Establish personal safety and a reliable contact route before addressing the paperwork. Immigration says that a lost HKSAR passport abroad should be reported promptly to local police with a report copy obtained, followed by enquiries with the appropriate Chinese mission and Immigration about a replacement travel document. Holders of another country's passport must contact its issuing authority and mission instead of applying the HKSAR process automatically. The available assistance depends on the document and circumstances.
What to have ready
Before you start
Hong Kong residents in distress outside Hong Kong can use Immigration's assistance information and 24-hour 1868 route, with alternative contacts listed officially. Consular assistance for Chinese citizens has defined limits and does not guarantee same-day passport issue, unchanged tickets, or automatic transfer of entry permission. Keep identity and itinerary information available for formal verification and confirm the travel consequences with the airline and relevant local authority. A document enabling return may not enable the remainder of the original multi-country itinerary.
What to do, step by step
- Report promptly to local police when safe, obtain the report and reference, and record time, location, and affected documents.
- Use official information to contact the appropriate mission and Immigration assistance, explaining document type, location, and urgent travel dates.
- Provide the required identity evidence and application, asking about collection, processing, and the replacement document's permitted use before purchasing a new multi-stop trip.
- Confirm departure, transit, and entry arrangements with the airline and relevant authorities and preserve extra-cost and insurance evidence.
Costs, timing, and things to check
A passport photograph or police report does not replace a valid travel document. Relevant authorities must confirm itinerary, visa, and residence consequences.
Keep full identity documents out of public help posts and avoid a stranger's expedited-document fee. Obtain mission and Immigration contacts independently from official pages.
If the original passport is later found, ask the issuing authority whether it can still be used rather than assuming the loss report or booking consequences are reversed.
A practical example
Three days before returning home, an HKSAR passport goes missing. Obtain the local report, tell the mission and 1868 assistance about the flight, and follow the replacement instructions. Check airline and transit requirements in parallel and keep rebooking and accommodation receipts. Having a passport photo does not justify simply arriving at the airport expecting boarding without the required valid document.
Check the police report, replacement document, and actual return arrangements; a document photo is insufficient.
Official information and enquiries
These are the reference and service entry points for this guide. Check current fees, eligibility, and schedules with the authority. The preparation date is not each source's official update date.