Left your passport in a rental car? Contact the branch that received the car and your passport-issuing authority in parallel if the document is lost or cannot be located. Ask the branch to search the vehicle, but do not let an unconfirmed search delay the reporting steps required by your passport authority. Tell both sides when you are due to travel.
Finding the booklet, collecting it and being allowed to travel with it are three different outcomes. This guide separates them. It is practical guidance, not a guarantee of recovery or permission to board. The hero is an AI-generated editorial image, not a customer's lost passport.
1. Contact the place that last had the car
Use the return branch's contact details from your rental agreement or official booking channel. If you booked through Orcar, use the contact information in your reservation and ask booking support to help identify the right operator if necessary. An airport lost-property desk is not automatically responsible for an item left at an off-airport rental lot.
Have the reservation reference, return branch, actual return date and local time, and vehicle registration if recorded. Explain exactly where the passport may be: a seat pocket, glove compartment or document pouch. Say whether you personally last saw it there or are only guessing. Ask staff to check the car and tell you who is handling the search; do not enter a closed lot or try to access a returned vehicle yourself.
Rental-company lost-property systems can be separate from booking support. For example, Enterprise directs customers to its Lost Returns site or an online lost-and-found form. That is an Enterprise example, not an Orcar partner's recovery policy. 1
2. Establish custody, not just “we are checking”
A useful update identifies both the item's location and the person or office holding it. Use this decision table as a request checklist, not as a promise of service.
| What you know | What to ask next | What not to assume |
|---|---|---|
| The branch has not searched yet | Can staff check the vehicle and confirm when the next update will come? | The passport is still inside |
| Staff confirm they found it | Who has it, where can it be collected, and what ownership check is required? | You can enter the lot or collect it outside opening hours |
| The item was transferred | Which office received it, and is there a reference or contact? | The airport and rental company share one lost-property database |
| Someone else will collect it | What written authorization and identity evidence are accepted? | A booking screenshot is permission to release it |
| You have already left the area | Can collection or delivery be arranged, with what cost and restrictions? | International passport shipping is offered or suitable |
Get the collection location and agreed handover arrangements in writing. Confirm them before paying for a taxi back to the branch. A recovery request is not a new car booking, and it does not authorize you to drive the returned car again.
3. Send a short, private retrieval request
You can adapt this message in the operator's official support channel:
I returned a car at your branch and may have left my passport in the seat pocket. Please check the vehicle and confirm whether you have found it. I can provide my reservation reference, return time and vehicle registration privately. My international departure is approaching. If found, please tell me the collection location, opening hours, ownership-verification requirements and whether an authorized person may collect it.
Change the stated location if the seat pocket is not where you last saw the passport. Add your actual travel deadline privately, including the date and local time. Keep the same case reference for follow-up instead of opening multiple disconnected reports.
Do not post a passport photo, full passport number or booking-access link in a public comment. Ask the verified recipient what minimum proof is needed and how to submit it securely. For the related access risk, read how to share a rental booking safely.
4. Separate a police property report from passport cancellation
In Korea, the National Police's LOST112 guide describes online lost-item reporting after account registration and an in-person option at a police station. It also explains how to obtain a lost-item report receipt. If you cannot complete the online process, use the in-person route rather than assuming a foreign visitor can finish every account step. 14
A property report helps document a missing item; it is not a replacement passport or confirmation that you may fly. Ask your own passport-issuing authority or consular office about cancellation, required reports, replacement and onward travel. Follow its reporting instructions promptly, even while the rental branch searches.
Nationality matters. The US State Department says to report a lost or stolen US passport immediately; after reporting, it is not valid for international travel. Contact a US embassy or consulate for replacement and give staff your itinerary. Its guidance says a police report is not mandatory for that US replacement process, although it can help document the loss. Do not apply that rule to other nationalities. 6
The UK says a lost or stolen British passport must be cancelled as soon as possible. An urgent traveler abroad may be able to apply for an emergency travel document; cancellation is included in that application process. These are British rules, not universal instructions. 7
If the rental company later finds a reported passport, do not assume recovery restores its validity. Tell the issuing authority what was reported and check the document's status before trying to travel. Do not delay a required report just to keep the old passport usable.
5. Make the flight plan separately from the search
Tell your airline and consular office your departure airport, date, time, nationality and any transit or onward destinations. Ask what travel document is accepted for the whole journey and whether your booking needs changing. A photo of a passport or a rental-company email saying “found” should not be treated as permission to board.
Do not promise yourself a same-day replacement. The US guidance notes that most US embassies and consulates cannot issue passports on weekends or holidays; emergency arrangements depend on the circumstances. Other issuing authorities have their own processes. 6
Keep a short action record: branch case reference, last confirmed custody, next update time, passport-report status and official travel advice received. If the passport is recovered, resolve both the ownership handover and its travel validity. If it is not, follow your consular office's replacement route rather than repeatedly traveling between the airport and rental lot.
6. Frequently asked questions
Should I contact the airport or the rental company first?
Contact the place that last had the car if you believe the passport stayed inside it. Contact airport lost property separately if you may have lost it in the terminal or a transport service. Explain the uncertainty so the searches do not rely on a false location.
Does a LOST112 report cancel my foreign passport?
Do not treat a Korean lost-property report as confirmation of passport cancellation or continued validity. Follow your own issuing authority's reporting process and ask it to confirm your document's status. LOST112's property-reporting guide and passport replacement are separate processes. 14
Can a friend collect it, or can the branch send it to me?
Ask the actual holder before arranging either. Authorization, identity checks, opening hours, delivery eligibility and costs must be confirmed for your case. This guide does not establish a partner-wide collection or shipping policy.
For prevention on the next trip, use the rental-car return checklist. For an existing Orcar reservation, start with your saved booking details or the official Orcar website to locate your contact channel, not an account supplied by an unsolicited message.
Sources: Enterprise lost-property FAQ [1]; Korean National Police LOST112 reporting guide [14]; US State Department [6]; GOV.UK [7]. Reviewed 18 September 2026. No customer case, recovery rate or airline acceptance guarantee is implied.