Reporting a bike theft in France: where, how, what to bring
The complaint (plainte) is free and you file it yourself. Online if the thief is unknown, in person the same day if the bike is already for sale.
The complaint is used more than once. Your insurer asks for the récépissé (the receipt you get when you file). If you find a listing, you go to the police with your complaint. And if the bike is seized, you ask for it back with your proof, including the procès-verbal (the police’s written record of your complaint).
Filing a complaint online
The official service is called Plainte en ligne (online complaint). It has been running since 15 October 2024. It is free.
You can use it if:
- you are an adult (18 or over)
- the theft is of property, such as a bike
- you do not know who the thief is
With FranceConnect (the French state’s sign-in service), it is all done online. Without FranceConnect, you will have to go in person to the office that handles your report.
You get a summary at the end, then an acknowledgement by email. An officer takes on your report within 48 hours. Except in special cases, it is processed within 7 days. A copy of the procès-verbal then arrives in your account on the site. You have 6 months to download it.
A police officer or a gendarme may also call you back to complete your report.
Filing a complaint at a police station
Any commissariat (police station) or gendarmerie (France’s other police force) must take your complaint, even far from where the theft happened (article 15-3 of the Code de procédure pénale, France’s code of criminal procedure).
To avoid waiting, Police Rendez-vous books you a slot at the commissariat of your choice. You need FranceConnect. The service covers the police nationale.
At the end of your statement, you are given a récépissé. Ask for a copy of the procès-verbal too: the law says it must be handed to you straight away.
There is also the visioplainte, a complaint made by video call with a police officer or a gendarme, by appointment. You need FranceConnect and a camera. It is not open to every offence: check your case on the site.
Is the bike already for sale?
Go in person the same day. An online complaint can take a week, and a listing can disappear before then.
Bring the link and screenshots of the listing. If you have already filed online, bring the reference. Then you set up the meeting with the seller, in agreement with the police, who assist you at the handover. See stolen bike for sale on Leboncoin.
What to bring
- an identity document (passport or ID card)
- the bike’s invoice, or other proof of purchase
- the serial number and the marking number
- photos of the bike
- the listing, if you have found it
What to say in the complaint
The facts first: the date, the time, the exact place, the lock and how the bike was locked.
Then the bike: make, model, colour, size, serial number, marking number, accessories, distinctive marks, value. Mention any witnesses and nearby cameras.
What is the récépissé for?
It proves you filed a complaint. Keep it. Ask for a copy of the report too: you get one just by asking.
You will need it:
- for your insurer
- for the police, the day you find a listing
- to ask for the bike back if it is seized
And your insurer?
Report the theft without waiting. French law gives you at least two working days. Your contract can allow more, never less. Attach a copy of the récépissé.
A bike theft can come under home insurance (assurance habitation) or bike insurance. The same theft is only paid out once. According to the FUB (the French federation of bike users), insurers that cover bike theft ask for a FUB 2 Roues approved lock. Keep its invoice.
If your bike is marked, also report the theft to your marking operator (the company whose number is on your frame), within two weeks. See bike marking in France.