Lost or Stolen Passport in Shenzhen: What to Do

Begin the reporting and replacement process promptly if your foreign passport is lost or stolen in Shenzhen. Plan for a police incident record, a passport-loss certificate, a replacement travel document from your country, and the relevant Chinese visa or residence paperwork. These are separate steps.

This guide was checked on 2 November 2026. Official pages disagree on some details, so confirm the current counter and your own deadlines with Exit-Entry Administration before travelling there.

1. Establish the reporting route

The police guide linked from Bao’an’s August 2026 service directory directs applicants to report at the police station responsible for the incident location and obtain a receipt bearing their name: 报案回执.

There is a published difference to resolve: the police’s January 2024 Chinese FAQ allows a personal written declaration for a simple loss, while requiring the police receipt for theft or robbery. The linked reporting guide and municipal service guide ask for a police report. For a simple loss, ask Exit-Entry which route it currently accepts; for theft or robbery, obtain the police receipt.

Our suggested preparation is a short account of when and where you last had the passport, your contact details, and any saved passport or visa copies. Ask your hotel, host or employer for help communicating the location if needed.

2. Apply for the passport-loss certificate

The linked police guide requires an in-person application for 外国人护照报失证明 and lists a completed 外国人入出境证件报失表, three colour ID photos, passport/visa copies if available, and the police receipt. The Chinese FAQ also tells applicants to bring a valid temporary accommodation-registration record (境外人员临时住宿登记表).

The municipal service page says this certificate route covers a lost passport used for your current entry or your last visa document, and lists no service fee. If neither condition fits, ask Exit-Entry which procedure applies.

Confirm the photo specification before printing: the police guide describes two-inch photos, while the municipal service page specifies 48 × 33 mm blue-background photos. Keep your registration record and saved identity copies together; a phone scan is useful supporting information, but ask the counter which originals or other evidence it needs.

Confirm the office before setting off

The Chinese police FAQ and municipal service page list 4016 Jiefang Road, Luohu (深圳市罗湖区解放路4016号). The separate bilingual city guide instead lists a counter at 2015 Yanhe North Road. The municipal service page lists the Jiefang Road window as open Monday–Friday, 09:00–12:00 and 14:00–18:00, excluding public holidays; confirm current hours before travelling.

Use 0755-12367, published in that bilingual page’s Chinese contact section, to confirm the current receiving office, appointment arrangements and materials. Save the address supplied by the officer in Chinese. We have not resolved the address discrepancy or tested a counter visit; do not plan around a guaranteed next-day collection.

3. Contact your embassy or consulate

The police instructions next direct you to your country’s embassy or consulate in China to apply for a passport. Use its official contact channel and ask what replacement document is appropriate, which evidence it requires and what arrangements apply to urgent travel. Consular requirements and processing times depend on your country and circumstances.

If a trip is imminent, contact the airline or railway as well to discuss changes and document requirements before attempting the journey. Our passport train-ticket guide explains the normal booking-document process; it does not establish acceptance of a loss certificate for your trip.

4. Resolve the Chinese visa or residence documents

After obtaining the replacement passport, the police FAQ directs you back to Exit-Entry to apply for the corresponding Chinese visa documents. Tell the officer your existing permission’s expiry date and planned departure, and ask which procedure and deadline apply.

The bilingual city guide describes the loss certificate as valid for 30 days and instructs foreigners to apply for a replacement passport and corresponding Chinese visa documents within 30 days of reporting the loss. Treat this as an urgent published instruction, not an automatic extension of your current stay. Ask Exit-Entry immediately which deadline applies to your case and what to do if consular processing may outlast it.

Keep the receipts and instructions until the process is finished. For accommodation and other arrival paperwork, see the moving FAQ. If the passport may have been left in a vehicle, the taxi guide also provides official lost-property channels.