Found something in Poland? Finder's duties and the 10% reward rule
Short answer: Report a found item to the starosta unless you can reach the owner. Money up to 100 zl is exempt from reporting. The finder's reward is one tenth of the value.
Finding a wallet on a tram seat or a phone on a park bench raises a fair question: can you keep it? In Poland the answer is set by the Act on Found Items (ustawa o rzeczach znalezionych). This guide follows the consolidated text of the act announced on 27 January 2023 (Dz.U. 2023 item 501) and the Ministry of Culture page on found objects, as checked on 17 October 2026. The act may have been amended since the 2023 text, so check the current version on the official legal database before relying on a detail.
First step: contact the owner if you can
Under article 4 of the act, a person who finds an item and knows who is entitled to collect it, and where they are, must immediately notify them and call them to pick it up. A typical case is a delivery addressed to a named neighbour or a card with a phone number.
If you do not know the owner: tell the starosta
Article 5 says that if you do not know the owner or where they are, you must immediately notify the starosta (the head of the county, powiat). This is the competent starosta for the place where the item was found, or for the place where you live. The starosta's office runs a found-property office (biuro rzeczy znalezionych).
According to the Ministry of Culture page, the act requires reporting a found item, with one exception: money up to 100 zloty. For gold, platinum, silver, precious stones, pearls and coral, and for money above 100 zloty, you must also physically hand the item over to the starosta, who will try to find the owner.
For other items, article 5 lets you hand the item to the starosta, but it is an option, so you may keep it safe yourself while notifying the office. For items worth historical, scientific or artistic value, special rules apply.
Special cases
The act sets separate routes for some finds:
- Items that need a permit to possess, such as weapons, ammunition, explosives, an ID card or a passport (article 6): hand them to the nearest police unit, or if handing over would endanger life or health, report where the item is. The police then inform the starosta.
- Items found in a public building, another building or premises open to the public, or public transport (article 7): hand the item to the manager of the building or vehicle operator. After 3 days they pass it to the starosta unless the owner appears.
- Items found in someone's private premises (article 5): tell the person occupying the premises, who may ask you to leave the item with them.
* Photos: county offices in Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki and Starachowice, Wikimedia Commons, CC0 / public domain.
What you get in return
When you report, the official writes a record (protokół) and gives you a confirmation (poświadczenie) with your name, address, a description of the item and the time and place of the find. You sign the record. The starosta also informs you of your right to a finder's reward (znaleźne) and of the rules on acquiring ownership. If you want the reward, this is noted in the record.
The finder's reward is one tenth of the item's value (article 10), if you kept the item yourself and met your obligations, and claimed the reward at the latest when the item is handed back to the owner. If someone else keeps the item, you can reserve the right to claim the reward, and then you have one month from being notified of the handover to claim it. The starosta must tell you of the handover and the owner's address if you asked for the reward (article 18).
How the owner is searched for
For an item worth more than 100 zloty where the owner cannot be reached or is unknown, the starosta posts a call to collect on the office notice board for one year from the day of finding and publishes a notice in the Public Information Bulletin (BIP). Above 5,000 zloty, a notice is also published in a local or national daily newspaper. The owner is told about storage and search costs (article 18).
When can the finder keep it?
The Ministry of Culture page says that if the owner of a non-historic item can be identified but does not collect it in time, the item becomes the finder's property if the finder met the statutory duties. If the finder also fails to collect it by the deadline in the call, it becomes the property of the county. The starosta issues the finder a certificate confirming that the storage deadlines have passed, which serves as proof of ownership. The sources we read do not state the exact deadlines in months, so ask the starosta's office for them.
Historic finds
If you suspect an object has historical, scientific or artistic value, the Ministry of Culture says to notify the authorities right away. A finder who reports may receive a reward from the Minister of Culture, capped at 30 times the average wage in the national economy in the previous calendar year, and a smaller find may bring a diploma. Do not dig for such things without a permit.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to report money I find in Poland?
According to the Ministry of Culture, money up to 100 zloty is excepted from the duty to report. Above 100 zloty, you must hand it to the starosta.
How much is the finder's reward?
One tenth of the item's value, under article 10 of the act, if you claim it in time and met your obligations as the finder.
Where do I take a found passport or ID card?
To the nearest police unit, under article 6. The police then inform the starosta of the find and of you as the finder.
