In-trip recovery
In short
Get somewhere safe, then call the police on 110 and report the theft in person at the local police station. Ask the police for a statement or crime report — the UK FCDO tells travellers to do this because your insurer may need it. Report quickly: one named insurer, World Nomads, sets a 24-hour deadline, and lists property you never reported as simply not covered.
See all recovery guidesApplies to
Any foreign visitor whose phone, wallet, passport, bag or valuables were stolen, pickpocketed or taken by force, or by a scam, anywhere in mainland China.
Check before you rely on it
No official or embassy page opened for this guide confirms the Chinese report-receipt term (报警回执) or a guaranteed written report handed over on the spot. Ask for a report, keep whatever the police give you, and check your own policy for the exact proof it wants.
Information checked:
The panic is real, but the recovery is a checklist. Two things decide whether the money comes back: reporting before you leave China, and walking out of the police station with something in writing.
From the scene to a claim
The deadline that decides the claim
This is the insurer's rule, not Chinese law — but it is the line that quietly voids claims.
World Nomads tells travellers to report theft to the police within 24 hours, and under its exclusions it lists items that were not reported to a local authority such as the police or the airline. In other words, anything you never reported is treated as never having happened. Every insurer differs, so check your own policy — but reporting the same day, in China, is the safe course whatever the wording.
Insurer: World Nomads (travel insurer) — What to do if your luggage is stolen (read July 25, 2026)
How it happened
If money was taken by deception or intimidation it is still a crime to report. Naming what happened helps the police and your insurer.
| Scenario | What the FCDO warns | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Tea-tasting or massage scam | Friendly strangers invite you to a bar, to drink tea or have a massage, and the venue then demands a large fee. The FCDO warns this can be followed by threats, violence or credit-card fraud. | FCDO, safety and security |
| QR-code phishing | Because QR codes are used for almost everything in China, the FCDO recommends travellers learn the risks of QR-code phishing before they scan. | FCDO, safety and security |
| Unmarked or unmetered taxi | The FCDO says to avoid unmarked or unmetered taxis, citing incidents of sexual assault and robbery against foreign nationals. | FCDO, safety and security |
| Petty theft on overnight trains | The FCDO calls petty theft on overnight trains common, and advises searching your compartment and locking the cabin door before the train leaves. | FCDO, safety and security |
Source: UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office — Foreign travel advice: China — Safety and security (read July 25, 2026)
The published facts
Each fact links the official or insurer source and the day we read it. Sources read 2026-07-25.
The FCDO's guidance for a victim of crime abroad states that in most countries you must report the crime to the police before you leave the country if you want it to be investigated. For a short visit that means reporting in China, not after you get home.
Source: UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office — Reporting a crime abroad and getting help (read July 25, 2026)
The same FCDO page tells travellers to ask the police for a statement about the loss or a crime report, because you may need it for an insurance claim. That request is the whole reason to walk into the police station rather than just phone it in.
Source: UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office — Reporting a crime abroad and getting help (read July 25, 2026)
World Nomads' own baggage guidance instructs: report theft to the police within 24 hours. This is the insurer's rule, not Chinese law, but it is a real deadline attached to whether a claim gets paid.
Insurer: World Nomads (travel insurer) — What to do if your luggage is stolen (read July 25, 2026)
Under its exclusions, World Nomads lists items that have not been reported to a local authority such as the police or the airline. In plain terms: if you never reported it, that item is excluded from the claim.
Policy exclusions
Insurer: World Nomads (travel insurer) — What to do if your luggage is stolen (read July 25, 2026)
The FCDO warns of foreigner-targeting scams — the tea-tasting or massage scam, QR-code phishing, and unmarked taxis linked to robbery. If money was taken by deception or intimidation, that is still a crime to report, and naming what happened helps the police and your insurer.
Source: UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office — Foreign travel advice: China — Safety and security (read July 25, 2026)
In short
The first-move question, the do-I-have-to question, and the one about a report you were never given.
Get somewhere safe, and if you were hurt or threatened deal with that first. Then call the police on 110 and go to the local police station to report it in person. Ask the police for a statement or crime report — the FCDO tells travellers to do this because your insurer may need it.
If you want the crime investigated, the FCDO says you generally have to report it before you leave the country. And your insurer may refuse the claim without a police report: World Nomads lists property not reported to a local authority as excluded from cover.
Check your own policy, but do not delay. One named insurer, World Nomads, tells travellers to report theft to the police within 24 hours. Reporting the same day, in China, is the safe course.
The FCDO's advice is to ask the police for a statement or crime report. We could not confirm against any official or embassy page opened for this guide whether Chinese police hand a foreign visitor a written copy on the spot, so ask for one, keep any reference number or paper you are given, and do not assume a document will appear automatically.
That is the situation the rules are trying to prevent, which is why the FCDO says to report before you leave and World Nomads sets a 24-hour deadline. If you are already home, contact the insurer and your embassy and ask what proof of loss they will accept — but expect it to be much harder than reporting on the day.
The FCDO names specific scams that target foreigners — tea-tasting or massage venues that demand a huge bill, QR-code phishing, and unmarked taxis linked to robbery. Money taken by deception or threats is still a crime you can report to 110, and describing exactly what happened helps both the police and any claim.
Not confirmed
These gaps are printed rather than filled from general knowledge. A police report and an insurance claim are the wrong place to guess.
110, 120, 119, 122 from two official lists — and the honest answer on which line a non-Chinese speaker can actually reach.
Open the numbersFreezing the wallet, calling the payment lines, and what survives when the handset is gone.
Open pageReplacing the passport and getting the exit paperwork before you can fly home.
Open pageNext move
Read enough to make the decision smaller, then open the checklist, search a specific question, choose a setup tool, or share the page with the person planning with you.
Use the checklist when the question has shifted from research to preparation.
Search by the actual problem: Alipay, eSIM, transit visa, first transfer, vegetarian food, or a city name.
Open recommendations when the task is clear enough for a short list to be useful.