Reporting a crime online or by phone, and its limits

Key rules

• Signing: An online report is not complete until you sign it at the station you chose.
• Phone: A phone call cannot replace a signed denuncia; use 091, 062 or 112 for emergencies and guidance.
• Insurance: Insurers usually want the signed denuncia with its police reference number, not the unsigned online report.
• Violent cases: Violence, urgent cases and known suspects must be reported in person.

What you can report online

Use the online form for simple cases: theft (including pickpocketing), lost documents or property, minor damage, and some online scams. The culprit must be unknown and there must be no violence or intimidation.

Do not use it for violence, serious injuries, gender violence, sexual offences, urgent cases or a suspect you can name. In those cases go to a station in person or call 091 or 112. The Guardia Civil has a similar online service for minor offences.

The list of eligible offences changes, so check the options on the form.

The online report is not complete until you sign it

You send the form and choose a police station. The report counts as a full denuncia only when you sign it at that station, usually within 72 hours of sending it. After that the online report is void and you must report in person.

Take your photo ID and the application number from the confirmation email. Some places offer a signing appointment. Choose a station you can reach easily.

Phone reporting

You cannot normally make a full denuncia by phone. Use 091 (Policía Nacional), 062 (Guardia Civil) or 112 for a crime in progress, to ask for a patrol, or to get guidance. They may send you to a station or to the online form. A denuncia still has to be signed in person. Some local police forces take limited reports by phone, so ask yours.

Cybercrime and online fraud

You can report these at any police or Guardia Civil station, through the online form, or to the Guardia Civil's online office for cybercrime. Tell your bank immediately if a card or transfer was involved. The 017 helpline gives advice but takes no formal reports. For serious or ongoing fraud, report in person quickly.

Will insurance accept it?

Insurers usually want a signed denuncia with its police reference number. An online report you have not signed is generally not enough. Once you have signed it, the copy is normally accepted. Ask your insurer which document it needs before you send the claim.

Replacing documents

Consulates and Spanish offices usually ask for a police report of loss or theft. A report signed in person is the safest choice. Check with the office that will issue your replacement.

Choosing between options

Should you report online first or go straight to a station?

• Online report, then sign at a station: Your case is a theft, loss, minor damage or simple online scam, with no violence and an unknown culprit, and you can sign at the station you choose in time.

• Go straight to a station: There was violence, an injury, a known suspect or an emergency, or you need a signed report quickly for an insurer or a document replacement.

• Call 091, 062 or 112: A crime is happening now or you need a patrol or guidance. The call does not replace a signed denuncia.

Use the online form only for simple cases without violence. Whichever way you report, insurers and document offices usually want the signed copy with its reference number.

Insurers and offices set their own conditions, so confirm what they accept before choosing.

Station, online or phone: which way to report a crime

The station is the safest way to report a crime, because it gives you a signed report on the spot. The online form is the easiest way to start for minor thefts and lost items, but it only counts for insurers once you sign it at a station. The phone is for emergencies.

Station

Go in person if there was violence, if you were injured, or if you know who did it. The same goes if you need the report today for an insurer or a consulate.

Waits depend on the city, the season and the hour. Small towns and quiet times are often quick. Large tourist cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga and Palma, and the summer months, can mean one to several hours. Dedicated tourist offices and foreign-language desks can be faster or slower depending on the queue.

Go to the force that covers the area. That is the Policía Nacional at a comisaría, or the Guardia Civil at a cuartel or post. In Catalonia it is the Mossos d'Esquadra, in the Basque Country the Ertzaintza, and in Navarra the Policía Foral. Local police in some towns take your report but usually pass it on to the competent force.

Online

Use the online form for a minor theft or a lost item when there is no violence and you don't know the culprit. The Policía Nacional and the Guardia Civil both have one. The Mossos d'Esquadra and the Ertzaintza offer online and appointment options for some cases.

Fill it in as soon as you can. Then sign it at a station within the set period, ideally with an appointment to avoid the queue. The form shows the offence types it accepts now, and these change over time, so check the options before you start. Online options also vary by region.

If you need a replacement DNI, NIE or passport, consulates and Spanish offices usually ask for a police report of the loss or theft. A signed report is the safest.

Phone

Call 112 or 091 (Policía Nacional) or 062 (Guardia Civil) when you are in danger, someone is hurt, or a crime is happening now. Do not use the online form for these cases. The AlertCops app also reaches the police in an emergency.

After an emergency call, go to a station to give a full statement and get your signed report.

Which to choose

• Violence, injuries or a known culprit: call if it is urgent, then go to a station.
• You need the report today: go straight to the station.

Individual insurers set their own conditions, so check your policy for what it asks for.

Timeline and deadlines

• Fill in the online form and choose the station where you will sign: as soon as possible after the theft or loss

• Book an appointment to sign, if the form offers one: right after you send the form

• Go to the chosen station with your ID and application number and sign the report: usually within 72 hours of sending the form

• If the time has passed, the online report is void, so report in person at a station: after the signing window has closed

• Send the signed copy to your insurer or the office replacing your documents: once you have signed

Documents you need

• Your photo ID and the application number from the confirmation email, to take to the station where you sign the online report

• The signed denuncia with its police reference number, issued by the police station, for an insurance claim

• A police report of loss or theft, preferably signed in person, to replace a DNI, NIE or passport at a consulate or Spanish office

Checklist

• Check that your case is a theft, loss or minor damage with no violence and an unknown culprit before you use the online form

• Choose a station on the form where you can easily go to sign

• Ask for a signing appointment if the form offers one

• Keep the confirmation email and note the application number

• Bring your ID and application number to the station and sign the report

• Ask for a copy of the signed denuncia with its police reference number

What to watch out for

• An unsigned online report is not a complete denuncia: If you never sign it at the station, the report is void and your insurer or consulate will not accept it. Go to the station you chose within the signing window with your ID and application number.

• Violent or urgent cases do not belong online: Violence, serious injuries, gender violence, sexual offences, known suspects needing urgent action and emergencies are not handled by the online form.

• The 017 helpline does not take formal reports: INCIBE's 017 helpline gives advice on online fraud but does not register a denuncia, and delay can cost you money in card or transfer fraud. Tell your bank immediately, then report at a station, on the Policía Nacional portal or to the Guardia Civil's cybercrime unit.

Frequently asked questions

Can I report a crime by phone in Spain?

No, a full denuncia generally cannot be completed by phone, and it still has to be signed in person. You can call 091 for the Policía Nacional, 062 for the Guardia Civil or 112 for emergencies to report a crime in progress or ask for a patrol.

Where do I report online fraud or cybercrime?

You can report online fraud at any police or Guardia Civil station, through the Policía Nacional online portal, or to the Guardia Civil's online office for cybercrime. The 017 helpline from INCIBE, the national cybersecurity institute, gives advice but does not take formal reports. For serious or ongoing fraud, go in person promptly.

Will my insurer accept an online report?

Only once you have signed it at a station, because insurers usually ask for a signed denuncia with its police reference number. Each insurer sets its own conditions, so ask yours which document it wants before you send anything.

Can I replace a stolen passport or NIE with an online report?

A signed report is the safest, because consulates and Spanish offices for the DNI, NIE or passport typically ask for a police report of loss or theft. Ask the office handling your replacement what it accepts.