What should I do if I lose my HKSAR passport in 2026?

If you lose your HKSAR passport, report the loss first, then apply for a replacement. In Hong Kong that means filing Form ID 645 in person at the Travel Documents and Nationality (Application) Section or an Immigration Branch Office — or, if you are 18 or above and eligible, at a Personal Documentation Submission Kiosk at the Immigration Headquarters in Tseung Kwan O, with no appointment. Abroad it means reporting to the local police, keeping a copy of the police report, and asking the Chinese diplomatic and consular mission in that country for a replacement travel document, with the Immigration Department's Assistance to Hong Kong Residents Unit reachable on the 24-hour hotline (852) 1868.

These steps come from the Hong Kong Immigration Department's Travel Documents frequently asked questions page. The two routes differ in where you file and who issues the replacement, so the first question is simply where you are when the passport goes missing. This is general information about the published process rather than advice on an individual case; how it applies to you depends on your own circumstances and on the Department's current published requirements.

What should you do first after losing an HKSAR passport?

Report the loss before you do anything else. In Hong Kong, the Department's answer on loss replacement begins with reporting the loss to the Immigration Department. Abroad, report to the local police immediately and ask for a copy of the police report, because that copy is the documentary proof of loss you will hand over at the next step.

Then gather the details of the document itself. Form ID 645 — "Details of previous Hong Kong travel document which has been lost / damaged / defaced / is not available" — exists to record exactly that information, so the passport number, issue date and place of issue are worth reconstructing from any photo, boarding pass or old scan you still have.

How do you replace a lost HKSAR passport in Hong Kong?

The local route is an in-person submission. Take these steps in order:

Complete Form ID 645.
Book an appointment through the 24-hour telephone booking system on (852) 2598 0888, through the GovHK online appointment booking service for travel documents, or through the Immigration Department Mobile Application.
Take the completed form to the Travel Documents and Nationality (Application) Section or any Immigration Branch Office that handles travel document applications.
Have your photograph and the application fee ready, because the Department's processing pledge only starts once it has received all necessary documents, the fee and a photograph.
Collect the new passport later, following the Collection Notice.

Forms and guidance notes are available at the Information and Liaison Section of the Immigration Headquarters in Tseung Kwan O, at all Immigration Branch Offices and at district offices. If you are residing overseas, forms can also be obtained from Chinese diplomatic and consular missions, the Immigration Divisions of the Mainland Offices, or the HKSAR Immigration Department.

To qualify at all, you must be a Chinese citizen, have the right of abode in the HKSAR and hold a valid Hong Kong permanent identity card; the personal particulars in the passport have to match those shown on that card.

Can you use a submission kiosk instead of a counter?

Yes, if you are eligible. HKSAR passport applicants aged 18 or above may apply at the Personal Documentation Submission Kiosks at the Immigration Headquarters in Tseung Kwan O for a replacement for a passport that has been lost, damaged, defaced or is not available, and no appointment is needed. Photo taking at the kiosks is free of charge.

What if the lost passport belonged to a child under 11?

Children under 11 who do not hold a Hong Kong permanent identity card must apply for the card at the same time as the passport. The application form has to be signed by a parent or legal guardian, and the card is issued together with the passport. Passports for children under 16 are normally valid for five years from the date of issue; other passports are normally valid for ten years.

What if you lose the passport while travelling abroad?

The overseas route runs through the police and the consular mission, not through a Hong Kong counter. Take these steps in order:

Report the loss to the local police immediately.
Ask for a copy of the police report.
Contact the Chinese diplomatic and consular mission in that country and request a replacement travel document, using the police report as proof of loss.
Call the Assistance to Hong Kong Residents Unit of the Immigration Department on the 24-hour hotline (852) 1868.
Follow the information and assistance the Department gives you on processing the travel document.

The Department also publishes a Guide to Consular Protection and Services Outside Chinese Territory, which covers assistance available to Hong Kong residents outside Hong Kong.

How long does a replacement take, and what does it cost?

How long does the replacement take?

The Department pledges to complete an application in five working days after receiving all necessary documents, the application fee and a photograph. It allows ten working days for children aged under 11 who do not hold a Hong Kong permanent identity card. Working days mean Monday to Friday, excluding general holidays. In general you can collect the new passport on the next working day after processing is completed.

Two things stretch that timetable. Applications not submitted in person, such as those put in a drop-in box, may need an extra two to three working days for handling formalities, and the page states that processing time may be longer for a passport application due to loss, damage or amendment of personal particulars. Whether the pledge is met also depends on the circumstances of the individual application and on how many applications are being handled at the time, so anyone with travel plans is urged to apply early.

If you choose to collect the passport through a Chinese diplomatic and consular mission or the immigration division of a Mainland Office, the time for dispatching the prepared passport is excluded from the processing time. Delivery is handled by Hong Kong Post, and actual delivery depends on factors including aviation security checks, air freight capacity and customs clearance at the destination, with remote destinations possibly taking longer.

What does the replacement cost?

The FAQ page lists the application fee for a new passport at HK$430 for a 32-page 10-year passport and HK$520 for a 48-page 10-year passport, and HK$215 for a 32-page 5-year passport and HK$260 for a 48-page 5-year passport. A cross-linking endorsement on Form ID 879 costs HK$200. The Department's published fee table is the authority on current amounts.

What if the lost passport still held a valid visa?

Cross-linking lets you carry both documents, rather than the visa, forward. It means making an endorsement on the previous and the new passport to the effect that the previous passport bears a visa that is still in force; the previous passport is not physically attached to the new one, and it is returned to you after the endorsement is made and cancelled.

Three conditions must all be met: the existing passport is still valid on the date the endorsement is printed, it contains a valid visa, residence permit or entry permit, and it has at least one blank page for the endorsement. You must complete Form ID 879, pay HK$200 and return the existing passport, and the application has to be submitted in person or by proxy — postal, drop-in, online, kiosk and mobile app submissions are not accepted. It should also be made at the same time as the replacement application, so the passport is not delayed. Because this route requires you to hand in the existing passport, the FAQ does not set out a way to preserve a visa recorded in a passport that has already been lost.

How do you collect the new passport?

You do not need an appointment. Once the Collection Notice arrives with the period and office for collection, go to that office directly during the stated period, unless the Department sends a further notice.

Self-service Passport Collection Kiosks, also called Personal Documentation Collection Kiosks, are installed at the Immigration Headquarters (Travel Documents (Issue) Section), the Hong Kong Island Travel Documents Issuing Office, the West Kowloon Office and the Tuen Mun Office. The collection arrangement is sent by SMS before the collection period, so it helps to provide a mobile number that can receive SMS; depending on the circumstances, you may still be asked to collect at a counter. You can also check the status of an application online by entering the application reference number and your day and year of birth.

A passport that is replaced is cancelled by cutting a corner of its back cover, so once a replacement has been issued the old document is no longer a valid travel document.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to report the loss before I apply for a replacement?

Yes for both routes. The Department's answer on loss replacement starts with reporting the loss to the Immigration Department. If you are abroad, report to the local police immediately and keep a copy of the police report, which serves as documentary proof of the loss.

Can I apply online or by post for a lost-passport replacement?

The FAQ describes submission in person at the Travel Documents and Nationality (Application) Section or an Immigration Branch Office, or at the Personal Documentation Submission Kiosks at the Immigration Headquarters for eligible applicants aged 18 or above. It does not list online or postal submission as a channel for a loss replacement, and cross-linking applications in particular cannot go by post, drop-in, online, kiosk or mobile app.

How long does a replacement take?

The Department pledges five working days once it has all necessary documents, the fee and a photograph, and ten working days for children under 11 who do not hold a Hong Kong permanent identity card. Processing may take longer for a passport application due to loss, damage or amendment of personal particulars, and you can generally collect the new passport on the next working day after processing is completed.

What does a replacement HKSAR passport cost?

The FAQ lists HK$430 for a 32-page 10-year passport and HK$520 for a 48-page 10-year passport, and HK$215 for a 32-page 5-year passport and HK$260 for a 48-page 5-year passport. A cross-linking endorsement on Form ID 879 costs HK$200. Current amounts should be checked against the Department's published fee table.

I am abroad and my flight is in a few days. Who can help?

The Assistance to Hong Kong Residents Unit of the Immigration Department runs a 24-hour hotline on (852) 1868 and provides information and assistance on processing a travel document. The Chinese diplomatic and consular mission in the country you are in handles requests for a replacement travel document once you have a police report.

Do I need an appointment to collect the new passport?

No. After receiving the Collection Notice stating the period and office, you collect the new passport at that office directly, unless the Department sends a further notice. If a collection kiosk is available at that office, the arrangement is notified by SMS before the collection period.

What happens if I find my old passport after a replacement is issued?

A replaced HKSAR passport is cancelled by cutting a corner of its back cover, so a passport that has already been replaced is no longer a valid travel document. The FAQ does not describe any route for reinstating a passport that has been reported lost and replaced.