How to file a police report for a stolen phone (Philippines)
If you're hurt or in danger, call 911 first. If you've just lost your phone, start with who to call, and come back to this when you're ready. This is general information, not legal advice. In another country? Pick yours here.
What to bring
- Your phone's details: the model, the IMEI (a number that identifies the phone) and the serial number. Apple says the police may ask for the serial number. You can find them without the phone.
- What happened: the place, the date and the rough time. Also say whether it was taken by force or without you noticing. The NTC's blocking form asks for these too, so it helps to write them down once.
- A government ID, if you still have one. We couldn't confirm that every station asks for one. The NTC's form also needs an ID, or a birth certificate or NBI clearance if you have none.
- The box or receipt, if you have them. They help with the next step, not only this one.
If your ID or papers were taken as well, go anyway and explain. Ask the station what it can do.
What happens at the station
A 2014 PNP circular describes how stations record reports. Your station may do things a little differently today, but this is the outline:
- Go to the right station. Davao City police have asked people to report to the station covering the area where it happened. If you're not sure which one that is, ask the nearest station.
- Speak to the desk officer. They take your report and enter it in the police blotter, the station's daily logbook of incidents. The entry has a number, the date, your name, the place and what happened.
- Speak to the duty investigator. If the desk officer treats it as a crime, you're passed on to the investigator on duty.
- Sign the Incident Record Form. Read it first, and check that the IMEI and the details are right. The circular says you get the first copy of the signed form, as a receipt and proof that you were attended to.
Keep that copy safe, and note the form number and the blotter entry number. You may need to quote them later.
Why it's worth doing
- To block the phone. Smart says the NTC needs a police report if you have no proof you own the phone. The NTC's form lists a police blotter as something to attach if you have one. Here's how blocking works.
- For insurance. Your insurer may ask for a report, so check with them.
- If money or accounts were taken. You can also contact the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group at (02) 8723-0401: local 7490 for its Cyber Response Unit, or local 7492 for its Cyber Financial Crime Unit. We read these on its site on 3 November 2026, along with regional units across the country. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) also lists the group at [email protected] and (0998) 598-8116, the NBI Cybercrime Division at [email protected], and the government's cybercrime center, the CICC, on 1326. It's also worth asking the NBI Cybercrime Division, but the NBI's own pages give different numbers, so we don't list one.
What a report can't do
A police report doesn't block your SIM, your accounts or the phone, and nobody can promise it will bring the phone back. If Find My shows where the phone is, tell the police and let them act. Please don't go after it yourself.
What we couldn't confirm
The PNP's main website wouldn't open for us, so we can't tell you about fees, how long it takes, how to get a certified copy, or whether your station takes reports online. Ask the desk officer, or call the station first.
How FirstHour helps
Plan B keeps your phone's model, IMEI and serial number in your first-hour plan, ready for your network or the police. iPhone doesn't let apps read those numbers, so you type them in. Send the plan to someone you trust, because a plan that's only on your phone goes missing with it. FirstHour can't file a report for you.
Questions
Do I need a police report before I block my SIM?
Smart's steps for reporting a lost or stolen phone don't ask for one. Call your network first, so that codes sent by text stop reaching the phone.
Is the blotter the same as the Incident Record Form?
The circular treats them as two records. The blotter is the station's logbook, and the form is the signed record you get a copy of. If another office asks for a police report, ask which of the two it means.
What if I'm not sure it was stolen?
Say exactly that, and describe what you remember. The NTC's form has separate boxes for lost and stolen phones, so it covers both.
Can a relative report it for me?
We couldn't confirm this. Ask the station first, and have them bring what they ask for.
Sources
- PNP Memorandum Circular No. 2014-009, Crime Incident Recording System, Supreme Court E-Library
- Police to public: Report crimes to cops, not in social media, City Government of Davao
- How to report a lost or stolen phone, Smart
- Form No. NTC 1-24, Affidavit of Ownership and Loss with Undertaking, National Telecommunications Commission
- How to find your lost iPhone or iPad, Apple Support
- Phones and tablets, Get Cyber Safe, Government of Canada