Am I allowed to keep something I find in Denmark?
No — you cannot simply keep something you find. Under the Found Property Act you must hand finds to the police as soon as possible, unless you know the owner and return the item directly. The police keep it for 3 months — but only 4 weeks for bikes and mopeds, and that is the deadline people miss. If it goes unclaimed, it is sold at auction and you get a third of the money as the finder. If the owner turns up, you can get a finder's reward of usually 10% of the value, provided the item is worth at least 500 kr and was handed in. There is no reward for finds in homes, stairwells, shops or public transport, and cash found in a shop must always go straight to the police.
📋 The rules
- You must hand finds to the police promptly
- The police keep it for 3 months (4 weeks for bikes)
- Unclaimed: you get a third of the auction money
- Finder's reward usually 10% of the value
- Reward only if the value is at least 500 kr
🔓 Exceptions
- If you know the owner, you can return the item directly
- Cash and valuables found in a shop must always go straight to the police
- No finder's reward for finds in homes, stairwells, shops or public transport
⚠️ Penalties & fines
Keeping a find without handing it in is unlawful handling of found property under Penal Code §277 and can bring a fine or up to 1 year and 6 months prison. The price is double: you also lose the lawful route to the money, because only the person who hands the find in gets a third of the auction money or a reward of usually 10%. A wallet you take home turns a possible payout into a charge. And cash found in a shop must go straight to the police — leaving it at the till is still not handing it in.
📎 Official sources
❓ Frequently asked
Can I keep what I find?
Not automatically. You must hand the find to the police promptly, and only if it is unclaimed after 3 months can you get a share — a third of what the item sells for at auction. Keeping it is a criminal offence.
How long do the police keep a find?
3 months for most items, but only 4 weeks for bikes and mopeds, and that is the short deadline people miss. If it goes unclaimed, the item is sold at auction, and as the finder you get a third of the money.
Do I get a finder's reward?
Usually 10% of the value, if the item is worth at least 500 kr, was handed in to the police, and the owner turns up. There is no finder's reward for finds in homes, stairwells, shops or public transport.
What if I find cash in a shop?
Cash and valuables found in a shop must always be handed straight to the police, not to the shop itself. In return, a find in a shop triggers no finder's reward at all, however large the amount is.
What happens if I keep the find?
It is unlawful handling of found property under Penal Code §277 and can bring a fine or up to 1 year and 6 months prison. You also lose the right to both the finder's reward and the share of the auction money.
🔎 Common searches
What people search to land here:
- “can I keep what I find denmark”
- “found property hand to police”
- “finder reward 10 percent”
- “found property 3 months auction”
- “find bike 4 weeks”
- “unlawful handling found property”