Lost something in Berlin? You’re not alone. Hundreds of thousands of lost items are found in Berlin each year. Here’s what you have to get your things back.
Stolen objects
If your objects were stolen, you must report the theft to the police. If they are found by the police, they will contact you.
Lost objects in the train, tram or bus
If you lost something in the S-Bahn, U-Bahn, tram or bus, you must go to the BVG- und S-Bahn-Fundbüro. You can find more information here.
- Where to go: BVG- und S-Bahn-Fundbüro, Rudolfstraße 1-8, Friedrichshain.
- When to go: Wait at least 5 days, but no more than 6 weeks. Found objects arrive at the Fundbüro in around 5 days.1 Keys and personal documents are destroyed after 6 weeks.
- Special instructions: When you go to the Fundbüro, bring an ID document with you. If you lost keys, bring a copy of the lost keys. This is how you prove that the keys are yours. If you find your things, you get them back immediately. You don’t need to pay anything.1
If you lost something on a Flixbus bus, you must their lost item search
- Where to go: The lost item search on the Flixbus website
- When to go: As soon as you lost something on the bus
Lost objects on Deutsche Bahn trains
If you lost something on a Deutsche Bahn train, use their online lost property service. You can find more information here.
Found items are kept at the train station for 7 days. Items worth more than 15€ are then sent to the central collection point in Wuppertal.3
- Where to go: The online lost property service on Deutsche Bahn website
- When to go: As soon as you lost something on the train. It can take up to 2 days for items to be returned to the station.3 After 70 days, the found items are put on auction. You can find the auction dates here.
- Special instructions: Report the item loss online. There is a fee of 5 to 35€ for getting your items back.4 You can find the fee list here.
Lost objects at BER airport
If you lost something at the BER airport, go to their lost and found office in Terminal 1.
- Where to go: Lost and found office, Terminal 1, BER Airport
- When to go: See their opening hours
Lost passports and documents
If your personal documents were lost or stolen, report it to the police immediately.5 The Berlin Police works with the Zentrales Fundbüro (see below). If they find your things, they will contact you directly.
If you lost your bank cards, cancel them as soon as possible. Many banks let you do this directly from their app.
If you lost your passport, report it to the police immediately, and to your local embassy.
Lost pets
Lost pets are kept at the Tiersammelstelle in Falkenberg. You can find more information here.
- Where to go: Tiersammelstelle, Tierschutzverein für Berlin, Hausvaterweg 39, Falkenberg
- When to go: As soon as you lost your pet
- Special instructions: You can call the Tiersammelstelle at +03076888200, or email them at tiersammelstelle@tierschutz-berlin.de.
Lost packages
When you order a package, it’s often delivered to a neighbour or nearby shop. The tracking number or the delivery slip often have more information. If you don’t know where your package is, read this guide.
Other lost and found objects
Everything else goes to the Zentrales Fundbüro inside the Tempelhof airport. You can find more information here.
- Where to go: Zentrales Fundbüro, Platz der Luftbrücke 6, Tempelhof
- When to go: Wait at least 1 week. That’s how long most objects take to get there.6
- Special instructions: Report your lost things online. You can also write to fundbuero@ba-ts.berlin.de.
Rewards for finding something
If you find something in Germany, you have the right to ask for a reward.2 The reward depends on how much the item is worth.
- Under 500€: 5% of the value of the item
- Over 500€: 25€ + 3% of the value of the item over 500€. For example, for a 1,200€ item: 25€ + 3% of 700€ = 46€
- Animals: 3% of the value of the animal
For objects found in the train or public transit, the rules are different:
- Under 50€: no reward
- Over 50€: half of the normal reward