Lost something in Vaud? Commune and police lost property
To verify This page has 1 item that could not be confirmed on an official page. Check it yourself before relying on it:
What to do when you lose or find a wallet, keys, a phone or a bag on the street or in a shop in Lausanne or the EPFL area: easyfind.ch, the police lost property offices (objets trouvés), fees and the finder's rights. Lost on a train or bus? See SBB lost property and parking. Lost a passport, ID or permit card? See Lost passport, ID or permit.
Key facts
- Search first on easyfind.ch, the Swiss lost-and-found platform used by Lausanne Police and Police Ouest lausannois. If your item is not listed, create a loss report (annonce de perte) there; it is passed on to communes and transport companies using easyfind (Ville de Lausanne, Police Ouest lausannois).
- A loss report on easyfind is free for the public, and the chances are highest in the first 4 to 5 days (easyfind.ch).
- Collecting an item: bring an identity document and expect to pay storage fees and a finder's reward on the spot. In Lausanne the reward is 10% of the item's value (Ville de Lausanne).
- Identity documents need more than an easyfind report: report the loss to the police (easyfind.ch). See Lost passport, ID or permit.
1. You lost something
- Search easyfind.ch. Lausanne publishes lists of items found in the last 7 and 30 days, and a list of keys handed in to Lausanne Police in the last 30 days (Ville de Lausanne).
- Not found: click "create a loss report" (créer une annonce de perte) on the results page (Ville de Lausanne, Police Ouest lausannois).
- Found: open the item's information sheet and contact the lost property office or transport company named on it (Ville de Lausanne).
- Do not give up after a day: items can take a few days to appear (easyfind.ch).
Who holds lost property near EPFL:
| Area | Office |
|---|---|
| Lausanne | Lausanne Police, rue Saint-Martin 33, 1001 Lausanne, +41 21 315 15 15 (Ville de Lausanne) |
| Ouest lausannois (Ecublens, Chavannes-près-Renens, St-Sulpice, Renens, Prilly and others) | Police Ouest lausannois, Hôtel de Police, Route des Flumeaux 41, Prilly, 021 622 80 00, 24/7 (Police Ouest lausannois) |
| Other communes | Your local police or commune office (see the note below the table). |
To verify: which office handles lost property in each commune outside Lausanne and the Ouest lausannois (for example Morges, Nyon, Vevey). Ask your local police or commune office.
Lost on a tl bus or metro, or an SBB train: see SBB lost property and parking. Stolen rather than lost: Reporting a crime to the police. Bike: Bike parking and theft.
2. You found something
- On the street: hand it in at any police station or the lost property office (Ville de Lausanne). In Ouest lausannois, at one of its police posts (Police Ouest lausannois).
- In a shop, restaurant or on public transport: give it to the person in charge there (driver, staff) (Swiss Civil Code art. 720 para. 3, cited by Ville de Lausanne and Police Ouest lausannois).
- Reward: if the owner gets the item back, the finder is entitled to costs and a fair reward (Civil Code art. 722). A finder in a shop or public-service premises cannot claim a reward (art. 722 para. 3). If the owner is not found, the finder cannot claim a reward (Ville de Lausanne).
- Keeping it: you become owner only if the owner is not found within five years of reporting to the police (Civil Code art. 722). In Ouest lausannois you may keep the item at home after notifying the police, who inform the Justice of the Peace (Police Ouest lausannois).
- Lausanne holding periods before the finder can claim an unreturned item: clothes 1 month and 1 day; items worth under CHF 250 1 year and 1 day; items worth CHF 250 or more 5 years and 1 day. Phones, computers and cameras are not handed to the finder, because they may contain personal data (Ville de Lausanne).
3. Prevent it
Lausanne sells identification tags for keys and other items at its lost property office, valid for life: CHF 10 each (cheaper in bulk) (Ville de Lausanne).