If you’ve ever lost something while flying, your chances of getting it back are pretty good if your flight departed from Terminal 4 at JFK Airport. That’s because the airport operates a Lost and Found terminal that is open to the public. In this blog post, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about the Lost and Found process at JFK Terminal 4.
The first thing you need to know is that the Lost and Found is located in the basement of the Terminal 4 building. To get there, take the escalator or elevator down to Level 1 and follow the signs. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 4:30pm.
Submit a Form:
When you arrive at the office, you will be asked to fill out a lost and found form. Be sure to include as much information about your lost item as possible, including a detailed description, the date you lost it, and where you think you lost it. Once the form is complete, a staff member will begin searching for your item.
A few airports including JFK, Newark, LaGuardia and Stewart in the larger NYC area operate a single Lost and Found Reporting and retracing system on their website. Here is a link to the form and below is a snapshot of the form;

After submitting the form on , you need to email them form to airports@lostandfoundsite.com
If your item is found, you will be contacted and asked to pick it up at the Lost and Found office. You will need to show identification in order to claim your item. If your item is not found, you can check back with the office periodically or fill out a form on the JFK website to be notified if your item is turned in.
Lost and Found JFK Terminal 4 Phone Number:
Hi there. For items lost at T4, please contact our Lost and Found at 561-408-0101, your airline or see a T4 representative. You can also submit a claim for a lost item at: https://t.co/kddvLtZ97s.
— JFK Terminal 4 (@JFKT4) May 29, 2021
From the tweet above, you can use 561-408-0101 to contact the Lost and Found helpdesk at Terminal 4. However, if you lost a government issued passport or other VISA travel documents, please contact U.S. Customs and Border Protection at 718- 487-5164 (Monday – Friday: 8:00 am -5:00 pm EDT).
Port Authority Police vs Lost-and-found desk at Terminal 4:
Items lost at non-terminal areas are handled by the Port Authority Police (PAP) Lost and Found Custodian.
If you lost your items at Terminal 4, contact the customer help desk.
How long items are held:
Lost items turned into the Port Authority Police Lost and Found are stored for up to 30 days at the JFK Police Desk, located in Building 269. The desk can release items 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The number is 718-244-4225.
You can also contact the 4-airport Lost-and-Found platform using their phone number, 561-408-0101 from Monday to Saturday at 9:00am to 5:00pm EDT.
Lost Passports or visas:
If you lost your government-issued passports or other VISA travel documents, please contact U.S. Customs and Border Protection at: 718- 487-5164 (Monday – Friday: 8:00am -5:00pm EDT).
Lost Baggage:
If you left anything on your inbound flight or your luggage got misplaced, contact your airlines. The airport security or the lost and found helpdesk may not be able to help you. Here are the airline contacts at Terminal 4.
If you can’t find help from the authorities, you can also try this self-reported lost and found a database that gets regularly updated.

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Name: Alex Mutuma
Profession: A professional travel consultant with a focus on airport activities to do during layovers
Email: Alex@airportllc.com
Phone: +1 945 348 889
Website: airportllc.com
Location: 322 Main Packway Street, Boston, US
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