Am I allowed to keep something I find in Norway?
No — you cannot simply keep something you find. Under the Found Property Act you must without undue delay hand the find to the owner or the police. The police keep the item, and if it is unclaimed after 3 months, it can be given to you as the finder or sold. You may claim a finder's reward: up to 20% for small values, and at most 10% when the value is over 500 kr. Here is where people go wrong: "finders keepers" does not exist in Norwegian law — keeping a find without handing it in can count as embezzlement, and you become the owner only after handing it in and waiting. Cultural-heritage and archaeological finds are state property and must be reported under the Cultural Heritage Act. A find on someone else's private land can give the landowner a claim.
📋 The rules
- You must hand the find to the owner or police
- Unclaimed after 3 months: can go to the finder
- Finder's reward: at most 10% for values over 500 kr
- Smaller values: up to 20%
- Cultural finds are state property (Cultural Heritage Act)
🔓 Exceptions
- Cultural-heritage and archaeological finds belong to the state and must be reported
- A find on someone's private property can give the property owner a claim
- Money and certain items have their own handling rules
⚠️ Penalties & fines
Keeping a find without handing it in can count as embezzlement under the Penal Code and bring a fine or prison — and the wallet you "just took home" is exactly such a find. What people do not think about is that handing it in is the only route to keeping the item lawfully: give it to the police, and if it stays unclaimed for 3 months it can become yours, while whoever keeps a find straight away never becomes its rightful owner. You lose the finder's reward the same way, and cultural-heritage finds belong to the state wherever you found them.
📎 Official sources
❓ Frequently asked
Can I keep what I find?
Not automatically. You must hand the find to the owner or the police without undue delay, and if it is unclaimed after 3 months you can get it. Handing it in is therefore the route to keeping the item lawfully.
How long do the police hold found property?
The police keep the item, and if it is unclaimed after 3 months it can be given to the finder or sold. The period runs from when you hand it in, so the sooner you do, the sooner the item can become yours.
Do I get a finder's reward?
You may claim a finder's reward: up to 20% for small values, and at most 10% when the value is over 500 kr. The reward assumes you handed the find in — keep it, and you lose both the item and the reward.
What if I find something old?
Cultural-heritage and archaeological finds belong to the state and must be reported under the Cultural Heritage Act. They fall outside the found-property rules, so you can neither claim them after 3 months nor expect the usual reward.
What happens if I keep the find?
Keeping a find without handing it in can count as embezzlement under the Penal Code and bring a fine or prison. Nor do you become the owner — title does not pass just because the item is in your hand.
🔎 Common searches
What people search to land here:
- “can I keep what I find norway”
- “found property hand to police”
- “finder reward 10 percent”
- “found property 3 months”
- “find something valuable”
- “embezzlement found property”