I've found something – what do I have to do?

If you find something, the law says that you must hand it in at the office provided for this purpose, e.g. a lost property office:

• If you find something in a public place (in the street), you must take it to a police station or the lost property office in the local commune. You should take things that you find at the station, on the train or on other forms of public transport to the office run by the transport company.
• If you find something in a person's home or in a building accessible to the public (e.g. a cinema, theatre, gym, swimming pool, etc.), you should hand the item into the owner, the caretaker or the person responsible for security.

The online easyfind.ch lost property office is run by the Swiss Lost and Found Service. If you find property with an easyfind code tag or sticker, you can contact the owner of the property via the easyfind website free of charge.

If you find a pet, you must report the find to the cantonal office responsible for lost animals.

If you have found lost property in a public place and have fulfilled your responsibilities by handing the property in, you are legally entitled to an ‘appropriate’ reward; 10 per cent of the value of the property is suggested as a guide. This does not apply to stolen property and what the Swiss call "Anstaltsfunde" (items found in public buildings or on public transport).

If you find something, and comply with your legal obligations, you are entitled to keep the property if it is not claimed within five years.