Updated: March 2026
A lost ID card needs to be reported straight away. You can report the loss of the document at your local municipal office (urząd gminy), online or in the mObywatel app (Poland’s official government app). If the document could have fallen into the wrong hands, it’s also worth blocking it with your bank immediately. If the ID card was stolen, you should report the matter to the police as well. In addition, you can block it at a bank or through a system linked to the banking sector.
Below you’ll find up-to-date information that applies in 2026.
Where do you report a lost ID card?
A lost ID card is reported at the municipal office, online or in the mObywatel app. You can do the same if the document has been damaged. According to 2024 data from the Polish Bank Association (ZBP), there are on average 4,500 attempts every month to obtain loans using someone else’s details. One of the most common entry points for criminals is a lost ID card. Every day, more than 800 people in Poland type the phrase “how to block an ID card” or “lost ID card what to do” into Google. That shows just how important it is to act quickly.
To make a report, you need to fill in the appropriate form, which you can find online or at the office. If you are reporting a damaged ID card, you must attach it to the report.
Once you’ve submitted the form, you’ll receive a certificate confirming the loss or damage of your ID card. You’ll need it while you wait for a new ID card, which takes no longer than 2 months.
Do you always have to report a lost ID card to the police?
No, simply losing your ID card doesn’t need to be reported to the police. Losing an ID card isn’t a crime in itself, so going to the police wouldn’t make sense. You only need to go to a police station if the document was lost as a result of a crime, i.e. in cases of theft, or losing the ID card in a burglary, robbery, etc. The document will be invalidated on the day the theft is reported to the police, and you no longer need to report it to the municipal office.
Lost your ID card abroad? Here’s what to do
If you lose your ID card abroad, report it at the consulate. The ID card will then be invalidated.
Invalidating an ID card through a consulate takes considerably longer than at the municipal office, because the consul has to pass the whole matter on to the office that issued the card. Only then does the office invalidate the document.
After reporting the loss of your ID card, you’ll receive a certificate confirming its loss. If you report it by post or fax, you should also include a request for such a certificate to be issued, as it may come in useful in the future.
Blocking your ID card at the bank
In 2025, the average time to block a document in the “Dokumenty Zastrzeżone” (Blocked Documents) system is 3–5 minutes. Importantly, as many as 84% of banks now allow you to block your ID card over the phone, after remote identity verification. Stolen documents can also be used for other crimes, such as loan fraud or buying goods on credit. This is a huge problem for banks and businesses, but above all for the people whose documents were stolen.
You can protect yourself against identity fraud by quickly blocking your documents at a bank. In Poland, all banks belong to the “Dokumenty Zastrzeżone” system. So do other companies and institutions that verify a customer’s identity before a purchase or a service. The full list of businesses and banks has never been disclosed, for security reasons. In the “Dokumenty Zastrzeżone” system, the data is automatically passed on to all the entities that belong to it.
How do you do it? Simply go to a branch of your bank, or of any bank that belongs to the system. Some branches also accept reports by phone, after remotely verifying the customer’s identity. You can also block your documents online at www.bik.pl.
Can I suspend my ID card?
Yes, some ID cards can be temporarily suspended for 14 days if you think the document might still turn up. If you’re hoping your ID card will still be found, you can suspend it temporarily and lift the suspension once it turns up. This applies only to documents issued after 4 March 2019 that contain an electronic layer.
The service is free and lasts 14 days. If you don’t find your ID card within that time, it will be invalidated.
Can I report the loss of my ID card online?
Yes. Anyone reporting a lost ID card can do so online using a trusted profile (profil zaufany), which confirms their identity. The document is invalidated as soon as the report is made. The process doesn’t require authorisation by an official, so you can block it at the weekend or on a public holiday too. The system verifies the data and then generates a certificate confirming the loss or damage of the ID card, which you’ll find in your ePUAP inbox.
If your ID card also carries a qualified electronic signature from a private provider, you need to contact them directly. Invalidating the ID card doesn’t cancel the electronic signature. In 2024, as many as 73% of people who searched for “I lost my ID card” ended up reporting the loss online. It’s currently the fastest and safest method.
What are the possible consequences of a lost ID card?
Unfortunately, crimes involving someone else’s identity still happen. The consequences of a lost ID card can include a loan taken out in the document owner’s name, unwanted purchases on credit, and even a flat rented in their name.
In theory, any contracts concluded by third parties in the name of the lost document’s owner are not binding on them. But this has to be proven with the help of specialists such as handwriting experts, the courts and the police. That’s why the safest solution is to block the document at a bank immediately, or to carry a tracker in your wallet, which will let you find the location of a lost wallet.
Also check out our post What to do if you lose your wallet with your documents?
