If You Lose Your Passport | Japan is Nippon

First, do this

Ask at the place where you lost it (station, shop, hotel and so on). If it has not turned up, file a lost property report at the nearest koban (police box) or police station.
If it was stolen, or you have just been the victim of a crime, call 110 straight away.
Note down the report's receipt number, and ask your embassy or consulate whether you need a police certificate to get a new passport.
Apply for a new passport or an emergency travel document at your country's embassy or consulate.
If you lost your residence card too, apply for a new one within 14 days of finding out it was lost.
If you lost credit or bank cards as well, call the card companies at once and have the cards stopped.

First, report it to the police

If you lose your passport, file an "ishitsu todoke" (lost property report) at the nearest police station or koban (a small police post on a street corner). According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, you can report it at any police station or koban. However, they do not accept reports of things lost outside Japan. There are koban all over town, and if you cannot find one, anyone nearby will point you to it. In Tokyo you can also download the report form from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department website, fill it in and take it with you, or file the report through its Japanese-only online procedures site.

JNTO (the Japan National Tourism Organization) explains that you will need proof of a police report to get a new passport after a theft or loss, or to make an insurance claim. If you are staying at a hotel, you can also ask the front desk for help.

If your passport was stolen, or you have just been caught up in a crime or accident, call 110. For police matters that are not urgent, you can also use "#9110".

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department asks you to give a Japanese phone number so they can contact you if your passport is found; as a rule they do not make international calls. If you have to go home before it is found, you can register the details of someone you know in Japan, and the police will contact that person instead.

Ask where you lost it, too

Passports are often handed in to the police or to the lost property office of a transport operator (according to guidance from the US Embassy). The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department recommends also asking rail companies, bus companies, airlines, shops and so on. Items left on trains are reportedly kept by the rail company for a set period, usually about a week.

Items handed in to the police can be searched in the police online database (in Japanese only). For items lost in Tokyo, you can also phone the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Lost and Found Center.

Apply for a new passport at your embassy or consulate

Your passport is issued by your own country, not by Japan, so to replace it you contact your country's embassy or consulate. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department advises first asking the embassy or consulate whether you need a police certificate. If you do, ask the police station that took your lost property report (the Lost and Found Center does not issue them).

The procedure differs from country to country. For example, the US Embassy issues emergency passports only in limited cases, and you must go to the counter in person. It also explains that once you report a passport lost to the embassy, that passport becomes invalid and cannot be used even if it turns up later. Be aware too that some countries may not accept entry on an emergency passport. The UK government offers an emergency travel document that can normally be used for a single one-way or return journey only.

You can look up the locations and contact details of embassies and consulates on the "Embassies" page of the JNTO website.

Procedures at Japanese immigration

If your lost passport had stamps in it such as your landing permission or re-entry permit, you can ask to have them copied into your new passport (a "stamp transfer"). Submit an application for stamp transfer at the regional immigration services bureau (or similar office) that covers the area where you live, and bring a certificate of loss or similar document if you have one.

If you live in Japan and lost your residence card as well, you must apply for a new card at a regional immigration services bureau within 14 days of finding out it was lost. There is no fee. You will need documents such as a written statement giving the receipt number you received when you reported the loss to the police. If you cannot show your passport, submit a written explanation of why.

If you are unsure of the procedures, you can phone the Immigration Services Agency's "Foreign Residents Support Center" (its general information centre for foreign residents), which answers in 11 languages including English, Chinese and Korean.

What to do before you lose it

JNTO recommends making two copies of your passport: carry one with you and leave the other at home. Note down the location and contact details of your country's embassy before you arrive in Japan, too. It is also wise to keep your card companies' emergency contact details somewhere separate from the cards themselves.

Tips

Write down the receipt number of your lost property report. You will need it for things like applying for a new residence card.
Give a phone number that works in Japan so the police can contact you if your passport is found.
Keep a paper copy of your passport and your embassy's contact details, separate from your smartphone, for peace of mind.
If your flight home is soon, contact your embassy or consulate early and ask whether they can offer an urgent appointment.

Sources

Checked: 29 September 2026