Reporting a crime or filing a criminal complaint (plainte pénale) in Vaud

Last checked: 9 October 2026. Unofficial student guide, not EPFL or government advice: confirm on the linked official pages before you act. Unfamiliar abbreviation? See the Glossary.

What to do if you are robbed, attacked, threatened, scammed or your property is damaged in Vaud: when to call 117, where to go if it is not urgent, which reports you can file online, the three-month deadline, what to bring, how to get a copy for your insurance, and where victims get free support. Orientation only, not legal advice.

Key facts

• Emergency, danger, crime in progress: call 117 (police). Medical emergency: see Health emergencies.
• Not urgent: go to any police post: a cantonal gendarmerie post or a municipal police post. You can file a complaint at any police post in Switzerland, but filing in the commune where it happened saves time.
• Online (Vaud E-plainte): only against an unknown author, for facts in Vaud, and only for simple theft (not ID documents), theft of an unregistered bike, and damage to an object or vehicle. You print, sign and post it.
• Deadline: for offences prosecuted only on complaint (for example insults, damage to property, threats), you have three months from the day you learned who the author is (Swiss Criminal Code, art. 31).
• Filing is free (Lausanne police). You get a copy for your insurance.
• Victims of violence: free and confidential help from the Centres LAVI, and the national victim-support number 142 (24/7).

1. Urgent or not?

Cantonal or municipal police? Both take complaints. Vaud says you can go to any gendarmerie post or municipal police post to file. In Lausanne, the municipal police takes complaints at the Flon post (Rue de Genève 4) and the Sallaz post (Route d'Oron 2). Lausanne passes the original to its own judicial police if the offence happened in Lausanne and is in its remit, and otherwise to the cantonal police. Vaud's gendarmerie posts can close at short notice, so phone before you go. Find a post through the Suisse ePolice station search, which vd.ch links to.

Simply lost something (not stolen)? Start with lost property: see Lost property in Vaud: commune and police.

2. Online complaint (E-plainte)

Vaud has its own online form, linked from vd.ch and from Lausanne police. It is only for a complaint against an unknown person, for facts in Vaud, and only for:

• simple theft (but not theft of ID documents),
• theft of a bike without number plates,
• damage to an object or a vehicle (not caused by another vehicle, not linked to a burglary or an attempt, not caused by fire).

Not possible online: facts outside Vaud, cybercrime, threats and insults, theft of registered vehicles or number plates, burglary, pickpocketing and bag snatching, theft of an ID card or passport, traffic accidents, and cases where the author is known or could be identified (for example on video).

How it works (vd.ch):

1. Fill in the form online in French and validate.
2. Print the form and its annexes twice: one copy for the police, one for your insurance.
3. Add photos of the stolen goods or the damage and copies of receipts if you have them.
4. Add a photocopy of your ID (complaints without it are not processed).
5. Sign and post one copy (A4 pages only, no staples or clips) to Police cantonale vaudoise, Secrétariat Police cantonale, Route de la Blécherette 101, 1014 Lausanne. Keep the other copy for your insurer.

Lausanne has a computer for E-plainte at the Flon police post. Lausanne also notes that some insurers need this online procedure for simple theft, bike theft and damage against unknown persons.

Vaud uses its own E-plainte service, not the intercantonal Suisse ePolice online counter used by other cantons. vd.ch links Suisse ePolice only to find a police post.

Stolen bike: see Bike parking and theft. Lost or stolen passport or ID: see Lost passport or ID; it must be reported at a police counter, and administrative fees apply for lost or stolen ID documents.

Scam SMS, phishing or fake calls: how to report and what to do if you paid: see Phishing, fake parcel SMS and phone scams.

3. Filing at a police post or in writing

• At the counter: expect to wait; Lausanne says recording a complaint takes between half an hour and three hours, longer with an interpreter.
• In writing to the Public Prosecutor (Ministère public): possible, especially when you know the author. The letter must be dated and signed in original (photocopies, fax and e-mail are not valid), in French, with a summary of the facts, where and when they happened, the suspect and address if known, and your evidence (witnesses, medical certificate, invoices). The competent office is the one where the facts took place. If the author is under 18, write to the Tribunal des mineurs.
• Who can file: only the person directly harmed (or the legal representative). Lausanne says anyone aged 18; a minor aged 12 or more who has capacity of discernment can also file.
• Can the police refuse? Only if the facts are not a criminal offence (for example accidental damage, or a civil dispute such as an unpaid debt or a contract). The police may then record it in its log (main courante).

What to bring (Lausanne police list)

• ID document, and your contact details
• the name of your insurance that covers the loss (see Household and liability insurance)
• date, time and exact place
• the damage or stolen items, with photos, quotes or invoices
• details: phone make, model and IMEI; ID document number, date and place of issue, expiry; bank card numbers and issuer, account statement if used fraudulently; descriptions or photos and value of jewellery
• for online offences (scams, harassment): keep all data (screenshots, messages)

Before going: block stolen bank cards and SIM cards, list what is missing, and save any video footage you have.

4. Deadlines

• Offences prosecuted only on complaint (infractions poursuivies sur plainte), such as insults, damage to property and threats: the right to complain expires after three months. The period starts on the day you learned who the author is (Swiss Criminal Code, art. 31; vd.ch notes legal exceptions).
• Offences prosecuted ex officio: serious offences, for example domestic violence, homicide or serious bodily harm, are prosecuted once the police or the Public Prosecutor know about them, without a complaint (vd.ch). Report as soon as possible anyway. For your own case, a free legal service can tell you which category applies (Free legal advice for students). Vaud still advises filing a complaint (free) so that you can access the criminal file.
• You can withdraw a complaint until the second-instance cantonal judgment, but you cannot file it again afterwards (Swiss Criminal Code, art. 33).

5. Your copy and your insurance

• At the counter: at the end, the police give you a copy of the complaint and an information sheet (Lausanne).
• Online: you print two copies and keep one for your insurer (vd.ch).
• Then tell your insurer and send the copy if needed, and tell the police immediately if you remember something new.
• What happens next: if the author is not identified, the Public Prosecutor may not be informed, you may get no notice, and the police keep the file (Lausanne).

For copies of police reports or hearing records later, the cantonal police FAQ says to write to Police cantonale vaudoise, Centre Blécherette, 1014 Lausanne. Copies are charged: the cantonal police fee regulation sets CHF 32 to CHF 200 for a copy of a report and CHF 16 to CHF 150 for photocopies, depending on the document (RE-Pol, BLV 133.12.1, section C). For a road accident report, if you were involved (driver, vehicle keeper, pedestrian, passenger or injured third party), order the copy online from the Canton: CHF 80 for up to 2 pages, CHF 120 from 3 pages, usually 6 to 8 weeks, once the competent authority allows release (État de Vaud, copie d'un rapport d'accident).

Asked for your own Swiss criminal record extract (job, visa, naturalisation)? That comes from the Federal Office of Justice, not the police: see Swiss criminal record extract.

6. Victim support (LAVI)

If you suffered physical, sexual or psychological harm from an offence, you (and your close relatives) are entitled to help under the federal Victim Support Act (LAVI), whether or not you file a complaint: "Vous pouvez faire appel à l'aide aux victimes que vous ayez déposé une plainte pénale ou non" (LAVI Vaud, the 142).

• 142: national victim-support number in service since 1 May 2026 (État de Vaud news), free, 24/7, for people who suffered physical, psychological or sexual violence, and their relatives.
• Centres LAVI Vaud (Fondation PROFA): psychological, legal and financial support, free and confidential. Appointments Monday to Friday 8:30 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 17:00; phone line Monday to Friday 8:30 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 16:30. Interpreters available.
  • Lausanne: Rue du Grand-Pont 2 bis, 1003 Lausanne, 021 631 03 00
  • Also in Nyon (021 631 03 02), Aigle (021 631 03 04), Yverdon-les-Bains (021 631 03 08) and Vevey (021 631 03 06).

Free legal advice, legal aid and student services: see Free legal advice for students.

After sexual violence, medical care and PROFA support: see Sexual health in Vaud.