As of 1 October 2026: reporting a lost item in Abu Dhabi, and later collecting one that turns up, both run through Abu Dhabi Police via TAMM, and both are free, read directly from TAMM’s own service pages. The process is faster than it sounds, each step is listed at just 15 minutes, but it only works smoothly if the right documents are in hand at the start.
How do I actually report something lost in Abu Dhabi?
Abu Dhabi Police’s Reporting Lost Items service lets anyone file an official report for a lost item, logging in through UAE PASS or visiting a service centre in person. TAMM lists the required documents as a passport or Emirates ID, a bank letter detailing the account and checkbook number, and the lost document itself if any version of it is still available. Once the application and documents are submitted, the applicant receives a Lost Item Certificate, the official record that the loss has been filed.
Why does a bank letter matter for a lost item report?
The bank letter requirement is specific enough to be worth flagging on its own: it is not a general requirement for every lost item, but it becomes necessary when the loss involves something tied to a bank account, a lost chequebook being the obvious example. Anyone reporting a lost item that has no banking connection at all would not need this document, but it is worth having ready regardless, since TAMM lists it as a standard required document on this service.
What if I find something and want to hand it in, or I think my item has been found?
TAMM also runs a Browse Found Items tool, an online inventory of items Abu Dhabi Police has logged as found, searchable before anyone files a fresh lost report. Checking this list first can save a trip to a service centre if the item has already turned up and been logged.
How do I collect an item once it has been found?
The Collect Lost and Found Items service is the final step: once an item is confirmed found and logged, the owner can apply to receive it back through the police station holding it. This step needs a passport and proof of ownership for the specific item, again logged in via UAE PASS or in person at a service centre. Like the reporting step, TAMM lists this as a 15-minute process with no additional cost.
Does any of this cost money?
Both services, reporting a loss and collecting a found item, are listed by TAMM as carrying no additional costs. Nothing is charged at any stage of either process, which makes the only real cost the time spent gathering the right documents and getting to a service centre if not applying through UAE PASS directly.
What should I do first if something goes missing?
The practical order for Abu Dhabi lost and found is: check the Browse Found Items tool first in case the item has already been logged as found, file a Reporting Lost Items application if it has not turned up, and keep the resulting Lost Item Certificate on hand. That certificate is often the document another authority asks for before it will process a replacement, our Abu Dhabi driving licence guide covers what happens if the lost item is specifically a licence that needs replacing rather than just recovering.
Where does this sit within Abu Dhabi’s wider digital government setup?
Both services run through TAMM, the same platform Abu Dhabi uses for everything from business licensing to property registration; our TAMM explainer covers how the platform brought dozens of separate government processes into one login. Property-related government services follow the same UAE PASS pattern, our Abu Dhabi property sale registration guide is a useful comparison for how consistent TAMM’s documents-steps-fees structure stays across completely different kinds of services.
What is the short version?
Abu Dhabi Police handles lost and found items through three linked TAMM services: reporting a loss (passport or Emirates ID, a bank letter if relevant, and the lost document if available), browsing the found-items database, and collecting a found item once it is confirmed (passport and proof of ownership). All three take about 15 minutes each and carry no fee, run either through UAE PASS or in person at a service centre.
Last updated: 1 October 2026. Primary source: TAMM, Reporting Lost Items (Abu Dhabi Police).
