If you have lost your passport in Japan, or it has been stolen, two things come first: report it to the Japanese police and contact your embassy. The details that trip people up are which police office can give you the certificate your embassy may want, and that once you report the passport, most countries cancel it for good. This page lays out the steps from official pages, with fees and timing for seven countries.
Lost passport in Japan: the steps in order
- Retrace your steps and ask. Taiwan’s office suggests checking the places you may have left it, such as duty-free shops or stations.
- Report it at a koban or police station. Lost: a Lost Property Report. Stolen: a theft report.
- Ask your embassy whether it needs a police certificate, and book an appointment if it requires one.
- Get the certificate from the police station in charge of your report, if your embassy needs it.
- Apply for an emergency passport or travel document, then book your flight.
Reporting a lost or stolen passport to the Japanese police
Lost: the Lost Property Report
The Metropolitan Police Department’s English page says to go to your local police station or police box (koban) and file a Lost Property Report; the form is at any police office, and you can download and fill it in beforehand, but you must hand it in in person: it cannot accept reports by email. It does not accept reports of things lost outside Japan. It asks for a Japanese phone number and does not, as a rule, make international calls; if you will leave before the item turns up, give a contact person in Japan. Its Japanese page also offers an online report, but only in Japanese. See our lost property guide for how the system works. If your passport is found and handed in, the police list what you bring to collect it: valid ID, your Lost Property Report, any notice letter and the item’s reference number.
Stolen: report it as a crime
If it was stolen, report the theft. Japan’s Rules on Criminal Investigation require police officers to accept a report of a crime regardless of whether it happened in their area, and they write it up for you if you report it orally. The police’s English safety page says to go to the nearest koban whether you have lost something or been a victim of theft, to dial 110 for crimes, and #9110 for non-emergency consultation in English.
Which office gives the certificate?
This is the step that catches people. The Metropolitan Police Department’s FAQ says that to get a certificate for reissuing a passport, you should ask the police station in charge of your Lost Property Report, and that its Lost and Found Center does not issue it. Taiwan’s office in Tokyo is more specific: it accepts only the original A4 certificate issued by a police station, not the slip with a reference number that a koban gives, and only the station named on that slip can issue the certificate; another station cannot. JNTO also says a police report is needed to reissue a passport or claim insurance, and that a local police station can make it.
Lost passport in Japan: what each embassy says
| Country | Document | Fee | Time | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Emergency passport | $165 (under 16: $135) | Same day in most cases | Appointment; police report advised |
| United Kingdom | Emergency travel document | £125, no refund | About 2 working days | Apply online |
| Australia | Emergency passport | AUD 265 | Not stated | Appointment; report to police too |
| Canada | Emergency travel document | CAD 75 adult, CAD 30 child; +CAD 45 lost-passport fee | Not stated | Pay online only |
| South Korea | Emergency passport | 6,500 yen, cash | 1–2 working days | Police receipt; weekdays 9:00–16:00 |
| Taiwan | Entry certificate (for direct flights home) | Not read for Tokyo | 1–3 working days | Police station A4 certificate |
| China | Travel document | Not stated | Not stated | Apply in app; WeChat pay only |
From each embassy’s official page, read October 8, 2026. Fees change; check before you go.
United States
The US Embassy advises reporting the loss or theft to the Japanese police and getting a police report. Emergency passports need the same documents and fee as a regular passport, $165 for adults, and in most cases are issued the same day; you must apply in person, by appointment. An emergency passport is valid for a year or less and has no chip. The embassy warns that once you report a passport lost or stolen to it, it is invalid even if found, and suggests booking the emergency appointment close to your departure date, since passports are often handed in to the police or transit lost and found. It asks you to check for a regular appointment first. You bring proof of US citizenship with a copy, photo ID with a copy and an English translation if needed, one 2 by 2 inch photo on a white background without glasses, forms DS-11 and DS-64, and a self-addressed Japan Post LetterPack envelope. A regular replacement can take up to 8 weeks; if you travel within 2 weeks, pay online by credit card.
United Kingdom
UK nationals apply online for an emergency travel document, which costs £125 with no refund, and GOV.UK says it is ready to collect about 2 working days after applying. It is for travel within 6 weeks, for one single or return journey, through up to five countries. You need a digital photo, a phone number, an email address and a card; a friend or relative can pay if your wallet is gone. GOV.UK says not to book travel until it emails you, and that applying cancels the old passport. If your plans change, you reapply and pay again. It also asks you to check that the countries you will leave, enter and pass through accept an emergency travel document.
Australia and Canada
Australia’s embassy says to report the loss to it and to the Japanese police as soon as possible, and cancels the passport once reported. Visits are by appointment, the emergency passport fee is AUD 265, payable by card in Australian dollars, and photos from booths are rejected. The consular section in Tokyo is on +81 3 5232 4111 (extension 3), and it asks you to tell it about any upcoming flight, since a new regular passport takes at least 6 weeks and priority processing is not available in Japan. Canada’s embassy issues temporary passports and emergency travel documents in person, takes payment online only, and asks urgent travelers to email its consular section at tokyo-consul@international.gc.ca; appointments run Monday to Friday, 9:30 to noon. It does not offer expedited passports, and an emergency travel document is valid for one trip.
South Korea, Taiwan and China
South Korea’s embassy asks for a loss receipt from a Japanese police station or koban, noting you may need to show it at immigration checks, and issues an emergency passport for 6,500 yen in cash in 1 to 2 working days; reporting cancels the old passport immediately. Taiwan’s office issues an entry certificate, valid 30 days, for flying straight home, in 1 to 3 working days, and needs the police station’s A4 certificate; if you must transfer, check with the airline first. China’s embassy issues a travel document for returning home, applied for in its consular app with payment by WeChat only, and says the old passport is void once you apply.
For South Korea, the forms are at the consular section in Minami-Azabu, which also takes a free photo; bring ID, or a copy if everything was lost, and a copy of your return ticket if you have one. Its emergency line is +81-70-2153-5454. Taiwan’s office takes applications in person only, on weekdays from 9:00 to 11:30 and 13:00 to 16:00, for travelers in Tokyo and 14 other prefectures; a full replacement passport takes 3 to 6 weeks. China’s embassy lists a passport and travel document line, 03-6450-2196, and says urgent cases can go to the consular section on working days but may wait a long time, so it suggests email or phone first. For the travel document it asks for the old passport’s photo page (which can be downloaded from China’s immigration service if you have no copy), a household register page or ID card if you have one, and a statement on the loss, plus two white-background photos if requested.
Being without a passport in Japan
The law on carrying it
Under Article 23 of the Immigration Control Act, foreign nationals staying in Japan must always carry their passport and show it when officials ask; children under 16 are exempt. Article 76 sets a fine of up to 100,000 yen. No official page we read says what document replaces the passport while you wait; Australia’s embassy notes the police can give you a report, and South Korea’s says to keep the police receipt for checks. See our passport carrying guide.
Hotels and shops
Japanese regulations require hotels to record the nationality and passport number of guests without an address in Japan, and a 2014 health ministry notice tells them to ask to see the passport and keep a copy. The official pages do not say how a hotel should treat a guest whose passport is lost, so call ahead with your police report number. Tax-free shopping also depends on your passport; see our tax-free shopping guide. Places that check ID, such as internet cafes, have their own rules; see our manga cafe guide.
Your landing permission stamp
Japan’s Immigration Services Agency says that if you receive a new passport and wish to move valid permission stamps from the lost one, you can apply at a regional immigration bureau, bringing a loss certificate if you have one. It does not say short-term visitors must do this, and the official pages we read do not describe what happens at departure immigration. Departure confirmation is recorded with a stamp in your passport or travel document under the Immigration Control Act, so take your new document and police report to the airport.
Check your airline too. The US Embassy warns that some countries may not accept an emergency passport and that airlines may refuse boarding, and Taiwan’s office says its entry certificate is for direct flights home, so ask the airline before booking a connection.
Who can help in English
For a crime or emergency, call 110. For non-emergency police advice, the Metropolitan Police Department says #9110 is available in English. JNTO’s Japan Visitor Hotline, 050-3816-2787, runs 24 hours in English, Chinese and Korean; see our typhoon season guide for the same hotline. The Metropolitan Police lost and found database online is in Japanese only and lists found items for three months; the Lost and Found Center in Bunkyo, at 1-9-11 Koraku, opens on weekdays, 8:30 to 16:30, and closes on national holidays and from December 29 to January 3. You will need a working phone for all of this; our Japan eSIM guide covers getting one.
Before your next trip, JNTO suggests keeping a couple of copies of your passport, one with you and one at home.
Frequently asked questions
What should I do first if I lose my passport in Japan?
Where do I get a police report for a lost passport in Japan?
Can I report a lost passport online or by email?
How fast can I get an emergency passport in Japan?
If I find my passport later, can I still use it?
Is it illegal to be without a passport in Japan?
Do I need to move my landing stamp to the new passport?
Who can help in English if I lose my passport in Japan?
Bottom line (2026): If you lose your passport in Japan, report it at a koban or police station, get any certificate from the station in charge of your report, and contact your embassy before you book a flight. Most countries cancel a reported passport for good, so look for it first.
Sources
Every fact on this page is from official pages: the Metropolitan Police Department (lost property, FAQ, safety advice, Lost and Found Center), JNTO, the Immigration Services Agency, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan’s laws on e-Gov, and the embassies of the United States (lost passports), United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, South Korea, Taiwan and China. All were read on October 8, 2026. Rules and fees change; confirm with your embassy.
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