An interesting Swiss practice you may have already noticed is that when someone finds something on the street or sidewalk—a glove, scarf, hat, sweater, or baby toy—they generally pick it up and place it somewhere off the ground (eg, on a fence, park bench, street sign, parking meter) to facilitate its recovery as well as presumably to protect it from being stepped on or run over. If, however, you find an item of greater value (eg, phone, computer, wallet, school bag), you can also hand it in at the nearest police station or you can bring it to an official “Fundbüro” (Lost-and-Found Office).

If you have lost an item and can’t find it near where you might have lost it, you have several possibilities for trying to retrieve it:

• You can go to the Fundbüro and see if it has been handed in there. This works especially for smaller items, such as hats, scarves, gloves, or umbrellas, because these items will not be registered in the system. You will need to give them a general description of the item as well as the approximate day you lost it.
  If the item has a significant value, they may ask for a CHF 20 processing fee to retrieve it. Alternatively, you can telephone them at 061-267-7000 between the hours of 9:00-12:00 and 14:00-16:00 on weekdays, or you can go online at https://secure.easyfind.com/webpublic/UI/SearchFoundItems.aspx and register your lost item by filling in the online form. Please note that the person who has found your item needs to find the time to bring it to the appropriate authorities; therefore, it may take some time before the item has been returned, so don’t give up too quickly!
  The Fundbüro in Basel is located at Spiegelgasse 6, near Schifflände. They are open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 9:00-17:30 and Wednesday from 9:00-18:30. For more information on the Lost and Found office, or to register a loss, go to www.bdm.bs.ch/Weiteres/Fundsachen.html.
  
• If you have lost or found an item while using public transportation—on a tram, bus, train, at the airport, train station, and even at a bus stop—you must contact the appropriate transport authorities (BVB, BLT, SBB, Euroairport). For the BLT (yellow trams), you can first contact their lost-and-found office (https://www.blt.ch/service/fundservice) or call them at 061-406-1111; after 1 week, items will be transferred to the lost-and-found service of the SBB. Otherwise, all items lost on public transport will be registered directly at the SBB lost-and-found service (https://www.sbb.ch/en/help-and-contact/lost-found-office/questions-answers-sbb-lost-found-office.html).
  
• If you have lost an animal, or if your pet has run away, you need to contact the Tierfundbüro beider Basel (animal lost-and-found office) at 061-378-7810.
  
• If you believe that your item has been stolen, you are asked to register the theft with the police. The loss of a passport or national I.D. should also be reported to the police to facilitate the issuing of a new document.

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