What to do after a theft, burglary or assault in Portugal
This guide will help you record the crime quickly, file a queixa (criminal complaint) and get confirmation for your insurer or for replacing documents. If you are in immediate danger, injured or the offender is still there, call 112 first, and deal with the evidence and the complaint once you are safe.
Get to safety and call for help
If the attack is still going on, the offender is still nearby, someone is injured or there is a threat with a weapon, call 112. Give the exact location, what happened, how many people are hurt and whether you saw a weapon. Do not chase the person or try to get your things back yourself.
After an assault, go to hospital even if the injuries seem minor. Ask for the injuries to be recorded and keep the medical documents. In cases of domestic or sexual violence you can also contact APAV — Associação Portuguesa de Apoio à Vítima (Portuguese Association for Victim Support) on 116 006.
“The police came, wagged a finger at them, made them apologise Said if we wanted to file a complaint they'd take us to the station They got scared, started inviting us to dinner and offering €20 for the cracked number plate 😂😂😂 In the end the insurance on their 3 or 4 cars went up many times more than paying for the repair would have cost) But after they started kicking up a fuss I wouldn't have taken even a bigger sum, it was a matter of principle.”
Translated from Russian; the original is at the linkmoto chat 🇵🇹28.07.2026
Block your cards, phone and online access
Block your bank cards and SIM card at once. Check recent transactions in your banking app and save screenshots. If your phone was stolen, turn on lost mode through Apple Find My or Google Find My Device, change the passwords for your email, bank and social media, and if necessary revoke your Chave Móvel Digital (mobile digital key).
Do not give the suspected thief any codes and do not go after the phone's location yourself. Pass the coordinates to the police. Also check with the nearest station: lost phones and documents are sometimes handed in there.
“I flew in from there once. On departure I lost my passport, the Faro airport police found it and gave it back. The officer asked, where are you from. I say I flew in from Montenegro. He says, so you're here again))”
Translated from Russian; the original is at the linkRussosEmPortugal03.07.2026
Preserve the scene and the evidence
Photograph the damage, signs of forced entry, broken glass, the lock and the place where your things were. Write down the time, the address, what the people looked like, which way they went, car number plates and witnesses' contacts. Keep messages, threats, receipts, serial numbers and the IMEI numbers of devices.
If there are cameras nearby — a shop, transport, a building or a car park — ask the owner straight away to keep the recording for the relevant time. You may not be given the recording itself because of personal data protection, but the police can request it officially. Do not clean the inside of the car or repair the damage until the police and the insurer say enough has been recorded.
“glass intact, lock forced, backpack stolen. on the whole it doesn't even matter much whether they do anything, the chances are really very small. but let them have a theft case a hundred metres from them under the cameras”
Translated from Russian; the original is at the linkchatporto18.08.2026
“You can also keep all the receipts, proof of how much money you spend on the child, take more photos of the child. If there are messages with threats, better screenshot them straight away, otherwise the guy will delete them and you won't prove anything!”
Translated from Russian; the original is at the linkberemennost_portugal13.07.2026
Choose where to file your queixa
You can go in person to the PSP — Polícia de Segurança Pública (Public Security Police) in cities, the GNR — Guarda Nacional Republicana (National Republican Guard) in other areas and on many roads, or the Ministério Público (public prosecutor's office). You do not need to work out yourself who will investigate: the complaint must be registered and, if necessary, passed on to the competent body. The Polícia Municipal (municipal police) does not usually handle criminal investigations.
In Lisbon, Porto and some tourist areas there are Esquadras de Turismo (tourist police stations). It is often easier to make yourself understood in English there, but a separate tourist station is not required: the nearest PSP or GNR will do too. Check the opening hours before you go.
Some types of crime can be reported through the Sistema Queixa Eletrónica (online complaints system) on the official Ministry of Internal Administration portal. This is not the Portal da Queixa (a consumer complaints website). Filing online is not for emergencies and does not cover all crimes; check that your category is available and complete the identification or confirmation the portal asks for.
File the complaint and check what it says
Say: ‘Quero apresentar uma queixa’ — ‘I want to file a complaint’. For crimes where prosecution depends on the victim's wish, it helps to add directly: ‘Desejo procedimento criminal’ — ‘I want criminal proceedings’. The police may call the document an auto de denúncia (report of a crime), an auto de queixa (record of a complaint) or a participação (report): what matters more is the content and the fact that it is registered.
Give the place and time, list in detail what was stolen, the value of each item, serial numbers, damage, injuries and witnesses. List stolen documents, bank cards and keys separately. Do not sign a text you do not understand: ask for it to be read more slowly, for mistakes to be corrected or for an interpreter. Before signing, check the address, the time, the list of items and the description of any violence.
If the theft happened in another town, the nearest station can still take the report, but passing on the file sometimes takes extra time. If your Portuguese is poor, bring a written account of events in Portuguese or English.
“They knocked out my quarter window and took a 25-euro backpack from the car. The police wrote out a certificate for the insurer. Said it straight out that they weren't going to bother themselves, but for the insurer — here's your paper.”
Translated from Russian; the original is at the linkchatporto18.08.2026
Get confirmation and a case number
Ask for a comprovativo da participação (proof the complaint was filed) or a copy of the record. Also ask for the NUIPC — Número Único de Identificação de Processo-Crime (single criminal case number). If no number has been assigned yet, find out how and when to get it, and keep the internal reference number.
The confirmation is often given during the visit, but the NUIPC may appear later, after registration or after the file is passed to the Ministério Público (public prosecutor's office). For an online complaint, keep the electronic confirmation that it was sent and check whether further identification is needed. A police certificate confirms that you reported it, but does not mean the culprit will necessarily be found.
Tell your insurer and do not start repairs without agreement
Give the insurer a copy of the complaint, the NUIPC, photos, a list of property, receipts and medical documents. Keep to the notification deadline in your policy: it may be much shorter than the deadline for going to the police. For a damaged car, first find out whether an assessor needs to inspect it and whether you may replace the glass or the lock.
Many insurers need the complaint as proof that you reported the theft, but it does not in itself guarantee a payout. The insurer separately checks the cover, the excess, the exclusions and the proof of value. Items left inside a car may not be covered even if the car is insured.
Replace stolen documents
If your passport was stolen, get police confirmation and contact the consulate of the country that issued it. The police do not replace a foreign passport, and their certificate is not in itself a travel document. The consulate will tell you whether you can get a new passport or a temporary document to return home.
If your Portuguese residence card was stolen, report it to AIMA — Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo (Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum) and request a replacement. The Cartão de Cidadão (citizen card) is replaced through the IRN — Instituto dos Registos e do Notariado (Institute of Registries and Notaries), and a Portuguese driving licence through the IMT — Instituto da Mobilidade e dos Transportes (Institute of Mobility and Transport). For a foreign licence, contact the authority in the country that issued it.
Keep a copy of the queixa until you have your new documents. If keys were stolen along with the documents and your home address was on them, think about changing the lock urgently.
Know what is different about theft from a car and pickpocketing
After a theft from a car, do not get in and do not touch the doors, locks or broken glass before speaking to the police. Photograph the car, the parking space and the nearest cameras. Have ready the matrícula (registration number), the DUA — Documento Único Automóvel (single vehicle document), the owner's details, the insurance and a full list of what was taken. If the DUA itself was stolen, be sure to include this in the complaint.
After pickpocketing on the metro, a bus, a train, at the beach or a festival, write down the route, the stops, the carriage or bus number and as narrow a time window as possible. Tell security or the transport operator immediately so that the camera footage can be kept in time, and then file a queixa. Do not stop at telling a transport employee: that does not replace a police complaint.
A separate case is fines that arrive for a car when you were not the one driving: it was stolen, sold or lent. This is not dealt with by a police complaint but with the ‘who was driving’ form (F306): within the same deadline given for an objection, the owner names the real driver with all their details, and the case is opened against them. You do not have to pay in the meantime. Details in the guide Traffic fines in Portugal.
What it costs, according to community conversations
| backpack from the car | €25 | source |
| repairing a damaged bumper | ~€300 | source |
| cracked number plate | €20 | source |
| stolen money, chargeback | $128 | source |
What changed
- 3 September 2026 — added what to do about a fine for your car when you were not the one driving
- 28 August 2026 — added a link to the guide on the complaints book (Livro de Reclamações)
- 26 August 2026 — added readers' stories
What to bring
- passport or another document you still have
- copies of the stolen documents, if you have them
- address, date and time of the incident
- list of stolen items and their value
- receipts, photos and proof of ownership
- IMEI and serial numbers of electronics
- witnesses' contacts
- photos of damage and injuries
- medical documents after an assault
- details of bank transactions
- insurance policy and contract number
- matrícula and car details
- information about nearby cameras
Where people most often trip up
- In immediate danger, people try to file a complaint online instead of calling 112.
- They confuse the Sistema Queixa Eletrónica with the consumer website Portal da Queixa.
- They leave without a copy of the complaint, proof of filing or a way to find out the NUIPC.
- They sign a record with mistakes because they do not understand Portuguese well.
- They do not list every stolen item and document separately.
- They repair the car or tidy up the scene of the break-in before the traces are recorded.
- They ask the shop, car park or transport operator to keep the video recording too late.
- They think a police certificate guarantees an insurance payout.
- They assume a police certificate replaces a stolen passport or residence card.
- They go after their phone by its location on their own and risk running into the thief.
How it went for people
A stranger tried to lead a child away from a pier
At a swimming pool an unknown man took a child away from the other children and suggested going with him to catch fish and crabs on the other side of the pier, where they could no longer be seen. The parent noticed, caught up with them and took the son back, after which the man got nervous and left quickly. The incident was reported to the police; they took it seriously and promised to send plain-clothes officers to the area. It all happened so fast that turning away for 10 seconds was enough.
A bag stolen in a café, and three minutes later someone tried to pay with the card
A woman was sitting in a café in central Lisbon charging her phone, with her bag on the next chair right by the stairs — and it disappeared. The café said there were cameras above the stairs, but they don't look at them without a court order, and sent her to the police. She blocked the card straight away, and three minutes later someone twice tried to withdraw €100 at a guesthouse three minutes' walk from the café. The police took the complaint but warned that they do not investigate themselves, they pass the case to the court, and there is no way to find out what happens to it; at night she had to call a locksmith to open the front door — the keys were in the bag.
A scooter cut loose during a twenty-minute lunch
A man locked his electric scooter to a post with a cable in Vila Nova de Gaia, went for lunch and twenty minutes later found only the cut cable. Before that he had left the scooter the same way for months, and for several hours at a time. The nearest station said it only dealt with traffic and sent him to the PSP (Public Security Police), and there, since he had no Portuguese, they sent him to the tourist police. The complaint was taken, but they made it clear there was nothing to go on: a thin cable is snipped in an instant, and it is better to keep equipment in sight or take it with you.
A car broken into: the police came, but it was of little use
After his car was broken into, a man rang several dozen numbers from the internet until he got through to an officer who spoke English; a patrol arrived about fifteen minutes later, and at first the officers thought the car had been stolen. On the spot they recorded the loss of an expensive car stereo and a multitool worth almost €300. They offered to take the car for three or four days to dust it for fingerprints — he refused, and one of the officers agreed there was little point. As they left they advised him not to park there, although it is an ordinary car park by the building where cars are always parked.
A call from a ‘police inspector’ about a loan taken out with someone else's power of attorney
A man got a call from a Portuguese number; the caller switched to Russian straight away, checked his name and introduced himself as a police inspector. He said a report had come in from a bank: someone supposedly holding a power of attorney from him had tried to take out a €5,000 loan — and asked where that person had got the power of attorney. He replied that he had given no power of attorney and had never heard of such a person. The ‘inspector’ asked whether he even understood what a power of attorney was, and hung up; in eight years of living in the country it was the first call of its kind.
Retold in our own words from messages in open chats. The link leads to the full original message.