contact the lost-and-found desk at the station, airport, shop or taxi company you last used. Your hotel front desk may be able to help. If your departure is close, do not wait for the search to finish before starting the next steps.
- Report the loss or suspected theft at a nearby police box (koban) or police station. Explain when and where you last had it. Note the police station and report number, and ask how to obtain any document your embassy or insurer needs. Tell police if you suspect theft. Call 110 for an emergency, such as a crime in progress.
- Contact your country’s embassy or consulate in Japan. Ask about reporting, appointments, identification, photos, fees and processing times. If your flight is soon, tell them the departure date and time immediately.
Sources: JNTO emergency guidance and lost-and-found FAQ.
What to tell the police
Prepare your name, issuing country, contact details, accommodation, where and when you last had the passport, and the places you visited. If you do not know something, say so rather than guessing. A photo or copy can help identify the document, but it is not a replacement for a passport. Ask your embassy whether the report number is sufficient or an additional document is required.
Show this at a police box: パスポートをなくしました。遺失届を出したいです。 (I lost my passport and would like to file a lost-property report.) If you suspect theft, add: 盗まれたかもしれません。 (It may have been stolen.)
What to ask your embassy or consulate
Contact the official consular service for the country that issued your passport. Ask whether you need a replacement passport or an emergency travel document. Not every honorary consulate can issue documents. Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs maintains a directory of foreign missions; verify current contact information on your own government’s website.
Have your police report details, passport copy if available, other photo ID, travel itinerary and a way to contact you ready. Ask which items are actually required. A passport reported lost may be cancelled and unusable even if found later. If it turns up after your report, follow your issuing country’s instructions rather than using it without checking. For example, see the Australian Embassy’s guidance.
Flying soon or transiting through another country?
Tell your airline about the loss and ask what documents it will accept, the deadline for changing a booking and any fees. Emergency documents can be limited to certain destinations and may not be accepted for transit. Before making arrangements, check with your embassy, airline and, where needed, the transit country’s authorities.
The Australian emergency passport guidance illustrates these possible restrictions; its conditions are not necessarily the same for other nationalities. Contact your insurer promptly about coverage and required receipts or police documents. If your departure or permitted stay may be affected, ask Japan’s immigration authorities for advice about your particular situation.
Help in your language
JNTO’s Japan Visitor Hotline is available 24 hours a day in English, Chinese and Korean at 050-3816-2787 (from overseas: +81-50-3816-2787). It provides visitor information and emergency assistance; it does not replace the police report or your embassy’s procedures. For an urgent crime or accident call 110; for fire or an ambulance call 119.
Prepare before your trip
Keep a secure copy of your passport information page, your embassy’s contact details and your insurance information separately from the original. Agree on a way to contact travel companions in an emergency. Foreign tourists in Japan are generally required to carry their passports; a copy is useful backup but does not replace the original.
Information checked October 29, 2026. Images are illustrative.
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