Lose a non-Chinese permanent-resident permit in the mainland: replacement, receipt and one-time departure

Before you start

NIA's dedicated guidance allows replacement through a mainland exit-entry authority at prefecture-city level or above. An original application receipt can support lawful stay under the rules, or the holder can seek a one-time departure document and apply after returning to Hong Kong or Macao. A receipt is not a cross-border ticket or departure approval. Under-eighteen holders require a guardian. Confirm the specific documents, stay period and any extension question with the receiving office.

What to do, step by step

1. Report the loss and record the itinerary. Use official 12367 or local exit-entry contacts to find the competent office, explicitly identifying the non-Chinese permit rather than simply saying a Hong Kong card.
2. Prepare passport, permanent-resident identity and required evidence under the actual checklist, with a guardian for a minor. If originals are also missing, ask about verified alternatives before attending rather than sending an unqualified application.
3. Clarify whether to await mainland replacement or use a one-time departure route. Obtain the applicable original receipt or document and retain the office's stay and collection instructions for that route.
4. Before returning, confirm Hong Kong admission and carrier acceptance and change bookings around actual issuance. If the old card reappears, check its validity with the authority before attempting to use it.

Costs, timing, and things to check

Do not treat the receipt as unlimited stay or an extension enquiry as an approved extension. When the original stay limit approaches, ask proactively about the formal arrangement and keep evidence of the official outcome.

Passport and contact changes have reporting arrangements too. After replacement, review hotel, bank and ticket records that relied on the old document while preserving original evidence needed to explain the change or an unfinished claim.

A practical example

A foreign-national Hong Kong permanent resident loses the dedicated card in Zhuhai but retains the passport. The holder asks the city-level authority about replacement or one-time departure. Waiting for replacement involves retaining the original receipt and stay instructions. An urgent return requires the applicable departure document and Hong Kong admission check; displaying a receipt at a checkpoint is not assumed to satisfy those separate requirements.