Procedures for repatriating stolen vehicles recovered abroad

Introduction from historical Interpol information:

During a number of Interpol meetings on motor vehicle crime the problems of recovering stolen vehicles from abroad has been raised. This is an issue which causes many difficulties to police services, owners of vehicles and their authorised agents.

It is obvious that due to differences in procedures, legal systems and policy the systems for such recovery will vary greatly from country to country. When a vehicle is stolen in one country and subsequently seized in another, certain procedures need to be followed to enable the vehicle to be returned to its legal owner.

The booklet has been compiled as a first reference point on this subject. Clearly, not all the different circumstances can be covered in such a document. However, it was compiled with the aim of giving countries some guidelines on how to go about recovering vehicles from another country. In most instances a contact point in the relevant country has been given to enable further enquiries to be made where necessary. It should also be borne in mind that this document was as accurate as possible at the time of going to press but, in the interim, changes in legislation may have occurred and countries are advised to check the procedures in a specific case before undertaking any action to recover a stolen vehicle.

Since this is intended as a reference document for policing agencies, NCBs are authorised to make copies and circulate them to any such bodies requesting it.