Log in and open the advert creation page
To create an advert, you must be logged in to suchen.expert. Then open the ‘Place an advert’ function. The form guides you through the selection process and the required information. Where possible, have the date of the event, the relevant location, a factual description and suitable photos ready before you begin.
suchen.expert provides the technical means for publication and contact. The platform is neither a public authority nor an official lost property office. An advert therefore neither fulfils statutory obligations nor replaces a required report to a lost property office, the police or another competent authority.
Select the correct type, category and situation
First select the type that matches your needs:
- ‘Lost’ for a lost, presumably stolen or missing item, an animal or another permitted search case. The available situations are ‘Lost’, ‘Stolen’ and ‘Missing’.
- ‘Found’ for an item you have found yourself or a find location known to you. The available situations are ‘Found’ and ‘Location known’.
- ‘Incidents’ for factual information about an event or a permitted search for witnesses. The available situations are ‘Was a witness’ and ‘Witnesses sought’.
After selecting the type, choose the appropriate category and then the situation. Base your selection on the actual circumstances. ‘Stolen’, for example, should be used only where there are specific indications that an item was taken; simply being unable to find an item does not automatically mean that it was stolen.
The type, category, situation and location cannot be changed after publication. You should therefore check these four details especially carefully. Further guidance is provided in the article How do I choose the right category for my advert? The details that cannot be changed are also explained under Fixed listing details.
Set the location using the map and address search
Enter the relevant location in the address search and place or check the marker on the map. Depending on the case, the relevant location is where the item was lost or found, or where the incident occurred. If the exact point is unknown, choose the factually correct area as precisely as possible without suggesting that you know a location which is in fact unknown.
At the same time, be mindful of your privacy. Do not use an exact private address if an approximate position or a nearby public place is sufficient for the search. Under the Terms and Conditions, an email address, telephone number and postal address may appear neither in the title nor in the description of an advert. Therefore, do not repeat the address used in the location field in the free-text section.
Because the location cannot be changed after publication, check both the address and the marker’s actual position before submitting the advert.
Complete the title, event date and description
The title may contain no more than 75 characters. Keep it brief, unambiguous and factual, for example by including the type of item and a general reference to the location or time. Avoid full contact details, excessive capitalisation, unsubstantiated accusations and misleading wording.
For the event date, enter the day on which the item was lost or found, or the incident was observed. If the exact time is uncertain, make clear in the description that it is an estimate or a period of time.
The description may contain no more than 5,000 characters. Particularly useful details include:
- the type of item, make, model, colour, size and any distinctive externally visible features,
- the approximate location where the item was lost or found, or where the incident occurred,
- a factual time frame,
- the condition of the item,
- for animals, externally visible features and the last confirmed sighting location,
- for incidents, a chronological account of what you personally observed,
- when seeking witnesses, information about which observation is sought for which location and period of time.
Distinguish your own observations from assumptions. Do not name anyone as the perpetrator or person responsible unless this has been established and is necessary for a lawful publication. Do not publish private messages, personal data or images of other people without their consent or another sound legal basis either.
State a reward with care
The form contains a field for a reward. Enter information there only if you genuinely intend to offer the reward. Describe it truthfully and avoid ambiguous conditions. Stating a reward may have legal consequences; if you are unsure, you should seek individual advice.
Do not pay anyone any supposed postage, insurance, release or processing fees in advance simply because the person claims to have found the item you are looking for. First ask them to name features that are not publicly known. Further safety guidance is provided in How can I protect myself against fraud on suchen.expert?
Use ‘Secret data’ correctly
Information in the ‘Secret data’ field is not displayed publicly in the advert. However, it may be used to find the advert using matching search terms. You should therefore treat this field as a search aid that is not publicly visible, rather than as secure storage for confidential information.
Do not enter passwords, PINs, TANs, full ID, card, account or document numbers, full addresses, signatures, activation links or any other access details there. Suitable entries are discreetly worded search features that can help an authorised person find the advert without facilitating misuse.
Keep at least one unique identifying feature entirely private for later verification. Ask anyone claiming ownership or possession to state this feature themselves. Do not reveal the answer you expect through leading questions.
Enter a telephone number only in the designated field
The form contains a separate field for a telephone number. Enter a number only there, and not in the title or description. Before entering it, check the guidance displayed in the form concerning its purpose and visibility. If you do not wish to provide a telephone number, check whether the field is marked as optional or required.
The messaging function provided by suchen.expert should be used for initial contact. Do not send passwords, security codes, copies of identity documents or complete activation and reset links there. Guidance on exchanging messages can be found under How do I send a message to a user and how do I receive messages?
Upload safe and informative photos
You can upload up to twelve photos. Each file may be no larger than 12 MB. JPG, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, JFIF, WebP and AVIF are supported. If you do not upload a photo, the advert uses a neutral default image.
Where possible, use your own recent images that match the actual item. Before uploading them, check the edges, background and reflections. In particular, remove or obscure:
- faces and other identifiable people, unless you have sufficient authorisation to publish them,
- private addresses, house numbers, number plates and nameplates,
- complete documents, bank cards and payment cards,
- signatures, customer, account, identity document and card numbers,
- QR codes, barcodes and redeemable ticket or voucher codes,
- shipping labels, letters and on-screen notifications,
- GPS data and other unnecessary metadata.
A photo of keys should not make it possible to associate them with a specific address or unnecessarily show every detail suitable for identification. For documents or cards that have been found, a general description is sufficient; do not publish their complete front or back.
For incidents, do not use private wanted-person images or publicly pillory identifiable people. Give original recordings that may be relevant as evidence to the police and do not publish them without checking them first. Further practical guidance is provided in How should I format my advert, and what sort of photos can I use?
Take additional action for documents, animals, people and incidents
An advert on suchen.expert can supplement other measures, but cannot replace them:
- If you find identity documents, bank cards, driving licences or other official or security-sensitive documents, you should contact the competent lost property office, the police or the issuing institution. Do not use the data they contain to conduct your own search for contact details or people.
- If an item is suspected to have been stolen, you should consider reporting it to the police. For non-urgent matters, the police’s online reporting service is also available. The advert does not replace a police report.
- If an animal has been found or is missing, the appropriate contacts may include an animal shelter, lost property office, public order office, police or the relevant registration service, depending on the situation. Do not put yourself in danger when dealing with an injured, frightened or dangerous animal.
- If a person is missing, you should contact the police immediately. If they may be at risk, do not wait for responses to the advert; in an acute emergency in Germany, call 110. Publish images and personal details only if you are authorised to do so and publication will not endanger the person concerned or any investigation.
- For accidents, criminal offences or other serious incidents, a search for witnesses should be coordinated with the competent authority. Give evidence and sensitive details directly to the police. An advert must not purport to be an official appeal for information.
Observe lost property law and official obligations
Depending on the circumstances, anyone who finds an item may have statutory duties to report, safeguard or surrender it. suchen.expert is not a lost property authority and does not determine who owns an item or who has a right to its return. Publishing on the platform does not replace a required report of a found item to the owner, a person entitled to receive it or the competent authority.
An overview is provided in the Lost property law & more section. Which body is competent and which obligations apply in a particular case may depend on the item found and the circumstances. If you are unsure, contact the local lost property office, the competent authority or a qualified legal adviser.
Check optional promotions and the publication period
Before publication, paid additional services may be offered, including ‘Yellow frame’, ‘Premium Top’ and ‘Gallery’. Depending on the service selected, the promotion may apply for seven to fourteen days. The price, scope of service and duration displayed in the form immediately before you place the order subject to payment always apply. Prices and offers may change; a promotion guarantees neither a particular position in the search results nor a successful search.
The standard publication period for an advert is 28 days. If you activate the automatic republication offered, the active publication period may be up to 56 days. Without this selection, there is no automatic extension. Details are explained in Automatic publication of adverts on suchen.expert.
Check all information and publish
Before submitting the advert, check the type, category, situation, map marker and location in particular, because these details cannot be changed after publication. Also check the title, event date, description, search features, telephone number, photos, publication period and any paid additional services.
Then read and accept the Terms of Use and privacy information linked in the form. Select ‘Publish’ to submit the advert. Newly created adverts may be checked, approved or rejected before they are made public for the first time. Approval does not, however, confirm legal admissibility, factual accuracy or a claim to ownership. Further information can be found under How does the publication process for adverts work?
Manage the advert responsibly after publication
Monitor incoming messages and verify claims using features that were not published. Where possible, meet at a suitable, safe place when handing over an item and appropriately document the handover of valuable or sensitive found property. Do not hand over an item merely because someone repeats publicly visible details.
When the search is complete or the advert is no longer current, use the available management functions to update, deactivate or delete it. If an unchangeable field contains an error, do not immediately create several identical adverts. First check the available management options or contact support via the contact form. Do not assume that booked additional services will automatically be transferred to another advert or refunded.
Further guidance on using addresses, images, locations and contact details sparingly can be found under How do I protect my personal data and privacy online?
