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Establishment of the “Gimhae International Airport Emergency Passport Service Center,” the First of Its Kind at a Regional Airport, to Improve Convenience for Citizens

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that it will establish the “Gimhae International Airport Emergency Passport Service Center” inside Gimhae International Airport to alleviate citizen inconvenience and provide substantial benefits to local residents.

In 2025, the number of international passengers using Gimhae International Airport is projected to exceed 10 million for the first time among regional airports. With the rise in international travelers, demand for emergency passport issuance has also increased significantly, with 2,795 cases issued in 2024 alone, reflecting a sharp upward trend each year.

At present, those who lose or damage their passports must travel to Busan City Hall (approximately 18 km, 45 minutes by public transportation) or Gangseo District Office (approximately 7.5 km, 25 minutes by public transportation) to obtain an emergency passport, resulting in continued inconvenience for travelers.

To address these issues, the city has actively conveyed the need for a service center—supported by specific data on the growing number of airport users, characteristics of regional airports, and the actual inconvenience faced by citizens—through frequent visits since August this year to relevant departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and local National Assembly members. As a result, Busan Metropolitan City successfully secured the necessary 2026 national budget and staffing for the establishment of the emergency passport service center.

Although the need for an emergency passport issuance counter at Gimhae International Airport has been continuously raised due to increasing international passenger volume, securing sufficient budget and personnel had long posed challenges, making the establishment difficult until now.

Starting in March 2026, Gimhae International Airport will become the first regional airport in Korea to provide immediate emergency passport issuance on site.

With this improvement, travelers will no longer need to leave the airport to reissue a lost or expired passport, eliminating unnecessary time and financial burdens and significantly reducing stress before departure.

Currently, emergency passport issuance counters exist only at two locations in Incheon International Airport, and none at regional airports—making this the first-ever initiative of its kind.

Mayor Park Heong-joon stated, “The establishment of the Gimhae International Airport Emergency Passport Service Center is a meaningful measure that corrects the imbalance of Seoul-centric administration and advances balanced regional development,” adding, “Once emergency passports can be issued directly at Gimhae International Airport, citizen inconvenience will be dramatically reduced. Busan Metropolitan City will continue to devote its utmost efforts to expanding conveniences that citizens can genuinely feel.”