A lost wallet in Sweden means three jobs, each with a different owner: your bank blocks the cards, the police give you a case number, and whoever found the wallet has it. Do them in that order. Here is who to call and what to ask for.
When you need this
Your wallet or card holder is gone and you can’t tell whether it was lost or stolen. Or a card was pickpocketed on the metro or at a festival, or you see payments you didn’t make. It also covers the other side: you left a wallet on a bus and want it back, or you found someone else’s.
If someone is threatening or robbing you right now, stop reading and call 112.
The first ten minutes
| Order | Job | Who does it | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Block the cards | Your card issuer | The issuer’s app or emergency line |
| 2 | Block the phone wallet and SIM, if the phone went too | Wallet provider, mobile operator | Their own services |
| 3 | Report to the police | Polisen | 114 14, +46 77 114 14 00, or a station |
| 4 | Write down the case number | You | Before you hang up |
| 5 | Ask where you lost it | Transport operator or venue | Their lost property service |
| 6 | Passport or ID card gone? | Police, then your embassy | See our lost passport guide |
Block your cards with your own bank
The Swedish police do not block bank cards. Polisen tells card holders to contact “the bank or credit card company that issued the card”, and the police block only police-issued Swedish ID documents.
Swedish websites often list a single “spärrservice” (blocking service) number for all cards. The ones that exist are paid subscription services that act only for their own registered customers, so they can’t help a visitor. Sweden has no national line that blocks a foreign card. Use:
- Your issuer’s app. Many let you freeze a card in seconds.
- Your issuer’s emergency number, from its website, a statement or a photo of the card you took before the trip.
- The card network, if you can’t reach the bank. Visa’s lost-card service blocks a Visa card if you know the card number and connects you to your bank. Its page lists a toll-free number per country and an international collect-call line; hotels and some mobile networks may still charge for the call.
Why speed matters. For a card issued in the EU, PSD2 (the EU payment services directive) caps what you can lose before you report it at EUR 50. After you notify the issuer, you bear nothing, unless you acted fraudulently or with gross negligence. Cards from outside the EU fall outside that cap; your card agreement and home law decide. Either way: block first, and don’t wait to see whether the wallet turns up.
If your phone went too, block the phone’s payment wallet and the SIM as well. A phone wallet is a second route to the same cards.
The police report, and the number you must keep
Polisen has online forms for reporting a crime and for reporting a lost item (a förlustanmälan). Both need a Swedish personal identity number or coordination number, so a tourist can’t use them. You report by phone or in person:
- 114 14, the police non-emergency line, open around the clock and answered in Swedish or English.
- +46 77 114 14 00 from a foreign phone. If 114 14 doesn’t connect from your SIM, this is why, not a dead line.
- A police station, in person.
The call costs your normal subscription rate; 114 14 is not a free number. The report itself is free.
The piece of paper you will want later is the case number (diarienummer). Polisen posts the copy of the report to a Swedish digital mailbox or registered address within about ten working days, which a visitor may never receive. So write the number down before you hang up or leave, and ask how to get a copy. Your travel insurer will almost certainly ask for it; see our travel insurance guide.
If a passport or national ID card was in the wallet, say so early. Documents are reported by phone or in person so the police can block them. Only your own embassy replaces them, which is its own procedure in our lost passport guide.
Getting the wallet back
Swedish lost property has a structure most visitors don’t expect: the police are not the default destination.
- Buses, metro and trains: found items go to the transport company running the service.
- Shops, museums and other premises: the operator of the premises counts as the finder and holds the item.
- Anywhere else: the finder must report it to the police, and only some police stations handle lost property.
So ask the operator of the bus, train or building first. For the full map of lost property offices, see lost property in Sweden.
Stockholm’s SL: three rules worth knowing
SL, Stockholm’s public transport, runs one lost property office at Liljeholmen, next to the metro station. You search through an online form that is matched against incoming items, or by phone. Items can take up to ten working days to arrive. Three rules catch visitors out:
- SL does not keep found bank cards at all, nor access or membership cards. Order a replacement from your bank right away.
- Loose ID documents go to the police, but SL never takes ID out of a wallet or card holder, so a whole wallet stays with SL.
- Collecting a valuable needs physical ID: an ID card, driving licence or passport. Digital ID such as BankID doesn’t count. If your ID card was in the wallet, bring your passport.
Items lost on SL’s commuter boats mostly end up with the shipping company that runs the route. SL’s office is closed on Sundays and public holidays.
If you found a wallet
Sweden’s lost property law is from 1938 and still applies. A finder must report the find to the police “without unreasonable delay”, or return it to the owner. There’s no duty if you leave it where it lies; the duty starts when you pick it up.
| Rule | What it means |
|---|---|
| Report it | To the police, or give it back to the owner |
| Finder’s fee | The owner owes a “reasonable” hittelön; Polisen names 10% of the value as usual |
| Three months | If no owner turns up within three months of the report, the find is yours |
| Keeping it quietly | Punishable under general criminal law, and you lose every right to the find |
Found it on a bus or in a shop? Hand it to the staff; there, the operator is the finder.
Getting by without cards
Sweden runs on cards, so a few days without one hurts. What works for a visitor:
- A second card, from a different bank and network, kept in a different pocket or the hotel safe.
- A phone wallet on a card you haven’t blocked. If only the physical card went, a second card in the wallet keeps you paying; see paying by phone in Sweden.
- Emergency help through your bank and card network. Visa, for example, offers emergency cash, usually within a few hours of your bank’s approval, and a replacement card within one to three working days. Limits apply and your issuer sets any fees.
- Cash kept apart. Since 1 July 2026, grocery stores and pharmacies must accept cash, so a few banknotes cover food and medicine. See cash in Sweden.
What doesn’t work: Swish, the Swedish payment app everyone mentions. It needs a Swedish bank account and BankID, so a Swedish friend can’t simply Swish you money you could spend. See Swish for tourists.
Mistakes to avoid
- Looking for one Swedish number that blocks every card. Your issuer blocks your card.
- Trying the online police form. It needs a Swedish personal number. Call 114 14.
- Leaving without the case number. The posted copy may never reach you.
- Asking the police first about a wallet left on a bus. The operator has it.
- Going to collect it with a phone photo of your ID. Bring the physical document.
- Moving on before the wallet can arrive. SL allows up to ten working days.
Practical information
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Emergency, crime in progress | 112 |
| Police, non-urgent | 114 14; +46 77 114 14 00 from a foreign phone; 24/7, Swedish or English |
| Cost of calling 114 14 | Your normal call rate |
| Police report | Free; online forms need a Swedish personal or coordination number |
| Report copy | Posted to a Swedish address within about 10 working days |
| Your loss before notifying an EU card issuer | Up to EUR 50; nothing after notification (fraud and gross negligence excepted) |
| SL lost property | Liljeholmen; up to 10 working days to arrive; no bank cards kept; physical ID to collect valuables |
| Finder’s fee | “Reasonable”; about 10% of the value is usual |
FAQ
Is there one number in Sweden to block all my cards?
No, not for visitors. Your own bank blocks your cards, using its app or emergency line. The blocking services advertised in Sweden act only for their own paying subscribers, so they cannot help a visitor. If you cannot reach your bank, Visa’s lost-card service can block a Visa card if you have the card number and connects you to your bank.
How do I report a stolen wallet to the Swedish police as a tourist?
Call 114 14, or +46 77 114 14 00 from a foreign phone, or go to a police station. The online form needs a Swedish personal identity number, so it is closed to most visitors. The line is open around the clock in Swedish or English. Write down the case number before you hang up; insurers ask for it.
Do I need a police report for my insurance claim?
Almost always. Insurers ask for the police case number, the diarienummer, as proof that the loss was reported. Polisen posts a copy of the report to a Swedish address within about ten working days, which a visitor may never receive, so capture the number during the call or at the station and ask how to get a copy.
Where do I look for a wallet lost on a bus or train in Sweden?
With the transport operator, not the police. Items found on buses and trains go to the company running the service. In Stockholm, SL’s lost property office at Liljeholmen has an online search form and a phone line. Items can take up to ten working days to arrive. SL does not keep found bank cards; order new ones from your bank.
What happens if someone finds my wallet?
Swedish law requires the finder to report it to the police without unreasonable delay or return it to you. When you get it back, you owe the finder a reasonable finder’s fee; Polisen names 10% of the value as usual. Not reporting a find is an offence and forfeits the finder’s rights. After three months unclaimed, the find passes to the finder.
How do I get money in Sweden if all my cards are stolen?
Ask your bank and the card network. Visa offers emergency cash, usually within a few hours of your bank’s approval, and a replacement card within one to three working days. A second card or a phone wallet on an unblocked card works in most shops. Swish, the Swedish payment app, is not an option for visitors.
Am I liable for purchases made with my stolen card?
For a card issued in the EU, your loss before you report it is capped at EUR 50, and you bear nothing after you notify your issuer, unless you acted fraudulently or with gross negligence. Cards issued outside the EU follow your card agreement and home law. Either way, blocking quickly is what limits the damage.
Related guides
- Lost or stolen passport in Sweden — if an ID document was in the wallet, this is the next procedure.
- Emergency numbers in Sweden — 112 versus 114 14, and the forms that work from a foreign phone.
- Lost property in Sweden — every lost property office, not just Stockholm’s.
- Pickpockets and tourist scams in Sweden — how not to lose the next wallet.
- Travel insurance for Sweden — the claim that needs your case number.
Facts verified 2026-09-24. Sources: Polismyndigheten, SOS Alarm, Sveriges riksdag (lag om hittegods, cash-acceptance law), EU Directive 2015/2366, SL, Visa — full register in this topic’s source file. We publish no card-blocking phone numbers: they differ by bank and country, and your own issuer’s is the one that works. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.