Hittegods means items someone has lost or forgotten. Contact the place or transport company where the item went missing, and use the local police lost-property office when needed. If you find something, give it to its owner or the police if the owner is unknown.

Where should you look first?

Start where you last had the item. The correct contact depends on whether it went missing on the street, in a building or during travel.

Hittegods means an item separated from its owner and found. Politiet, the police, has local services for handing in and collecting such items. Transport companies often have their own procedures.

If you forgot a jacket at a library, start with the library. If you left a bag on a bus, find the company operating it. If you do not know where you lost it, contact the nearest police lost-property office and relevant places along your route.

Find contact details on the organisation's official website. SamfunnPrep's guide to public transport in Norway helps you understand tickets, routes and operators. A ticket can also show which journey to report.

Do not use the emergency number for an ordinary lost item. The police lost-property page⁠ shows local offices and contact options. Check opening hours before going there.

How do you report something you have lost?

Give a specific description and state where and when the item may have disappeared. Make sure the office can contact you.

A good search starts with these details:

  • What you lost, including brand and colour if known.
  • Date and approximate time.
  • Location, route or means of transport.
  • Distinctive features separating it from similar items.
  • A phone number or email you can actually use now.

You could write: “I lost a dark-green backpack on the train from Drammen to Oslo. I got off at Oslo S. The bag has a yellow key ring on its right strap.” This is an example, rather than an official form.

A photo from before the loss can clarify the description. If you have no photo, describe distinctive features instead. Keep a copy of your message and any reference number. This lets you follow up without sending a new unclear message each time.

Forgotten something on a train or bus?

For trains, Vy refers you to Entur's lost-property register. For buses, check which operator and local procedure apply.

Vy is a transport company. Entur operates services including those connected with train travel and lost property. Vy's lost-property guidance⁠ links to the register and gives information about relevant offices.

You can search the register, report a loss or claim an item. The office assesses your information before confirming that the item belongs to you.

As of 3 October 2026, Vy states that found items may take up to seven days to reach the office. Items in the described train scheme are stored for one month. Passports and wallets are sent to the police within two weeks. Electronics may be destroyed after one month.

These are the procedures Vy describes, rather than a common storage deadline for every Norwegian lost-property office. Report the loss early and follow your journey's instructions.

For Vy local buses, contact the relevant local company. For other bus journeys, Vy's bus lost-property form⁠ may be appropriate. Provide the departure, route and line number so the report concerns the correct bus.

How does the office identify your item?

Describe features likely known only to the owner. Ask the office which documentation it wants.

“Black bag” is often insufficient. Size, zip, damage or contents help distinguish several similar bags. A receipt or serial number can also help if you already have it.

Do not put all private details in a public notice. Save some identifying features for contact with the lost-property office. Avoid publishing photos of passports, bank cards or documents with personal information.

If several similar items appear, do not choose only because the colour matches. Compare with what you actually remember. Explain uncertainty clearly so the office does not release the wrong item.

What do you do when you find someone else's property?

Give it to the owner if you know who they are. If you cannot find the owner, hand the item to the police as soon as possible.

This is the main rule described by the police. Do not treat a found phone, bag or bicycle as your own. An unattended item is not necessarily discarded.

If you find something on a train or bus, ask staff how to hand it in. State where and when you found it. This makes it easier to connect the item with a later report.

Avoid searching private messages or documents more than necessary. Do not publish document photos to find the owner. Let the organisation or police help with safe return if you are unsure.

If the bag contains important cards

Handle bank cards and identity documents as separate matters while searching. A lost-property report does not block your cards.

Make a simple list of the contents: bank cards, driving licence, passport, residence card and other necessary items. Contact the bank about the bank card. Contact the appropriate authority about a lost identity document.

If you believe something was stolen, use the police's ordinary crime-reporting route. Lost property and theft are different enquiries. Explain what you know and distinguish it from suspicions.

SamfunnPrep's guide to police services in Norway gives an overview of contact routes. Do not delay necessary security measures simply because you hope the bag will be found.

How to plan collection

Arrange collection with the office and check what to bring. Do not travel simply because a similar item has been registered.

Ask for confirmation that the correct item has been found. Check the address, opening hours and any conditions for collection or delivery. If someone else will collect it, ask which authorisation or documents they need.

If you have already travelled home, explain this early. Ask which options exist. Do not assume every office sends lost property free or to every country.

Example: a backpack left on the train

Use journey details to send one clear message and follow up through the correct channel. Keep your contact information current.

Find the ticket and note the departure, date and where you got off. Then describe the backpack and register the loss through the scheme indicated by the operator. Later check whether an item matches, without treating an empty register as proof that the bag is lost forever.

SamfunnPrep collects practical everyday tools. Use a simple note template for journey details, contact point and reference number to make your next follow-up easier.