Lost items in Belgian public transport: SNCB, STIB, De Lijn, TEC — what to do?

Public transport is the primary location for lost items in Belgium. SNCB, STIB in Brussels, De Lijn in Flanders and TEC in Wallonia each have their own procedures — here is the complete guide for each one.

Lost items at SNCB (trains)

SNCB has a dedicated service accessible at sncb.be/en/lost-property. Items recovered on trains are sent to the main station depot at the end of the journey. You generally have 30 days to claim them before disposal.

• Report the loss online at sncb.be within 48 hours
• Provide the train number, carriage number and exact date
• Collect the item at the indicated SNCB station or request postal delivery

Lost items at STIB (Brussels — Metro, Tram, Bus)

STIB centralises found items at its Lost Property Office, accessible via stib.be/en/lost-and-found. The storage period is 90 days. You can file a loss report online 24/7.

• Online declaration at stib.be, section 'Lost and Found'
• Physical office: contact STIB for the current address
• Bring your Mobib card number if you have one

Lost items at De Lijn (Flanders — Bus and Tram)

De Lijn manages found items via its website delijn.be, section 'Found objects'. The procedure is entirely digital. iLost is De Lijn's official partner for managing over 13,000 items per year in Belgium.

• Declare via delijn.be or the iLost partner platform
• Provide the line, direction and approximate time
• Collection possible at the relevant De Lijn depots

Lost items at TEC (Wallonia — Buses)

TEC has a lost property service accessible at letec.be. Contact TEC customer service with the line number, date and time. Items are kept at TEC depots in your region (Liège, Namur, Charleroi, etc.).

Lost items at Brussels-Zaventem Airport

Brussels Airport has a lost property service at brusselsairport.be. Items found on a plane must be reported directly to the airline. Distinguish carefully between the public zone (before security) and the Schengen zone (after security).

• Public zone (before security): contact the airport via brusselsairport.be
• Secure zone (after security): contact the Federal Airport Police
• On the plane: contact the airline within 24 hours

eFinder tip for Belgian transport

In parallel with the official procedures (which can take several days), post a listing on eFinder immediately. The driver or another passenger who found the item may have reported it on the platform even before the official service has registered your request.