Reporting bike theft: online and at the police station – step by step

Around 214,000 bike thefts were reported to the police in 2025 – 13 % fewer than the year before, with a clearance rate of around 11 % (source: German police crime statistics, Polizeiliche Kriminalstatistik 2025). Even so, the report is not a formality you can skip: without it, nothing moves at the police or at your insurer. Here you can read step by step how to file it properly – online and in person.

01Online station or local station – which suits when

To report a bike theft you have two routes, and both lead to the same result: a police report with a case reference number. The online police station exists in every federal state – you find it by searching for “Internetwache” plus the name of your state. There you enter the details in a form, usually available around the clock and without any waiting time.

Going to the local station is worthwhile if the theft has only just happened, if you have witnesses or clues about the offender, or if you are unsure what to enter – in person, someone can help you directly. If the offender is still in sight or you feel threatened, take the direct route via the emergency number or the nearest station rather than the online report. You will find a complete overview of the first steps after a theft in our emergency guide “Bike stolen – what to do?”.

For the calmer standard case – you only notice the theft later and the offender is long gone – the online report is the more convenient route: no queuing, no opening hours, and you can put your details together at your own pace before you enter them.

02The details you need

So the report does not lead nowhere, you need a handful of details – ideally collected before the theft:

• Frame number. Without it, the police cannot clearly record your bike in the wanted-property system – it is the single most important detail of all. Our guide “Find & check your frame number” shows you where to find it.
• Proof of purchase or invoice. Proves value and ownership – equally important for the police and your insurer.
• Photos of the bike. Ideally showing recognisable details such as the paintwork, fitted parts or stickers.
• Time and place of the offence, as precisely as you can narrow them down – a time window (“between 09:00 and 17:00”) is perfectly fine.
• Description of the lock and whether it was broken open, cut through or taken away completely.
• Witness information, if available – even a vague hint such as “a neighbour may have seen something” helps the police with their enquiries.

The more complete these details are, the fewer follow-up questions you get afterwards – and the greater the chance that your bike can be linked to a person if it turns up again.

03How the online report works

The online report works in a similar way in most federal states, even if the form and its name vary in detail:

• Search for the internet police station. Enter “Internetwache” together with your federal state into a search engine – every state runs its own.
• Choose to file a police report. Most portals take you to a form for “theft” or directly for “bike theft”.
• Enter the details. Personal data, time and place of the offence, frame number, purchase receipt details and a short description of what happened.
• Submit and save the confirmation. You receive an acknowledgement of receipt; the case reference number often only follows by post or email – note down where you can find it.

Depending on the federal state, you may still have to sign in person at the station for the report to be final – that is stated directly in the online form. Better to plan for it straight away than to be surprised afterwards.

If a detail such as the frame number is missing while you fill in the form, you can usually still submit it – fill it in as completely as possible and add the missing details later, as soon as you have found them. Also save the confirmation email or the PDF of the report, in case the case reference number is in there.

04What the report achieves

The report is more than a formality – it has three concrete effects:

• Insurers only settle with a report. Whether home contents or bicycle insurance: without a police report and case reference number, as a rule no policy pays out. Our guide “Home contents insurance and bike theft” explains what your home contents insurer specifically requires.
• Your bike enters the wanted-property records. With the frame number your bike is recorded – if it turns up during a check or a resale, it can be linked to you. “Recovering a stolen bike” shows how you can actively search for your bike yourself.
• Legally, how the offence happened matters. If a lock was broken open or cut through, this generally counts as an especially serious case of theft (Section 243 of the German Criminal Code, StGB) – but that does not change the fact that you have to file the report yourself in every case.

05What happens next + common mistakes

After the report, the police take over – usually without you having to chase them up. You receive a case reference number that you need for your insurer; whether and when the police get in touch about the state of the investigation depends on the individual case. If nobody contacts you, that does not automatically mean nothing is happening – if in doubt, simply ask the responsible station about the status, quoting your case reference number.

These mistakes cause the most frustration afterwards:

• Reported too late. The longer you wait, the harder it becomes to reconstruct the exact time or place of the offence – and some insurers tie settlement to a prompt report.
• Reported without a frame number. Without it, your bike is practically untraceable in the wanted-property system, even if it turns up later.
• Case reference number not noted. Without the case reference number you cannot have your claim settled and have to laboriously chase the police for it.

You are in the most relaxed position if your frame number, proof of purchase and photos are already bundled together before the theft. With BikePass you store these details free of charge as digital proof of ownership – if the worst happens, you share them directly with the police and your insurer instead of hunting them down first.

BikePass Editorial Team

We write about bike theft, security marking and digital theft protection – practical, without scaremongering and with real steps you can take.

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