Contact your embassy or consulate
Use your government's official consular page and explain that your passport is lost or stolen. Ask what documents, photographs, appointment and fee are required. The procedure varies by nationality; some countries issue an emergency passport, while others issue a different travel document.
If the passport was stolen, report the theft to police. Ask your embassy whether it also requires a police report for a lost passport. You do not need to delay contacting the embassy while trying to guess its requirements. Call 112 if you need immediate police assistance.
“Finding my embassy in Korea” explains how to locate official contact details.
Follow the issuing authority's instructions
Replacement documents have different validity periods and conditions. Do not assume an embassy can issue a full-validity passport immediately or that every emergency document is ready the same day.
For example, the UK emergency-travel-document service charges £125 and says collection is usually possible after two working days, but some applications take longer. Its instructions tell applicants to wait for collection confirmation before booking travel. These are UK rules, not a timetable for every embassy.
Once a passport has been reported and cancelled, finding it again does not necessarily make it valid. Follow the issuing authority's instructions before attempting to use it.
Check the Korean immigration requirements
Call 1345, Korea's immigration information service, and ask what is needed to depart on the replacement document. Give the old passport number and arrival details if you have them, and ask whether any records need updating.
A copy of the lost passport can help officials identify the relevant record, but lacking a copy does not mean there is no way to establish your identity or entry. Ask immigration whether it needs a certificate or another document rather than applying for paperwork on the assumption that everyone must have it.
If the replacement will delay departure beyond your permitted stay, contact immigration before that deadline. A lost passport does not automatically extend your permission to remain.
Confirm the entire route before travelling
Check whether the replacement document is accepted for leaving Korea, entering your destination and passing through each transit country. Ask the airline about the exact route and document. A document accepted for a direct journey home may not be accepted for a different itinerary.
Keep the embassy's instructions, police-report details and any immigration documents together. Allow time at the airport for document checks.
