Found a licence plate? Here’s what to do

It is sitting by the kerb, in a puddle, or under a bush in a supermarket car park. Sometimes it shears off on a pothole. Sometimes it comes off when someone changes plates. The first instinct is often to photograph it and post it in the neighbourhood Facebook group. Don’t. The number should not live on the internet, and those posts almost never get the plate back to the right person.

Should you even pick it up?

If it is in the road, on a crossing, or next to a smashed car — stay off the carriageway. Call 112 and give them the spot. The plate can wait.

If nothing is coming and nothing is on fire, you can pick it up. Do not try to work out who legally owns the car. A plate does not give you that right, and it does not open CEPiK.

Where to take it

Hand it to someone who actually deals with this:

• a police station or the local officer,
• the municipal guard,
• security or reception, if you found it at a shop, office, or housing estate.

Do not take it home “just in case”. Do not arrange a meetup in a car park with a stranger. Do not promise you will personally deliver it.

If you want the driver to know

Sometimes you just want the person to know where the plate went. If the car is on DriverLink, type the number at driverlink.pl/kontakt-z-wlascicielem-po-numerze-rejestracyjnym or scan the QR sticker. “Found a plate near [place]. I left it at the police station / with shop security” is enough.

Skip the photo. They already know their number. You will not see their phone — that is the point.

Not every plate is in the system. Then the job is simply to hand it in. A note under the wiper only makes sense if the car is sitting right there and you can reach it safely.

If it is your plate

Getting the metal back is not the whole job. Loss, theft, and damage each have their own path on Gov.pl. Check that before you go for a replacement.

And if you want someone to be able to ping you when a plate falls off or a car blocks you in — add the vehicle on DriverLink. One car is free.

Editorial sources

• Gov.pl: report a lost or damaged licence plate (accessed 13 Sep 2026)
• KMP Gliwice: lost licence plate — next steps (accessed 13 Sep 2026)
• Śląskie Voivodeship Office: when to call 112 (accessed 13 Sep 2026)

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