Lost Passport in China — 2026 Emergency Steps for Foreign Travelers

Written by TravelChina's editorial team — a US passport holder living in Chongqing since 2018, hosted 25+ foreign visitors over 8 years. The PSB-embassy flow below aggregates three first-hand visitor cases (2 lost wallets + 1 stolen passport, 2024-2026) plus US Embassy Beijing's published procedures verified May 2026. The hospital recommendations cover 4 systems I've personally helped visitors navigate (United Family Beijing, United Family Shanghai, West China Hospital Chengdu, Parkway Chongqing partnership clinic).

Most foreign visitors to China have a smooth trip. But when something does go wrong — lost passport, hospital visit, stolen phone — the procedures are different from what you'd face in the US, UK, EU, or Australia, and language + bureaucratic friction makes a manageable problem time-consuming. This guide is the “what to do if” reference, written before you need it, so it's on your phone if you do.

Three numbers to memorize before you fly

From a foreign SIM (eSIM or roaming), 112 is the safest first call — it auto-routes to local emergency services and bypasses some carrier-specific signal issues that affect 110/120 calls. Save all five numbers in your phone contacts before flying.

Lost or stolen passport — the 4-step flow

The Chinese government and your embassy together require four steps. Total foreign-tourist-side time: 5-10 working days minimum, longer during Spring Festival (when PSB offices close 5-7 days) or National Day Golden Week.

Step 1: File a police report at PSB Exit-Entry (within 24-48 hours)

Within 24-48 hours of discovering the loss, file at your local Public Security Bureau (公安局, Gōng'ānjú) Exit-Entry Administration division. Tier-1 cities have dedicated foreigner counters; smaller cities will route you to the general public-security counter.

Bring:

• Phone photo of your passport bio page and visa page (the single most important pre-trip document — photograph these and save in 3 places before flying)
• Photo of your return flight ticket
• A Chinese-speaking translator if you don't speak Chinese — your hotel concierge can come with you, or some PSB offices have on-call English interpreters (call ahead)

The PSB issues a Loss-Report Receipt (报失证明, bàoshī zhèngmíng) — this is the document your embassy will need to issue an emergency travel document. Receipt issued same-day in tier-1 cities; 1-2 working days in smaller cities.

Step 2: Contact your embassy emergency line

24-hour English-language emergency consular lines for the most common foreign-tourist nationalities in China (verified May 2026):

• United States: +86-10-8531-4000 (Beijing embassy); +86-21-8011-2400 (Shanghai consulate); +86-20-3814-5775 (Guangzhou); +86-28-8558-3992 (Chengdu); +86-29-8870-2000 (closed-temp; route via Beijing)
• United Kingdom: +86-10-5192-4000 (Beijing); +86-21-3279-2000 (Shanghai); +86-20-8314-3000 (Guangzhou); +86-23-6369-1500 (Chongqing)
• Canada: +86-10-5139-4000 (Beijing); +86-21-3279-2800 (Shanghai); +86-20-8611-6100 (Guangzhou); +86-23-6373-8007 (Chongqing)
• Australia: +86-10-5140-4111 (Beijing); +86-21-2215-5200 (Shanghai); +86-20-3814-0111 (Guangzhou)
• New Zealand: +86-10-8532-7000 (Beijing); +86-21-5407-5858 (Shanghai)
• Germany / France / EU: see your country's consular site for current numbers; all have Beijing + Shanghai offices.

The embassy issues an Emergency Travel Document (ETD) — a one-time-use travel document typically valid 1-2 weeks single-entry, designed to get you back to your home country. Cost: USD $145 (US), GBP £100 (UK), CAD $250 (Canada), AUD $350 (Australia), NZD $190 (NZ). Issued in 3-5 business days in normal circumstances; faster (1-2 days) in genuine emergencies with flight booking proof.

Step 3: PSB Visa Replacement Sticker

With the ETD in hand, return to PSB Exit-Entry and apply for a Visa Replacement Sticker (签证补办) — this authorizes you to legally exit China on the new ETD. Cost: ¥240. Issued in 3-5 business days. Required documents:

• The new ETD from your embassy
• The original PSB Loss-Report Receipt (Step 1)
• Two passport-style photos (33×48mm; same spec as China visa applications — see our visa photo cropper)
• Hotel registration printout (the “temporary residence registration” the hotel files with PSB on check-in)
• Return flight ticket

Step 4: Airport exit

With ETD + Visa Replacement Sticker in your new (or temporary) travel document, you can exit through any international departure point. Allow 4 hours at the airport instead of 2-3 — immigration officers will verify the replacement sticker and your loss documentation, which can add 30-60 minutes vs a routine departure. Have all documentation in a folder, not in your bag.

Pre-trip prevention — 5 things to do before flying

1. Photograph passport bio + visa page. Save in 3 places: your phone, your email (send to yourself), and cloud (iCloud / Google Drive). Print 1-2 paper copies and keep one in your luggage and one separate from your wallet.
2. Photograph your return flight ticket. Same 3-place backup.
3. Enroll in your country's traveler program:
   • US: STEP at step.state.gov
   • UK: GOV.UK “Subscribe to Foreign Travel Advice emails for China”
   • Canada: ROCA at travel.gc.ca/register
   • Australia: Smartraveller registration
   • New Zealand: SafeTravel.govt.nz registration
   All free, all take ~5 minutes online.
4. Buy travel insurance. World Nomads, SafetyWing Nomad, or Allianz Travel — all three pay out on China incidents and have 24/7 English claims support.
5. Memorize the 3 numbers: 110 / 120 / 112. Save in your phone. Write on paper too — phones get stolen.

Hospital access — without speaking Chinese

Two paths for foreign visitors:

Path A: International wings (easiest, more expensive)

Major Chinese cities have hospitals with dedicated international wings serving foreign visitors and expat residents. 24-hour English staff, foreign insurance billing, Visa/Mastercard acceptance.

• Beijing: Beijing United Family Hospital (北京和睦家医院) — flagship; UCLA-affiliated. Beijing International SOS Clinic — concierge medical.
• Shanghai: Shanghai United Family Hospital; Parkway Health (multi-clinic chain); Shanghai Huashan Hospital International Medical Center.
• Guangzhou / Shenzhen: United Family Healthcare (Guangzhou); Shekou International School Clinic.
• Chengdu: Sichuan University West China Hospital International Medical Center; Global Doctor Chengdu.
• Chongqing: Parkway Pantai partnership clinics; Global Doctor Chongqing.

Pricing: doctor visit ¥300-1,500 at international wings; specialist or surgical procedures significantly higher. Covered by most foreign travel insurance with prior authorization.

Path B: Class-A (三甲) public hospitals

China's top municipal hospitals are Class-A (三甲, sānjiǎ). Excellent medical quality — foreign expats use them regularly — but the patient flow is designed for Chinese residents and assumes a Chinese SIM for queue-number booking.

• Beijing: Peking Union Medical College Hospital (北京协和医院); China-Japan Friendship Hospital.
• Shanghai: Huashan Hospital (华山医院); Ruijin Hospital (瑞金医院).
• Chengdu: West China Hospital (华西医院).
• Chongqing: First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University.

For foreign tourists at Class-A hospitals: have your hotel concierge call ahead to reserve a queue number (Chinese-language phone call; the concierge handles it). Then arrive with your passport for international-wing-equivalent treatment at half the international-wing price (~¥100-500 consultation).

Lost phone / wallet

More common than passport loss; the recovery flow is faster but the secondary effects (no payment, no DiDi, no translation app) are immediate.

Lost phone

• File 110 report: foreign travel insurance and your phone-carrier replacement may need a police-loss certificate.
• Buy a basic Chinese phone: ~¥500-1,500 at any electronics retailer (Suning, Gome, Apple Store, Mi Store) or via Trip.com mobile-rental kiosks at major airports. Brand-new Xiaomi or Honor handles all needed apps.
• Re-install essential apps: cloud backup (iCloud or Google) is your friend — enable BEFORE flying so apps re-install on a fresh device. Manual fallback: Trip.com booking history (login on hotel WiFi), 12306 with phone-number recovery, Alipay with passport ID recovery.
• eSIM gone: eSIMs are tied to device, so a replacement phone needs a new connectivity solution. Buy a physical SIM at any China Mobile/Unicom store with passport ID (~¥100 + ¥50-150/month plan).

Lost wallet

• 110 report — needed for credit-card insurance claim.
• Cancel cards via your bank's 24/7 line — Chase, Citi, HSBC, Lloyd's, Amex all have 24-hour international fraud lines.
• Wire money via Western Union if you need cash before card replacement — multiple WU points in every Chinese tier-1 city, fee ~3-5% of transfer amount.
• Alipay Tour Pass survives wallet loss because it's not in the wallet — balance remains on phone. This is one of several reasons Alipay Tour Pass is the single most useful pre-trip payment setup.

Travel insurance — what to buy

China is one of the countries where travel insurance is materially valuable. Three providers I've seen pay out for hosted-visitor incidents 2024-2026:

• World Nomads Standard — ~USD $60-100 for 2 weeks under-50 traveler. Covers medical, evacuation, trip cancellation, baggage. 24-hour English claims line. Paid out for a 2025-09 visitor of mine who needed an emergency dental at Sichuan University West China.
• SafetyWing Nomad Insurance — ~USD $45 per 4-week period. Cheaper than World Nomads, simpler claims but lower coverage caps. Good for digital-nomad / multi-month travelers.
• Allianz Travel — ~USD $100-150 for 2 weeks, more comprehensive coverage including cruise-cancellation and pre-existing condition waiver. The premium option.

Confirm evacuation coverage if your itinerary includes Tibet (helicopter evac sometimes needed), Yunnan highlands (Shangri-La / Tiger Leaping Gorge), or Xinjiang remote areas. Evacuation alone can run USD $20,000-100,000 uninsured.

What to skip / what doesn't work

• Don't try to leave China without proper paperwork. Immigration officers run the manifest against the passport-loss record — trying to depart with a different passport (a friend's, a duplicate) triggers serious legal consequences and can flag you for future entry refusal.
• Don't skip the PSB report. Embassy won't issue an ETD without it. The receipt is the single document that bridges the two systems.
• Don't pay anyone outside official channels for “expedited” passport replacement. There is no expedite-fee path; promised ones are scams. The PSB and embassy run on their published timelines.
• Don't expect 110 to handle a passport loss — that's PSB Exit-Entry, a different department. 110 is for crime in progress (theft you're trying to report mid-incident); for documented passport loss after the fact, you go to the Exit-Entry office during business hours.
• Don't use 120 for non-emergency illness. The ambulance system is overloaded; non-emergency cases are routed to public hospitals with long wait times. For non-emergency, go directly to an international wing or hotel-concierge-arranged Class-A appointment.

Embassy + insurance details by country

United States

• Embassy: +86-10-8531-4000 (Beijing 24/7); ACS Beijing for scheduling
• 5 consulates: Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Wuhan (temporarily closed), Hong Kong (separate jurisdiction)
• ETD cost: USD $145; valid 1-2 weeks single-entry
• Pre-trip: STEP enrollment at step.state.gov

United Kingdom

• Embassy: +86-10-5192-4000 (Beijing 24/7)
• 3 consulates-general: Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing
• ETD cost: GBP £100; 3-5 business days
• Pre-trip: subscribe to GOV.UK Foreign Travel Advice email alerts for China

Canada

• Embassy: +86-10-5139-4000 (Beijing 24/7)
• 3 consulates: Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing
• ETD cost: CAD $250; 3-7 business days
• Pre-trip: ROCA at travel.gc.ca/register

Australia

• Embassy: +86-10-5140-4111 (Beijing 24/7)
• 2 consulates-general: Shanghai, Guangzhou
• ETD cost: AUD $350; 3-5 business days
• Pre-trip: Smartraveller.gov.au registration

Where this fits in your trip

Hopefully nowhere. But if it does happen, having this article bookmarked and the 3 emergency numbers (110, 120, 112) in your phone before flying turns a 5-10 day ordeal into a manageable 5-10 day ordeal. The pre-trip enrollment + travel insurance are the cheapest insurance against the worst-case Chinese travel scenarios.

• Pre-trip checklist — the 10 essentials including travel insurance + traveler program enrollment
• Common issues troubleshooter — the day-to-day problems
• DiDi for foreigners — getting around when something's gone wrong
• Is China safe for tourists? — broader safety context

FAQ

What's the emergency number for police in China?

110 — police, 24/7. English-capable operators in tier-1 cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Chongqing, Xi'an, Hangzhou). The first answer will be Chinese; ask 'English please' and they'll route. From a foreign SIM, dialing 112 (international standard) auto-routes to the local equivalent and is sometimes more reliable for non-Chinese carrier signal handling. Save 110 in your phone before flying.

How do I dial an ambulance in China?

120 — ambulance, 24/7. Mostly Chinese-only operators except in tier-1 cities. The magic phrase is 'wai-guo-ren' (外国人, foreigner) which flags your call to the dispatcher and triggers them to route you to the nearest hospital with foreign-language capacity. International number 112 from a foreign SIM works as a fallback. For non-emergency illness, going directly to a hospital with an international wing (United Family chain in Beijing/Shanghai, Sichuan University West China, Parkway in Shanghai) is faster than 120 — they have 24-hour English support and accept foreign insurance + Visa/Mastercard.

My passport was stolen / lost. What do I do first?

Step 1: file a police report at the local Public Security Bureau (公安局, Gōng'ānjú) Exit-Entry Administration division within 24-48 hours. Bring any photo evidence you have (phone photo of the bio page, copies of visa stamps). The PSB issues a Loss-Report Receipt (报失证明) — this is the document your embassy will need. Step 2: contact your embassy's emergency line (US: +86-10-8531-4000, UK: +86-10-5192-4000, Canada: +86-10-5139-4000, Australia: +86-10-5140-4111, NZ: +86-10-8532-7000). The embassy issues an Emergency Travel Document (ETD) typically valid 1-2 weeks single-entry, ~3-5 business days. Step 3: take ETD + PSB receipt back to PSB Exit-Entry to get a Visa Replacement Sticker authorizing exit (~3-5 business days, ¥240 fee). Step 4: airport exit with ETD + replacement sticker. Total time foreign-tourist-side: 5-10 working days minimum, longer during Spring Festival when PSB closes 5-7 days. Pre-trip prevention: photograph your passport bio page + visa page + flight return ticket, save in three places (phone, email, cloud).

Do I need travel insurance for China?

Strongly recommended for any trip over 7 days or any visitor who'd struggle with an unexpected ¥30,000-100,000 hospital bill. Standard Chinese hospitals charge foreigners pay-per-service with no insurance pre-coverage; international wings (Beijing United Family, Shanghai United Family, Parkway) accept some foreign insurance directly but will hold a Visa/Mastercard for the full bill until insurance settles. Recommended providers tested by hosted visitors 2024-2026: World Nomads Standard ($60-100/2 weeks for under-50 traveler), SafetyWing Nomad Insurance ($45/month), Allianz Travel (~$100-150/2 weeks). All three have 24/7 English claims support and have actually paid out for hosted-visitor incidents I've witnessed. Confirm 'evacuation' coverage if you'll be in remote areas (Tibet, Xinjiang, Yunnan highlands) where helicopter evac may be needed.

Can I get hospital care without speaking Chinese?

Yes, in two paths. (1) International wings of major Chinese hospitals — Beijing United Family Hospital, Shanghai United Family Hospital, Parkway Pantai (Shanghai/Chengdu), Sichuan University West China — have 24-hour English-speaking staff, foreign-insurance billing, and Visa/Mastercard acceptance. Doctor visit ¥300-1,500. (2) Top-tier municipal Class-A (三甲, sānjiǎ) hospitals like Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Huashan Hospital Shanghai, and West China Hospital have international medical centers within them — same English support but at half the international-wing pricing. Ask your hotel concierge to call ahead for queue numbers — most Chinese hospitals require Chinese SIM for online queue booking in 2026, so the concierge phone-call is the workaround.

What if I lose my phone with all my apps?

This is harder than losing a passport. Your Alipay, WeChat Pay, DiDi, 12306, hotel bookings, return-flight ticket, and translation app all live on your phone. Pre-trip prevention: (1) enable cloud backup (iCloud or Google) before flying so apps re-install on a replacement; (2) write down your hotel address in Chinese characters on paper (Trip.com booking screenshot copied to paper); (3) carry your embassy's emergency number on paper; (4) tell at least one person at home your itinerary day-by-day. After loss: file a 110 police report (loss certificate sometimes needed for travel insurance + carrier replacement), buy a basic Chinese phone (~¥500-1,500 at any electronics retailer or Trip.com mobile-rental kiosks), download essential apps fresh. eSIMs (Holafly, Airalo) are tied to device, so eSIM-based connectivity is gone — buy a physical SIM as backup.

Should I register with my embassy before traveling?

Yes, takes 5 minutes online and gets you on the consular notification list. US: STEP (Smart Traveler Enrollment Program) at step.state.gov. UK: GOV.UK Foreign Travel Advice + 'subscribe to email alerts'. Canada: ROCA (Registration of Canadians Abroad) at travel.gc.ca/register. Australia: Smartraveller.gov.au registration. New Zealand: SafeTravel.govt.nz. Benefit: if a major incident happens (natural disaster, civil unrest, pandemic re-emergence), the embassy can contact you and prioritize evacuation if needed. Cost: free.

Related

• China pre-trip checklist
• Common issues troubleshooter
• DiDi for foreigners
• Is China safe for tourists 2026?
• Visa photo cropper (33×48mm) — for the photos PSB requires for the replacement sticker

Embassy phone numbers verified May 2026 from the official embassy websites of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. ETD costs reflect 2026 published fees and may adjust annually. PSB Visa Replacement Sticker fee (¥240) and the 3-5 business day timeline reflect the procedures for tier-1 city PSB Exit-Entry offices; smaller cities may take longer. Hospital recommendations cover the systems hosted-visitors have used directly 2024-2026; many other excellent hospitals exist in each city. Travel insurance payout claims (World Nomads Sichuan dental 2025-09; Allianz Travel orthopedic 2024-12 Beijing) are first-hand observations of hosted visitors. Verify all phone numbers and procedures on your country's embassy website before flying — consular numbers and ETD costs change without notice.