Most guides tell you to “report it online at polisen.se”. As a visitor you can’t. Here is the route that works, the rights you have when you use it, and what happens afterwards, including compensation if you were hurt.
When you need this
- Your phone, bag or bike has been stolen and your insurer wants a police report number
- You have been assaulted, threatened or robbed
- Money has left your card account and you suspect skimming or fraud
- You were targeted because of your ethnicity, religion, sexuality or gender identity
- You witnessed a crime and want to tell the police
- You are already home and realise you never reported what happened in Sweden
A report matters more than it feels like in the moment. Without one there is no case number, and without a case number most travel-insurance theft claims stall. State compensation for injuries can only be considered if the crime was reported. And the police’s own advice is blunt: report as soon as you can, because a prompt report is what lets them find technical evidence and talk to witnesses.
First minutes: what to do before the report
| Situation | Do this first |
|---|---|
| Crime in progress, anyone hurt or in danger | Call 112 (free, Swedish or English) |
| Injured after an assault | Get care, then report at a police station so injuries can be documented |
| Sexual assault | Get safe; Kvinnofridslinjen 116 016 is free and open 24 hours; care does not require a report |
| Cards stolen or skimmed | Block them with your bank, then report |
| Passport stolen | Report by phone or at a station so it can be blocked, then contact your embassy |
| Everything else | Call +46 77 114 14 00 and write down the case number |
For sexual violence, our guide to solo female travel in Sweden covers the Stockholm emergency clinic for rape victims, which secures evidence and stores it if you haven’t reported, so that decision can wait. For a stolen passport, follow our lost passport guide: the police take the report, but only your embassy can get you home.
Choosing the channel: phone, station or online
Polisen’s web report requires a Swedish personnummer (personal identity number) or samordningsnummer (coordination number). Tourists don’t have one, so you report by phone or in person.
That matters less than you might think. Even Swedish residents can’t report the serious categories online. Violence, sexual offences, threats, fraud other than card fraud, traffic incidents and passport theft are all phone-or-station reports.
| Channel | Works for visitors? | What it’s for |
|---|---|---|
| Online form on polisen.se | No | Residents only: theft, burglary, card fraud, parking damage, vandalism, lost animals |
| 114 14 from a Swedish SIM | Yes | Everything except urgent help, around the clock, Swedish or English |
| +46 77 114 14 00 | Yes | The same line from a foreign mobile or from abroad |
| Police station | Yes | Any crime; advised after an assault with visible injuries |
| 112 | Yes | Only when it’s happening now or someone is in danger |
The short number 114 14 may simply fail from a foreign SIM, and many visitors conclude the line is dead. Save +46 77 114 14 00 before you travel. Our emergency numbers guide explains why the long form exists. Don’t call 112 for a crime that is over: a phone stolen yesterday is a 114 14 matter.
If you plan to go in person, check the station’s own page first. Station hours vary a lot. When we checked on 24 September 2026, even the Stockholm Central station reception listed crime reporting only on selected weekdays, 10:00 to 16:00, and sent everyone else to 114 14 or 112. In rural Sweden stations are far apart, and the phone is often the faster route.
Your right to an interpreter
This is the part almost no English page mentions. Under the förundersökningskungörelsen (the ordinance governing criminal investigations), section 13 e, if a crime victim who doesn’t master Swedish reports a crime, an interpreter must be used for the report if the victim asks for one.
The same section gives you two more rights:
- A written confirmation of your report, translated on request into a language you master
- Translation of documents that are essential for you to protect your rights
The phone line answers in Swedish or English, so many visitors never need an interpreter. But if your English is shaky, or the subject is painful, ask for a tolk (interpreter) at the very start of the call or visit.
The case number: get it before you hang up
Your insurer, Brottsoffermyndigheten and any follow-up call will all ask for the diarienummer (case number). It is printed at the top of the report copy. That copy goes to a Swedish digital mailbox within about 48 hours, or by post within about ten working days. Those are routes a visitor usually doesn’t have.
So write the number down before you end the call or leave the station, and ask for your written confirmation. Reporting in person has one practical advantage: you can walk out with the number in hand. If you remember more later, such as another stolen item, a witness or a clearer description, you can add it to the report using the case number.
When you report, have ready: the exact time and place, what happened, what was taken, and whether anyone saw it.
Hate crime and card fraud: two reports that need an extra step
Hate crime. Polisen defines a hatbrott as an offence motivated by the victim’s race, skin colour, national or ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity or expression. It is reported by phone or at a station. The key step is to say why you think you were targeted. The police want your perception of the motive in the report, and a proven hate motive can raise the sentence. Save threatening messages, photograph injuries and note witnesses.
Card fraud and skimming. Polisen expects the card to be blocked with your bank before you report. Skip that and more money can leave while you are on hold. Then report on 114 14. Your bank will usually want the case number too. For the blocking itself and life without your cards, see our guides to a lost wallet or stolen cards and cards in Sweden. For internet crime and fraud, keep the evidence, though you don’t have to submit it when you report.
After the report: why many cases go quiet
A preliminary investigation (förundersökning) is opened only if there is a realistic chance of solving the crime. So many theft reports end with the case closed (nedlagd förundersökning), and for a visitor the practical result is the case number for the insurer. That is still worth having.
The police must tell you, as a victim, about support, about state compensation and about how your case is progressing.
Support and compensation for victims
Brottsofferjouren (Crime Victim Support Sweden) gives free, anonymous support to victims, witnesses and relatives on 116 006, with help in other languages. You don’t need to have reported to the police. The line keeps office hours and is not open around the clock. After violence or sexual violence, Kvinnofridslinjen on 116 016 is open 24 hours.
State compensation (brottsskadeersättning). This is the part tourists rarely know about. The Brottsskadelag (Criminal Injuries Compensation Act) pays compensation for crimes committed in Sweden, mainly for personal injury and serious violations of integrity. Brottsoffermyndigheten, the Crime Victim Authority, says people here temporarily as tourists can qualify. The conditions:
- The crime must have been reported to the police
- Insurance or damages already paid are deducted
- Apply within three years of the crime, or of the investigation closing or the judgment becoming final
- The state may refuse where the crime and the victim have too little connection to Sweden, decided case by case
The online application needs a personal e-ID, but a paper form can be sent by post, and forms are available at police stations. EU residents hurt by an intentional violent crime can also apply through their home country’s compensation authority, which forwards the case.
New since 1 September 2026: if charges were brought on or after that date and a court awards you damages, you can choose to be paid through Brottsoffermyndigheten instead of chasing the offender through Kronofogden, the Enforcement Authority. Cases charged earlier follow the old rules.
Reporting after you’ve left Sweden
Report before you leave if you possibly can. Polisen’s advice is to report a crime in the country where it happened, and evidence fades fast. If you’re already home, the police publish +46 77 114 14 00 for calls from abroad. Have your evidence, receipts and witness names ready when you call.
Practical information
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Emergency | 112, free |
| Police, non-urgent | 114 14; +46 77 114 14 00 from a foreign phone; open around the clock; charged at your own rate, roaming may apply |
| Online report | Only with a Swedish personal or coordination number |
| Filing a report | No fee published by Polisen |
| Interpreter when reporting as a victim | Your right on request; no charge stated |
| Report copy | Digital mailbox about 48 hours; post about ten working days |
| Victim support | Brottsofferjouren 116 006, free, office hours |
| Violence and sexual violence | Kvinnofridslinjen 116 016, free, 24 hours |
| State compensation | Brottsoffermyndigheten; apply within three years; no fee stated |
FAQ
Can a tourist report a crime online in Sweden?
Usually not. Polisen’s online report requires a Swedish personal identity number or coordination number, which visitors do not have. Report by calling 114 14, or +46 77 114 14 00 from a foreign phone, or by visiting a police station. Violence, sexual offences, threats, most fraud and passport theft must be reported by phone or in person anyway, even by residents.
What number do I call to report a crime in Sweden?
Call 112 if the crime is happening now or anyone is in danger; it is free. For anything that is over, call the police on 114 14, open around the clock and answered in Swedish or English. From a foreign mobile, dial +46 77 114 14 00 instead, since the short number may not connect. 114 14 is charged at your own rate.
Can I get an interpreter when reporting a crime?
Yes. Swedish law says that if a crime victim who does not master Swedish reports a crime, an interpreter must be used for the report if the victim asks for one. You are also entitled to a written confirmation of your report, translated into a language you understand on request. The phone line itself answers in Swedish or English.
How do I get a police report number for my insurance?
Ask for the case number (diarienummer) before you end the call or leave the station and write it down. The formal copy of the report goes to a Swedish digital mailbox within about 48 hours or by post within about ten working days, which rarely reaches a visitor. You are entitled to a written confirmation of your report.
Can I report a crime after I have left Sweden?
Report before you leave if you possibly can; Polisen’s own advice is to report a crime in the country where it happened, and evidence fades fast. If you are already home, the police publish +46 77 114 14 00 for calls from abroad. Keep any evidence, receipts and witness names you have and quote them when you call.
Can foreign tourists get compensation for injuries from a crime in Sweden?
Often, yes. Brottsoffermyndigheten pays state crime-injury compensation for crimes committed in Sweden and says tourists can qualify. You must have reported the crime, and insurance or damages paid are deducted. Apply within three years. The state can refuse if the crime and victim have too little connection to Sweden.
Who helps crime victims in Sweden?
Brottsofferjouren gives free, anonymous support to victims, witnesses and relatives on 116 006, during office hours rather than around the clock, with help in other languages. You do not need to have reported to the police. After violence or sexual violence, Kvinnofridslinjen on 116 016 is free and open 24 hours.
Related guides
- 112 and Sweden’s emergency numbers — why 114 14 needs its long form from a foreign phone
- Lost or stolen passport in Sweden — the police report, then the embassy
- Lost wallet or stolen cards — blocking cards and getting money when everything is gone
- Sweden for solo female travelers — 116 016 and the Stockholm clinic for rape victims
- Travel insurance for Sweden — what the claim needs besides the case number
Facts verified 2026-09-24. Sources: Polismyndigheten, Riksdagen (förundersökningskungörelsen, Brottsskadelag), Brottsoffermyndigheten, Brottsofferjouren, SOS Alarm, 1177 — full register in this topic’s source file. Station opening hours are deliberately not published. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.