Guide
What to do if your bike is stolen in Spain
Report the theft as soon as possible to the Policía Nacional, the Guardia Civil or the regional police, with the serial number, photos and the receipt. If there was no violence and you do not know who did it, you can start the report online and sign it at a police station within 72 hours. Then tell your insurer, mark the bike as stolen in any registry where you have it and keep an eye on second-hand listings: if you see it for sale, do not confront the seller and tell the police.
Reviewed in October 2026.
Step by step
Make sure the council has not removed it
If it was badly parked, the local police may have taken it to a municipal depot. Ask the local police or check your town council's website before assuming it was stolen.
Gather your bike's details
Frame serial number (and, on an e-bike, the motor and battery numbers), brand, model, colour, size, photos, the receipt and any detail that makes it stand out. Also note where and when you left it and when you noticed it was gone.
Where to find the serial numbersReport the theft
At a Policía Nacional station, a Guardia Civil post or the regional police (Mossos d'Esquadra in Catalonia, Ertzaintza in the Basque Country, Policía Foral in Navarre). If there was no violence and you do not know who did it, you can start the report online on the Policía Nacional website or, in Catalonia, on the Mossos website, and sign it at a police station within 72 hours: without the signature it has no effect. Give the serial number and keep a copy of the report.
Tell your insurer
If your bike is insured, tell your insurer as soon as possible; many insurers ask for the police report. If it was stolen from your home, storage room or garage, check whether your home insurance covers it.
Mark it as stolen in registries
If it was on Biciregistro, add it to its list of missing bikes; if it was on Bike Index, mark it as stolen. If it was registered on destolen, report it under «My bike was stolen»: the check will then warn anyone who looks up its serial number.
Watch second-hand listings
A stolen bike can end up for sale on a second-hand site. You can search yourself or activate the destolen Search (€19.99, 30 days): several times a day we review new listings on publicly accessible second-hand listing portals and websites, show you the listings similar to your bike with a similarity percentage and, if you think one is yours, give you a report for the police. We do not recover bikes or contact the seller.
My bike was stolenIf you find it, tell the police
Do not contact the seller, do not arrange to meet them and do not try to get it back yourself. Take the link to the listing, screenshots and your report to the police station where you reported the theft.
Useful numbers in Spain
112: emergencies, if the theft is happening now or there is danger. 091: Policía Nacional. 062: Guardia Civil. In Catalonia, the Basque Country and Navarre the regional police also take reports.
So it does not happen again
Always lock the frame, not just a wheel, to a fixed point, ideally with two locks of different types (for example a U-lock and a chain). Keep the serial number, photos and receipt, and register the bike: on destolen registration is free and gives you a certificate with its destolen No.
Sources
- Consumer (Eroski): how to report a bike theft (in Spanish)
- Legálitas: online police reports (in Spanish)
- Generalitat de Catalunya: theft report to the Mossos d'Esquadra
- Biciregistro, Spanish Network of Cycling Cities (in Spanish)
- Papelea: Biciregistro in Madrid City Council (in Spanish)
- Bike Index (international stolen bike registry)
Have your bike's details ready
Register your bike for free with photos and serial number: if it is stolen, you will have everything at hand to report it and search for it. And before buying a used one, check its serial number.