Lost or stolen in Spanish: reporting a phone, a wallet or a passport in Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina
Your phone is gone. You are standing on a pavement in a city you do not live in, and in the next hour you deal with a police station, a form, an insurer and possibly a consulate, all in Spanish. The words are narrow and repetitive. There are about forty of them, and you need them for the whole afternoon. This page has what to say at the counter, what the officer will ask you, how the report is called and where you get it in Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina, plus the card, the embassy and lost property.
First, the three verbs
In Spanish there are separate words for a theft, a snatch and a loss, and the officer listens for which one you use.
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I was robbed | Me robaron. | Something was taken from you, by stealth or by force. The everyday word for both |
| They stole my phone | Me robaron el celular. | Mexico, Colombia, Argentina. Spain: el móvil |
| They took it off me | Me lo quitaron. | Taken by force, from your hand or your neck. Implies confrontation |
| I lost it | Lo perdí. | No other person involved |
| I left it behind | Lo dejé olvidado. / Se me quedó. | In a taxi, a café, a hotel room |
| I can’t find it | No lo encuentro. | When you are not yet sure |
| Someone broke into my room | Entraron a robar en mi habitación. | |
| They threatened me | Me amenazaron. | Changes the category of the report. Say it if it happened |
| Nobody touched me | No me tocaron. / No hubo violencia. | Also changes the category. Say it if that is what happened |
The distinction matters for the paperwork. Me robaron with force or threat is a different offence from a pocket picked in a crowd, and both are different from lo perdí, which in some countries is not a police matter at all.
Where you go, by country
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The police station | el ministerio público (the MP), also la fiscalía | la comisaría (Policía Nacional), el cuartel (Guardia Civil) | el CAI (the neighbourhood police post), la URI or la fiscalía | la comisaría |
| The report | la denuncia, el acta, la constancia de extravío | la denuncia | la denuncia | la denuncia, la exposición |
| To file it | levantar un acta / poner una denuncia | poner una denuncia | poner una denuncia / instaurar una denuncia | hacer una denuncia |
| Emergency number | 911 | 112 | 123 | 911 |
Mexico. Crimes are reported to the Ministerio Público, usually shortened to el MP, which sits under the state Fiscalía. What everyone says is levantar un acta, to raise a record. For something lost rather than stolen, and for replacing documents, what you often need is a constancia de extravío or constancia de hechos, a statement of loss, which in Mexico City is issued by the juzgado cívico rather than by the MP. Ask at the counter: ¿Esto es acta o constancia?
Spain. You go to a comisaría of the Policía Nacional in a city, or a cuartel of the Guardia Civil in a town. A theft without violence can be reported online or by phone and then signed in person at a station within a few days; the officer will tell you the deadline. The paper you leave with is la denuncia, and the copy is what the insurer and the consulate want.
Colombia. The CAI, Comando de Atención Inmediata, is the small police post on a corner and is where most people start. The formal complaint is made to the Fiscalía, and there is an online reporting system the police will point you to. What you leave with is la denuncia with a número de radicado, a case number. Write that number down, because everything afterwards is asked for by it.
Argentina. You go to the nearest comisaría. In Argentina a denuncia penal, a criminal report for a theft, is separate from an exposición (often exposición civil), a statement of fact used when you have simply lost something and need proof for a replacement or an insurer. If you ask for the wrong one, you waste an hour. Vengo a hacer una denuncia por robo or Vengo a hacer una exposición por extravío.
At the counter
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I want to report a theft | Quiero poner una denuncia por robo. | Spain, Colombia, Argentina |
| I want to file a report | Vengo a levantar un acta. | Mexico |
| I want to report a loss | Quiero poner una denuncia por extravío. | Extravío is the official word for loss |
| I’m a tourist | Soy turista. | Often changes who deals with you |
| I don’t speak much Spanish | Hablo poco español. | |
| Is there someone who speaks English? | ¿Hay alguien que hable inglés? | |
| How long does it take? | ¿Cuánto tarda? | |
| I need a copy for the insurance | Necesito una copia para el seguro. | Say this at the start |
| I need it for the embassy | La necesito para la embajada. | |
| Can I do it online? | ¿Lo puedo hacer en línea? | Mexico, Colombia. Spain and Argentina: por internet |
| Here’s my passport | Aquí está mi pasaporte. | |
| What’s the case number? | ¿Cuál es el número de denuncia? | Colombia: el número de radicado |
What the officer will ask
| You will hear | It means |
|---|---|
| ¿Qué le pasó? | What happened to you? |
| ¿Dónde fue? | Where was it? |
| ¿A qué hora? | What time? |
| ¿Cuándo se dio cuenta? | When did you notice? |
| ¿Fue robo o extravío? | Was it a theft or a loss? |
| ¿Hubo violencia? | Was there violence? |
| ¿Lo amenazaron? | Did they threaten you? |
| ¿Vio a la persona? | Did you see the person? |
| ¿Puede describirlo? | Can you describe him? |
| ¿Qué llevaba dentro? | What was inside? |
| ¿Tiene la caja o la factura? | Do you have the box or the receipt? |
| ¿Cuál es el número de serie? | What’s the serial number? |
| ¿Sabe el IMEI? | Do you know the IMEI? (the phone’s serial) |
| ¿Cuánto valía? | What was it worth? |
| ¿Dónde se hospeda? | Where are you staying? |
| Firme aquí. | Sign here. |
| Le doy una copia. | I’ll give you a copy. |
Answer times as plainly as you can: entre las tres y las cuatro de la tarde, between three and four. Answer places with the street and the nearest landmark: en la avenida Corrientes, cerca del subte. A vague no sé stalls the form, and the officer cannot file it without something in every box.
Describing what you lost
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A phone | un celular (Mexico, Colombia, Argentina), un móvil (Spain) | |
| A wallet | una billetera (Mexico, Colombia, Argentina), una cartera (Spain, also Mexico) | In Colombia and Argentina una cartera is a handbag. A coin purse in Spain is un monedero |
| A bag, a handbag | un bolso (Spain), una bolsa (Mexico), un bolso (Colombia), una cartera (Argentina) | |
| A backpack | una mochila | Everywhere |
| A suitcase | una maleta (Mexico, Spain, Colombia), una valija (Argentina) | |
| A passport | un pasaporte | |
| ID card | el DNI (Spain, Argentina), la credencial or el INE (Mexico), la cédula (Colombia) | |
| A card | una tarjeta | |
| A laptop | una laptop (Mexico), un portátil (Spain, Colombia), una notebook (Argentina) | |
| Keys | las llaves | |
| Black, leather | negro, de cuero | Spain also says de piel |
| It’s blue with a white stripe | Es azul con una raya blanca. | |
| It’s worth about three hundred euros | Vale unos trescientos euros. | |
| It had my cards and my ID in it | Tenía mis tarjetas y mi identificación adentro. | Spain: dentro |
Blocking the card
Do this before the police station. A card is blocked in one call.
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I want to block my card | Quiero bloquear mi tarjeta. | The sentence to lead with |
| It was stolen | Me la robaron. | |
| There are charges I didn’t make | Hay cargos que yo no hice. | |
| I want to dispute a charge | Quiero desconocer un cargo. | The banking word in Mexico, Colombia and Argentina |
| I want to dispute a charge | Quiero reclamar un cargo. | Spain |
| Can you send me a new one? | ¿Me pueden enviar una nueva? | |
| I’m abroad | Estoy en el extranjero. | |
| The last four digits are… | Los últimos cuatro dígitos son… | |
| PIN | el NIP (Mexico), el PIN (Spain, Colombia, Argentina) |
For a phone, the carrier blocks the line and the handset: Quiero bloquear la línea y el equipo. In Mexico, Colombia and Argentina the handset is el equipo; in Spain it is el terminal or just el móvil. Ask them to register the IMEI as stolen, so that the phone cannot be reactivated.
The embassy
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I lost my passport | Perdí mi pasaporte. | |
| My passport was stolen | Me robaron el pasaporte. | |
| I need an emergency passport | Necesito un pasaporte de emergencia. | |
| I need a travel document | Necesito un salvoconducto. | The emergency one-trip document |
| I have the police report | Tengo la denuncia. | Bring it. Consulates ask for it |
| My flight is tomorrow | Mi vuelo es mañana. | Say this first. It moves you up |
| Where is the embassy? | ¿Dónde queda la embajada? | Mexico, Colombia, Argentina use queda; Spain está |
| The consulate | el consulado |
Carry a photo of your passport page on your phone and a paper copy somewhere separate. Every consulate asks for the number.
Lost property
Not everything is a theft. Taxis, metros, airports and hotels all keep found items, and the office is called the same thing nearly everywhere.
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lost property | objetos perdidos | The office name in all four |
| Lost and found | la oficina de objetos perdidos | |
| I left my bag on the train | Dejé mi bolso en el tren. | |
| I left it in the taxi | Lo dejé en el taxi. | |
| Has anyone handed in a…? | ¿Alguien entregó un…? | |
| Did you find a phone? | ¿Encontraron un celular? | Spain: un móvil |
| I was in room 402 | Estaba en la habitación 402. | Spain, Argentina. Mexico and Colombia: el cuarto 402 |
| Can you call me if it turns up? | ¿Me puede avisar si aparece? | |
| I can come and collect it | Puedo pasar a recogerlo. | Argentina also says pasar a buscarlo |
Hotels keep found items for a set time and will post them at your cost. Ask ¿Me lo pueden enviar? and expect to pay. Big city transport systems run a lost property office, and items handed in take days to arrive there, so ask again after a week rather than once.
For the insurance
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance | el seguro | |
| A claim | un reclamo (Mexico, Colombia, Argentina), una reclamación (Spain) | |
| The policy number | el número de póliza | |
| The excess | el deducible (Mexico, Colombia), la franquicia (Spain, Argentina) | |
| Proof of purchase | el comprobante de compra | |
| The invoice | la factura | |
| Does it cover theft? | ¿Cubre robo? |
Insurers in every country want three things: the report with its number, proof you owned the item, and the date. Get the report the same day, because a late report is a common reason a claim is refused.
Ten sentences you can say tomorrow
- Me robaron el celular en el metro. My phone was stolen on the metro. (Mexico, Colombia, Argentina)
- Vengo a levantar un acta por robo. I’ve come to file a theft report. (Mexico)
- Quiero poner una denuncia por robo, sin violencia. I want to report a theft, with no violence. (Spain)
- ¿Cuál es el número de radicado? What’s the case number? (Colombia)
- Vengo a hacer una exposición por extravío. I’ve come to file a statement of loss. (Argentina)
- Perdí la billetera con las tarjetas y el pasaporte adentro. I lost my wallet with my cards and passport in it.
- Quiero bloquear mi tarjeta, me la robaron. I want to block my card, it was stolen.
- Necesito una copia para el seguro, por favor. I need a copy for the insurance, please.
- Dejé mi mochila en el taxi esta mañana. ¿Alguien la entregó? I left my backpack in the taxi this morning. Has anyone handed it in?
- Mi vuelo es mañana y necesito un salvoconducto. My flight is tomorrow and I need an emergency travel document.
Questions people ask
Is it worth reporting a stolen phone? For the insurance and for a replacement passport or ID, yes, and the report is usually the only way to get either. As a way of getting the phone back, rarely.
What is the difference between “denuncia” and “constancia”? With a denuncia you accuse someone of a crime and open a case. With a constancia or acta de hechos you record that you told the authorities something happened, which is what an insurer or a consulate needs. In Mexico and Argentina the two are clearly separate.
Can I report a theft online? In Spain you can report a theft without violence online and sign it later at a station. Colombia has an online reporting system the police will point you to. In Mexico and Argentina it varies by state and province, so ask at the counter.
Do I say “me robaron” or “fui robado”? Me robaron, they robbed me, with no named subject. The passive fui robado is grammatical and sounds like a translation.
What is “el IMEI”? The phone’s unique serial number, pronounced as a word, i-mei. Dial *#06# to see it, and note it down before anything happens. The police ask for it every time.
What do I call my ID? El DNI in Spain and Argentina, la cédula in Colombia, la credencial or el INE in Mexico. A driving licence is el carnet de conducir in Spain, la licencia in Mexico and Argentina, el pase or la licencia in Colombia.
How do I ask if the area is safe? ¿Es seguro por aquí? or ¿Se puede caminar por acá de noche? People answer honestly and in detail.
What if the police will not take the report? Ask for it in writing: ¿Me lo puede dar por escrito? and ask for the officer’s name. Consulates also help nationals who are refused a report.
Practise these words
robar, perder, denuncia, comisaría, pasaporte, cartera, celular, tarjeta, bloquear, seguro, embajada, avisar, encontrar. Vozelu is a free website for practising Spanish, and it has each of these. You see a sentence with one word missing, you type the word, and a native voice reads the sentence back. Practise the words on this page.