Lost property law in Europe: four national texts and the GDPR
This page on lost property law in Europe quotes the found property laws of Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands and Spain from their official texts, with our English translation, and the GDPR principles that apply to the personal data in lost property records. It is information, not legal advice.
Each European country writes its own found property law. We only describe a law we have read in its official source, and we will add countries as we read them.
Updated
Laws that set a period: European Union
Information, not legal advice. Each row quotes the law as published on the date shown; read the whole section, which has conditions this table does not repeat.
| Law | Where | Period | Applies to | Afterwards | The text and its source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lag (1938:121) om hittegods, 4 § | Sweden | 3 months from the report to the police | Found property reported to the Swedish Police Authority | The property passes to the finder | Sveriges riksdag4 § Om ägaren till hittegods inte blir känd inom tre månader från det att fyndet anmäldes till Polismyndigheten, tillfaller godset upphittaren.Our translation: If the owner of found property does not become known within three months of the find being reported to the Police Authority, the property passes to the finder.Opened |
| Löytötavaralaki 778/1988 (Finland), 5 § and 8 § | Finland | At most 2 weeks, then to the police (schools and sports halls up to 6 months) | Items found in public transport, stations, business premises, offices, workplaces, schools, hospitals, theatres and sports halls without their own lost property office | Handed to the police | Finlex (Ministry of Justice, Finland)Löytötavara, joka otetaan talteen julkisen liikenteen kulkuneuvossa tai rautatie- tai linja-autoasemalla taikka muulla vastaavalla liikennepaikalla taikka liikehuoneistossa, virastossa, toimistossa, työpaikalla, oppilaitoksessa, sairaalassa, teatterissa, urheiluhallissa tai vastaavassa huoneistossa, on luovutettava asianomaisen laitoksen henkilökunnalle tai sen löytötavaratoimistolleJos omistaja ei nouda löytötavaraa 5 §:ssä tarkoitetusta laitoksesta eikä laitoksella ole löytötavaratoimistoa, laitoksen on viimeistään kahden viikon kuluttua talteen ottamisesta toimitettava muu kuin vähäarvoinen löytötavara poliisille.Kouluista ja muista oppilaitoksista sekä urheiluhalleista löydettyjä esineitä, jotka ilmeisesti kuuluvat näissä laitoksissa säännöllisesti käyville henkilöille, voidaan säilyttää asianomaisissa laitoksissa 1 momentissa säädettyä aikaa kauemmin, kuitenkin enintään kuusi kuukautta niiden talteenotosta.Our translation: Property found in a public transport vehicle, at a railway or bus station or other similar transport place, or in business premises, a public agency, an office, a workplace, a school, a hospital, a theatre, a sports hall or similar premises must be handed to the staff of that institution or its lost property office. If the owner does not collect it and the institution has no lost property office, the institution must hand anything other than low-value items to the police at the latest two weeks after taking it in. Items found in schools and sports halls that evidently belong to regular users may be kept longer, but at most six months.Opened |
| Löytötavaralaki 778/1988 (Finland), 15 § | Finland | 3 months from delivery to the police or a lost property office | Items found in the institutions listed in section 5 | Ownership passes to the state or to the lost property office that kept it | Finlex (Ministry of Justice, Finland)Jos omistaja ei nouda laitoslöytöä tai 10 §:n 3 momentissa tarkoitettua löytötavaraa kolmen kuukauden kuluessa niiden toimittamisesta poliisille tai löytötavaratoimistoon, niiden omistusoikeus siirtyy valtiolle tai löytötavaraa säilyttäneen löytötavaratoimiston pitäjälle.Our translation: If the owner does not collect an institution find within three months of its delivery to the police or a lost property office, ownership passes to the state or to the keeper of the lost property office that held it.Opened |
| Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 5 (Netherlands), artikel 5:6 | Netherlands | 1 year after the report; non-valuable items deposited with the municipality 3 months | Finders who report a find; the occupier or operator of the place takes over when the finder hands the item to them (artikel 5:7) | The finder becomes owner; for non-valuable items the mayor may sell, give away or destroy them | Overheid.nl (Government of the Netherlands)1 De vinder die aan de hem in artikel 5 lid 1 gestelde eisen heeft voldaan, verkrijgt de eigendom van de zaak één jaar na de in artikel 5 lid 1 onder a bedoelde aangifte of mededeling, mits de zaak zich op dat tijdstip nog bevindt in de macht van de vinder of van de gemeente.dan is lid 1 niet van toepassing en is de burgemeester drie maanden na de inbewaringgeving bevoegd de zaak voor rekening van de gemeente te verkopen of haar om niet aan een derde over te dragen of te vernietigen.De vinder kan, door de zaak onverwijld af te geven aan de bewoner van de woning of de gebruiker of exploitant van de ruimte waar de vondst is gedaan, dan wel aan degene die daar voor hem toezicht houdt, zijn rechtspositie met alle daaraan verbonden verplichtingen doen overgaan op die bewoner, gebruiker of exploitant met dien verstande dat geen recht op beloning bestaat.Our translation: A finder who has met the requirements of article 5(1) becomes owner one year after the report or notice, provided the item is still in the hands of the finder or the municipality. For non-valuable items deposited with the municipality, the mayor may sell the item, give it away or destroy it three months after deposit. A finder may, by handing the item without delay to the occupier, user or operator of the place where it was found, transfer their position and its obligations to that person, with no right to a reward.Opened |
| Código Civil (Spain), artículo 615 | Spain | 2 years from the second publication of the find | Anyone who finds a movable item whose owner is unknown | The item or its value is awarded to the finder | Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del EstadoEl que encontrare una cosa mueble, que no sea tesoro, debe restituirla a su anterior poseedor.Si éste no fuere conocido, deberá consignarla inmediatamente en poder del Alcalde del pueblo donde se hubiese verificado el hallazgo.Pasados dos años, a contar desde el día de la segunda publicación, sin haberse presentado el dueño, se adjudicará la cosa encontrada o su valor al que la hubiese hallado.Our translation: Whoever finds a movable item that is not treasure must return it to its previous possessor. If that person is not known, the finder must deposit it at once with the mayor of the place where it was found. Two years after the second publication, if the owner has not come forward, the item or its value is awarded to the finder.Opened |
Personal data in lost property records: the text
GDPR principles, as explained by the Data Protection Commission (Ireland), Article 5 principles
Applies to: Controllers of personal data under the GDPR
Data Minimisation : Processing of personal data must be adequate, relevant, and limited to what is necessary in relation to the purposes for which they are processed.
Storage Limitation : Personal data should only be kept in a form which permits identification of data subjects for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which the personal data are processed.
In order to ensure that the personal data are not kept longer than necessary, time limits should be established by the controller for erasure or for a periodic review.
Source: Data Protection Commission (Ireland), opened .
Operators' own published rules: European Union
| Operator | Where | As published | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frankfurt Airport | Hesse, Germany | 3 months | Fraport |
| BVG (Berlin transport) | Berlin, Germany | Up to 6 weeks | Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe |
| ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways) | Austria | 14 days; documents and ID cards handed over after 3 days | ÖBB-Infrastruktur |
| Pavilion Theatre (Dún Laoghaire) | Ireland | One month | Pavilion Theatre (Dún Laoghaire) |
See every published holding period and how we collected them
Reviewed . Next review due .
Finland: institutions hand items to the police within two weeks
Finland’s Lost Property Act (778/1988) says items found in public transport, at a station or similar place, or in business premises, a public agency, an office, a workplace, a school, a hospital, a theatre, a sports hall or similar premises are handed to that institution’s staff or its lost property office.
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An institution without its own lost property office hands anything other than low-value items to the police at the latest two weeks after taking it in. Schools and sports halls may keep items that evidently belong to regular users for longer, but at most six months. If the owner does not collect an institution find within three months of its delivery to the police or a lost property office, ownership passes to the state or to the keeper of that office.
Sweden: three months from the report to the police
Under section 4 of Sweden’s Lost Property Act (1938:121), if the owner of found property does not become known within three months of the find being reported to the Police Authority, the property passes to the finder.
The Netherlands: one year, or three months for low-value items
Under article 5:6 of the Dutch Civil Code, a finder who has met the reporting requirements becomes owner one year after the report, if the item is still with the finder or the municipality. For low-value items deposited with the municipality, the mayor may sell them, give them away or destroy them three months after deposit.
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Article 5:7 lets a finder hand the item without delay to the occupier, user or operator of the place where it was found, who then takes over the finder’s position and its obligations, with no right to a reward.
Spain: two years after publication
Article 615 of the Spanish Civil Code says a finder returns a movable item to its previous possessor or, if that person is unknown, deposits it at once with the mayor of the place where it was found. Two years after the second publication of the find, if the owner has not come forward, the item or its value is awarded to the finder.
The GDPR and lost property records
A lost property log holds the names and contact details of people who report losses and claim items. The Data Protection Commission, Ireland’s data protection regulator, explains that under the GDPR personal data must be limited to what is necessary for its purposes and kept in identifiable form only as long as necessary, and that the controller should set time limits for erasure or periodic review.
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Read with a log in mind, that points to recording only what you need to return items and setting how long you keep each record before it is erased.
Germany and Austria appear below only through their operators’ published rules: we have not yet read their found property laws in the official text.
This page is information, not legal advice. It quotes only the sections named, as published on the date we opened them; laws change and carry conditions and exceptions this page does not repeat. Ask a lawyer about your own site.
Frequently asked questions
How long must found property be kept in the Netherlands?+
Under article 5:6 of the Dutch Civil Code, a finder who has reported the find becomes owner after one year, and the mayor may sell, give away or destroy low-value items three months after they are deposited with the municipality. Read the article itself before relying on this.
Does the GDPR set a retention period for lost property records?+
The principles quoted here set no number of days. They ask that personal data be kept only as long as necessary for its purposes, with time limits set by the controller for erasure or periodic review.
What happens to an item found on a Finnish bus or train?+
Finland’s Lost Property Act says it is handed to the operator’s staff or lost property office, and an operator without its own office hands anything other than low-value items to the police within two weeks.
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