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Lost a foreign passport in China: what to do next

Do not wait for a lost-property search to finish before protecting your travel status. The right procedure depends on nationality, location, entry status and your remaining permitted stay.

Report and contact your consulate

Contact local police or exit-entry authorities for the appropriate loss-report procedure, and your own embassy or consulate for replacement-document instructions. Record when and where the loss happened. Ask what evidence and appointments are needed; a private recovery service cannot issue a passport or immigration permission.

Prepare a document folder

Gather available passport and entry-record copies, accommodation registration, itinerary and a reachable contact. These help explain the situation but do not replace a valid travel document. Ask the consulate which photos, identity checks and fees apply to your nationality before travelling to its office.

Confirm stay and departure requirements

The Shanghai government links loss reporting, consular replacement and immigration follow-up. Visa-free arrivals can have a different departure route, so ask the responsible authority about your own status and new document. Do not assume a new passport alone solves every departure requirement or permits an overstay.

Update the onward journey

Tell your hotel and airline about the replacement document and confirm which records must be updated. If the old passport is later found, ask its issuer whether it remains valid before using it. Seek direct official advice promptly if departure or lawful-stay deadlines are close.

Official phone numbers & websites

Choose the actual operator, airline or province. These checked references are neither a national lost-property database nor an exhaustive company list.

Domestic numbers retain their published format. From abroad, ordinary landlines generally use +86 with the initial 0 of the area code removed. Short codes, 95/96 and 400 numbers may not connect overseas. Confirm availability, languages and hours with the organization. Public sources were checked; the numbers were not test-called.

Sources checked:

Immigration enquiries (provincial) (31)

These NIA numbers are provincial enquiry lines, not individual counters. Jiangsu includes Suzhou/Nanjing; Zhejiang, Hangzhou; Guangdong, Guangzhou/Shenzhen; Fujian, Xiamen; Sichuan, Chengdu. Use the official office finder for your location and foreign-national service. This hotline cannot issue your home country's passport.

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A message you can send in Chinese

Replace the brackets with your details. Share only what is necessary through a verified channel. This is an enquiry, not a letter of authorization.

您好，我是[国籍]旅客，在[城市、日期]遗失护照，当前入境身份为[签证/免签，停留期限]，计划于[日期]离境。请问如何办理遗失证明，并确认补发证件后的停留及离境手续？

Official references

Independent practical guidance, not an official service. Operator-specific examples do not apply everywhere; confirm current requirements with the actual holding office or carrier.

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