If you lose your passport in China, take four ordered steps: file a local police report, get an official PSB loss confirmation, apply for an emergency travel document from your embassy, then get a Chinese exit permit. Typical total processing time is 3–7 working days as of November 2026, and most travelers do not need to cut their trips short if they start the process immediately. This guide draws on HXXC Travel’s 12 years of on-the-ground support for inbound travelers, including dozens of cases where guests lost passports in Guangdong, Beijing, Shanghai and Yunnan. We list exact steps, typical costs, common pitfalls and what to expect at each stage, so you can minimize disruption to your itinerary.
Step 1: File a Local Police Report Within 24 Hours
You do not need to visit a major city police headquarters to file a loss report. The closest local police station (called a paichusuo in Chinese) to the location where you believe you lost your passport has jurisdiction to process your report. Bring any form of identification you have, including a digital or physical copy of your passport photo page and Chinese visa, a driver’s license, and the temporary residence registration slip provided by your hotel at check-in.
As of November 2026, most police stations in popular tourist areas have staff who speak basic English, but stations in smaller towns may not. In these cases, ask your hotel front desk or tour guide to join you to help translate, or write a short note in Chinese explaining that you lost your passport and need to file a report.
The police report is officially called a Receipt of Report of Loss. It is free, and usually issued in 15–30 minutes after you fill out a short form describing when and where you last had your passport. Ask for 3–4 printed copies of the report, as every subsequent step will require a separate copy.
If you lost your passport on a train, domestic flight, or long-distance bus, first report the loss to the transport operator’s service desk at the nearest station, then file your report at the police station located in or adjacent to that station. These stations have direct access to transport lost and found logs, and can cross-check items turned in by staff or other passengers while you complete your report.
The most common mistake travelers make at this stage is waiting 2–3 days to search for the passport before filing a report. You can continue checking lost and found after filing; starting the process early does not prevent you from recovering your document, but waiting will add days to your total resolution time.
Step 2: Get Official Loss Confirmation From the Local Entry-Exit Bureau
The police report alone is not enough to apply for new travel documents. You will need to take your police report copies, one 1-inch white-background passport photo (available at copy shops near most government offices for 20–30 RMB), and any ID you have to the district-level Entry-Exit Administration Bureau, part of the local Public Security Bureau (PSB), that covers the area where you filed your police report.
As of November 2026, this loss confirmation document is free, and is usually issued within 1–2 hours of your application. This document formally invalidates your lost passport in Chinese immigration systems, so if you recover the original document later, it cannot be used for travel, hotel check-in, or transport within China.
If you are traveling on a tour with HXXC Travel in Guangdong, our local Jiangmen-based team can accompany you to Entry-Exit offices in Jiangmen, Guangzhou, Zhuhai or Shenzhen to help fill out forms and translate, at no extra cost to guests.
Step 3: Apply for an Emergency Travel Document at Your Embassy or Consulate
Once you have your PSB-issued loss confirmation and police report, contact your home country’s nearest embassy or consulate to apply for an emergency travel document, sometimes called an emergency passport or laissez-passer. Full, standard passport replacements in China typically take 2–4 weeks to process, so emergency documents are the fastest option for most travelers.
As of November 2026, standard processing times and fees for major English-speaking nationalities are listed below; always recheck your embassy’s website for latest opening times and requirements before visiting, as consular services can change with short notice:
- United States: Emergency passports are issued at the Beijing embassy and consulates in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang and Wuhan. Processing takes 1–2 working days, with a fee of approximately 145 USD. The document is valid for one year, and can be used for return travel to the U.S. and international transit.
- United Kingdom: Emergency travel documents are issued at the Beijing embassy and consulates in Guangzhou, Shanghai and Chongqing. Processing takes 1 working day on average, with a fee of approximately 100 GBP. These documents are valid for a single journey back to the UK, with up to 5 permitted transit stops.
- Canada: Emergency travel documents are available at the Beijing embassy and consulates in Chongqing, Guangzhou and Shanghai. Processing takes 1–2 working days, with a fee of approximately 110 CAD.
- Australia: Emergency passports are issued at the Beijing embassy and consulates in Chengdu, Guangzhou and Shanghai. Processing takes 1–2 working days, with a fee of approximately 189 AUD.
Most embassies do not require pre-booked appointments for emergency lost passport cases, but it is best to call their 24/7 consular assistance line first to confirm opening hours and required materials. In most cases, even a digital copy of your driver’s license, birth certificate, or old passport photo page is enough to prove your citizenship for emergency document issuance.
Step 4: Apply for a Chinese Exit Permit
The Chinese visa in your lost passport becomes invalid once the loss is reported to the PSB, so you will need a new document to stay in China legally and exit the country. After you receive your emergency travel document from your embassy, return to the same district Entry-Exit office where you applied for your loss confirmation to apply for an exit permit.
As of November 2026, this permit costs 168 RMB for most nationalities, with standard processing time of 2–3 working days. If you have a confirmed international flight departing in less than 48 hours, you can request expedited processing for an extra 100 RMB, which is usually completed within 24 hours.
The exit permit grants the following:
- Legal stay in mainland China for up to 30 days from the date of issue, enough time for most travelers to complete their planned itinerary
- Valid ID for domestic flights, high-speed rail travel, and hotel check-ins across China
- Permission to exit China through any international port, including airports, land crossings and sea ports, within the validity window
If you were traveling on a 240-hour or 24-hour transit visa when you lost your passport, the exit permit will be issued for a shorter 5–7 day validity window to match your original transit eligibility. Exit permits cannot be extended in most cases, so plan remaining travel to fit within the issued validity period.
How the Process Works for Guided and Independent Travelers
If you are traveling on a guided tour, your tour operator will handle most logistics for you. For example, in August 2026, HXXC Travel supported a Canadian guest who lost their passport at a Chikan restaurant in Kaiping, during a day trip from our Jiangmen base. We accompanied the guest to the Chikan town police station to file a report the same afternoon, drove them to the Jiangmen Entry-Exit office the next morning for loss confirmation, arranged a private car to the Canadian consulate in Guangzhou (a 1.5-hour drive from Jiangmen) to collect their emergency passport, then helped them submit their exit permit application. The full process took 4 working days, and the guest was able to join the scheduled Yangshuo extension of their tour, missing only one local activity in Kaiping.
If you are traveling independently, ask your hotel front desk for support. Most staff in tourist areas have helped travelers through the lost passport process before, and can write addresses in Chinese for taxi drivers, call ahead to police stations to confirm opening hours, and help with basic form translation at no extra cost.
Total out-of-pocket costs for the full process typically range from 1,200 to 2,200 RMB per person, not including itinerary changes. This covers consular fees (the largest cost, ranging from 800–1,800 RMB depending on nationality), government permit fees, passport photos, and local transport to offices. Most travel insurance policies will reimburse these costs if you keep all receipts, though policies rarely cover costs related to rescheduled tours or hotel extensions.
Travel During the Processing Period
After filing your police report, you can move freely around the city where you filed the report, but you cannot take domestic flights or long-distance high-speed trains until you have valid travel documentation. As of November 2026, you can apply for a 7-day temporary ID certificate at the Entry-Exit office on the same day you receive your loss confirmation, for a 10 RMB fee. This certificate is valid for hotel stays and domestic train travel within mainland China, but cannot be used to exit the country.
If you have pre-booked long-distance travel (for example, a trip from Guangzhou to Chengdu) scheduled while you wait for documents, you can either reschedule those segments for after you receive your exit permit, or work with your tour operator to rearrange your itinerary to include local activities near the city where you filed the report, so you do not lose planned travel days.
All policy details, fees and processing times listed here are current as of November 2026. Rules can change with short notice, so always confirm requirements directly with your embassy and local PSB office before visiting to avoid wasted trips.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to replace a lost passport in China?
Total processing time typically ranges from 3 to 7 working days as of November 2026, depending on consulate appointment availability and whether you pay for expedited exit permit processing. The fastest cases HXXC Travel has supported took 2 full working days, when the consulate offered same-day emergency appointments and the PSB approved expedited processing.
Will I lose my Chinese visa if I lose my passport?
Yes. Your Chinese visa is tied directly to the passport number it was issued for, and once you file an official loss report with the PSB, both the passport and associated visa are marked invalid in national immigration systems. You will not need to apply for a full new tourist visa; the exit permit issued after you receive your emergency travel document acts as a valid temporary visa for the remainder of your stay.
Can I leave China with only an emergency passport?
No. You must have both your home country’s emergency travel document and the Chinese PSB-issued exit permit to pass through immigration at any Chinese port of exit. Travelers who show up to border control with only an emergency passport will be denied exit and directed back to the local Entry-Exit office to apply for the missing permit.
What if I find my old passport after starting the replacement process?
Once you receive the official loss confirmation from the PSB, your old passport is permanently invalid for all travel purposes in China, even if you recover it. You may keep the old passport for personal records or future visa applications, but you cannot use it to check into hotels, take domestic transport, or cross international borders. You will still need to complete the full process with your emergency document and exit permit.
Do I need to speak fluent Chinese to replace a lost passport in China?
Fluent Chinese is not required. In first-tier cities and major tourist destinations, most police and Entry-Exit staff speak basic English, and consular staff at your embassy will speak English. In smaller towns, you can ask hotel staff or your tour guide to help with basic translation for forms and address directions.
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