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Use the Online-Wache

Polizei · Reporting online — and its limits

OnlineDepending on the federal state

The Online-Wache (online police station) – depending on the state also called the Internetwache – is the form through which you can file a report online without visiting a police station. It is free of charge, available around the clock, and all 16 federal states now offer one.

What is not the same everywhere is the scope. Each state runs its own portal, and the range of offences and forms available differs considerably. In Bremen, for example, only certain types of theft – bicycle theft, theft from a vehicle, pickpocketing –, criminal damage and online hate crime can currently be reported online; further areas are said to follow. A fraud case that can be reported online in another state may still require a visit to a police station there.

And there are cases where the police explicitly advise against it. The states' joint portal says it unambiguously: for offences involving threats or the use of violence you should contact the police immediately – in person or via the emergency number 110. And traffic accidents as well as offences with complex facts belong directly at the nearest police station.

The reason is not bureaucracy but practice: in a violent offence, injuries must be seen, traces secured, and protective measures checked immediately. A form cannot do that. If there is acute danger, an ongoing criminal offence, or injured people, the rule is always: 110 – for medical emergencies 112. Both numbers are staffed around the clock and free of charge.

Last updated27 August 2026
Legal basis§ 158 StPO · state law of the respective police force
VerificationChecked against polizei.de and the states' joint online police station portal
Written and reviewed byAndrés Sánchez Botta
Independent information page: We are not the police, not an authority, and not a paid advisory service — we do not file applications on your behalf. All information comes from official sources and is explained simply here; the competent body is always the one that applies. Not legal advice. The online police station is not an emergency number. If there is acute danger, call 110. All information provided without guarantee. We are neither lawyers nor tax consultants: we document administrative procedures and check the information against the official source — this is information, not legal or tax advice.
CostsFree of chargeIn all 16 states
AvailableAround the clockBut not an emergency number
ScopeDepending on the federal stateOffences vary
Not suitable forViolence, accidentGo there in person, or call 110
Required documents

What you need

Your federal state's portal

There is no nationwide standard form. Search for "Onlinewache" together with your federal state, or use the states' joint police portal and select yours from there. As a rule, the state in which the offence took place is the one that applies.

Your personal details

Name, date of birth and address are requested in the form. There is no such thing as a formal report without personal details – an anonymous tip is a different matter and does not give rise to a case reference number or victims' rights.

The description of the facts

What, when, where, who. It is best to write the text beforehand in a text editor and then paste it in: many forms have a time limit, and a lost connection otherwise costs you the whole entry.

Files as evidence

Most portals allow you to upload screenshots, photos and documents. Pay attention to the permitted file formats and the size limit, and give the files meaningful names – screenshot-chat-14-08-2026.png rather than IMG_0042.png.

A working email address

Confirmation and the case reference number arrive by email. Check the spam folder if nothing arrives, and save the confirmation – it is your proof for insurers and employers.

Step by step

How to proceed

  1. 1

    First check whether the case belongs online at all

    For threats or violence, in cases of acute danger, and for traffic accidents, the online police station is the wrong route – this is stated on the states' joint police portal itself. It is well suited to fraud, cybercrime, criminal damage, simple theft and online insults.

  2. 2

    Open the portal of the correct federal state

    What matters is the state in which the offence took place, not your place of residence. For internet offences without a clear place of commission, you can use your own state. Check whether your offence is even offered there – the scope differs from state to state.

  3. 3

    Write the description of the facts beforehand, then paste it in

    Compose the text in a word processor and paste it into the form. This protects you against timeouts and dropped connections, and you keep a copy of what you submitted.

  4. 4

    Upload evidence

    Screenshots with a visible date, payment receipts, and for emails the complete headers. Upload whatever you have, and keep the originals. Anything the form does not accept can be submitted later – mention it in the text so it is clear that it exists.

  5. 5

    For offences requiring a request to prosecute, explicitly state the request

    Some forms ask about this, some do not. If there is no field for it, write the sentence in the description of the facts: that you are submitting a request to prosecute. Without it, an offence requiring a request to prosecute will be discontinued, no matter how complete the report is otherwise.

  6. 6

    Keep the confirmation and note the case reference number

    You receive a confirmation of receipt by email, usually with a case or reference number. Save it as a PDF. If nothing arrives within a few days, call the police station – a form that gets lost online is otherwise noticed by no one.

Fee information

Costs and payment

Free of charge — with clear limitsWhat the online police station is for, and what it is not
Online reportFree of charge
AvailabilityAll 16 states
Scope of offencesVaries by state
In case of threat or violenceIn person or call 110
In case of a traffic accidentGo to the police station
As an emergency numberNot suitable

The online report is free of charge everywhere, and by now all 16 federal states run an online police station. But that says nothing about what you can report there: each state runs its own portal, and the offences on offer differ considerably. Bremen currently limits itself to certain types of theft, criminal damage and online hate crime, and announces that further areas are to be added. So always check the portal of your own state rather than relying on a general statement. The police themselves explicitly draw two boundaries: for offences involving threats or the use of violence you should contact the police immediately in person or via 110, and traffic accidents as well as offences with complex facts belong directly at the nearest police station. And polizei.de makes clear that the service is "not suitable for emergencies": in urgent cases, the emergency number 110 applies.

Good to know

Important notes

The online police station is not an emergency number. It is not actively monitored around the clock. In case of acute danger, an ongoing offence, or injured people: 110.

All 16 states have one — but not with the same scope. What can be reported online in one state may require a visit to a police station in the neighbouring one.

In cases of threats or violence, the police themselves advise against it. There, what matters is that injuries can be seen, traces secured, and protective measures checked immediately.

Traffic accidents do not belong in the form. The states' joint portal explicitly says so too – as does its treatment of cases with complex facts.

What matters is the state where the offence took place, not your place of residence. For purely internet-based offences with no identifiable place of commission, you can choose your own state.

Write the text beforehand and paste it in. Timeouts and dropped connections otherwise cost you the entire entry – and with it the wording you had prepared.

Remember the request to prosecute. If the form has no field for it, write it explicitly in the description of the facts.

Save the confirmation email. It contains the case reference number, which insurers almost always require – and proof that the report has arrived.

Avoid these mistakes

Common mistakes

Using the online police station in an emergency. It is explicitly not suitable for emergencies. An ongoing offence or acute danger belongs on 110.

Reporting a violent offence or a threat online. This is exactly what the police advise against – and it costs you the chance to have injuries documented and protection checked immediately.

Reporting a traffic accident through the form. The joint portal explicitly names traffic accidents as a case for the nearest police station.

Assuming the same things can be reported online in every state. The scope differs; in Bremen, for example, only a few areas of offences have been enabled so far.

Forgetting the request to prosecute because the form does not ask about it. For offences requiring a request to prosecute, proceedings are otherwise discontinued.

Typing the text directly into the form. A timeout deletes half an hour of work – and the second attempt is usually shorter and less precise.

Frequently asked questions

Questions and answers

Do all 16 federal states really have an online police station?

Yes. By now every federal state offers an online police station – including Bremen, which was long treated as an exception and is still listed that way in many overviews. What matters, though, is the scope: Bremen currently limits itself to selected theft offences – bicycle theft, theft from or out of vehicles, pickpocketing –, criminal damage and online hate crime, and announces that "further areas of offences will follow". So always check specifically whether your case is covered by your state's portal.

Which cases do not belong on the online police station?

Three groups, and the police say so themselves. First, emergencies: polizei.de points out that the service is "not suitable for emergencies" – in urgent cases, call 110. Second, offences involving threats or the use of violence: here you should contact the police immediately, in person or via the emergency number. Third, traffic accidents and offences with complex facts: they belong directly at the nearest police station. The online police station, on the other hand, is well suited to fraud, cybercrime, criminal damage, simple theft and insults online.

Is an online report just as valid as an in-person one?

Yes. It becomes a case file in exactly the same way and is processed by the competent police station; legally there is no difference. In practice, however, there is one: with an in-person report, follow-up questions can be asked immediately, injuries documented, and original evidence secured. That is why the online route is convenient and sensible for straightforward cases – and the worse option for anything requiring evidence to be secured or protection to be checked.

How long does it take before I hear something?

The confirmation of receipt with a case number usually arrives automatically and promptly by email. For the processing itself there is no statutory or generally guaranteed deadline – it depends on the offence, the evidence, and how busy the competent police station is, and can take weeks. If not even a confirmation arrives after a few days, first check the spam folder, then call the police station: a form that technically failed to arrive is otherwise noticed by no one.

Can I add to the report later?

Yes. Contact the handling police station with your case reference number and submit what is missing. This is explicitly provided for and a good reason not to wait for the perfect report: better to report fully now what you know and add to it later, than to keep collecting until evidence has disappeared. Already mention in the text which documents exist, even if you cannot upload them yet.

Do I need an identity card or an Anmeldung (residence registration)?

For most portals it is enough to enter your personal details in the form – an electronic proof of identity is largely not required. Some states offer it as an additional option. What is not possible under any circumstances is an anonymous formal report: without personal details there is no case reference number, no victims' rights and no response. The police accept anonymous tips through other channels, but they are legally a different matter.

Which federal state is competent if I was defrauded online?

In principle, the state where the offence was committed. For internet offences, this often cannot be determined – in that case you can file the report through your own federal state's portal; forwarding to the competent authority happens internally. More important than the choice of portal in fraud cases is, in any case, that you contact your bank in parallel: a chargeback is decided within hours, while the investigation takes weeks.

What is the difference between Online-Wache and Internetwache?

Only the name. The states have named their portals differently – "Onlinewache", "Internetwache", "Online-Anzeige" –, but they mean the same thing: the state police's form for filing a report online. There is no nationwide standard form, which also explains why scope and handling differ from state to state. The states' joint police portal takes you to the correct destination.

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