What is flight concealment?
Verified 20 March 2026 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
The flight concealment is the fact of hide or keep something stolen by someone else. It is also the fact of give or act as an intermediary to give a stolen thing or take advantage of the stolen thing. The person guilty of concealment shall be liable to the same penalties as the thief. We present you the information to know.
Theft concealment is the act of concealing, holding or transmitting property that we know stolen.
For example, a person buys a mobile phone knowing that it comes from a “ pickpocketing ” that is, it was taken out of the victim's pocket.
The author of the flight concealment must know that the thing came from a robbery. It's called the ‘fence’.
The concealment is different from complicity in theft. For example, a person who keeps the loot of a burglary without participating in it is guilty of concealment, not complicity in theft. The concealer intervenes only after the flight commission.
The concealment is also the fact of benefit from the sale money of a stolen object.
The concealment does not concern the person in good faith who buys a second-hand property thinking it belongs to the dealer. The good faith of the buyer will be examined during the investigation or trial.
The flight concealment shall be punished by 5 years in prison and €375,000 of a fine.
The aggravated flight concealment shall be punished more severely: 10 years in prison and €750,000 of a fine. This penalty applies when committed in a habitual manner, using the facilities provided by a profession or in an organized gang.
The fence may be punished by a fine of more than €375,000 and which can go up to half the value of the objects concealed. This is the case when these objects have a value greater than the maximum fine incurred.
Additional penalties may be imposed, such as confiscation of the stolen object, prohibition from holding public office, professional activity, possession of a weapon.
In any case, the fence-taker may be ordered to make reparation for the damage suffered by the victim, as may the thief.
Please note
If the thief has not been identified or found, the fence can still be convicted of concealment.
The time limit for prescription flight concealment is 6 years. This period starts to run from the day on which the fence no longer holds the stolen object.
Filing a complaint
If you are a victim, you can lodge a complaint against the perpetrator. If you do not know his identity, you can file a complaint against X. Complaints may be filed even if the perpetrator is abroad.
On site
To file a complaint, you must go to police station or to the gendarmerie of your choice.
Police or gendarmerie services are obliged to register your complaint if you are a victim of a infringement.
It's the public prosecutor who decides on the action to be taken on the complaint (investigation, filing without follow-up...).
Online
If you do not know the perpetrator, you can fill out a online complaint :
Depending on the elements declared, you can be contacted by a policeman or a gendarme to complete your declaration at the police station or gendarmerie.
Your return is processed by an agent. It determines whether it meets the conditions for a notice of complaint.
If your declaration is accepted, you are informed that a digital copy of the notice of complaint is posted online.
Otherwise, you will receive an email telling you the reason for rejecting your declaration.
By post
You can file a complaint with the public prosecutor.
To do this, you must send a letter to court of the place of the offense or of the domicile of the offender.
Who shall I contact
Your mail should include the following:
- Your marital status and full contact details (address and telephone number)
- Detailed account of the facts, date and place of the offense
- Name of the alleged perpetrator if you know him (otherwise, the complaint will be filed against X)
- Name and address of any witnesses to the offense
- Description and provisional or definitive estimate of injury
- Your proof documents: medical certificates, work stoppages, photographs, videos, various invoices, statements...
You can use the following mail template:
File a complaint with the public prosecutor
You can send your complaint by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt (preferably), by simple letter or by followed letter.
You can also file your complaint directly at the reception desk of the court.
In any case, a receipt is sent to you as soon as the public prosecutor's office has registered your complaint.
You can be assisted by a lawyer if you wish.
Who shall I contact
Please note
If you have limited resources, you can apply for legal aid to pay the costs of a lawyer in whole or in part.
You have a period of 6 years to file a complaint.
This limitation period shall begin the last day on which the offense is committed (i.e. the day the fence separated from the object of the flight).
When you have filed a complaint, a police or gendarmerie department is responsible for investigating. The final decision on the direction of the complaint is made by the public prosecutor.
Claim for compensation for damage
You can ask for damages for the compensation of the damage caused by constituting you civil party following the filing of a complaint.
The damage to be repaired concerns both the object of the theft (for example if it cannot be returned) and other damage (broken door, moral damage...).
Request for return of stolen object
The property may be at the fence or have been sold by the fence.
Depending on the good or bad faith of the buyer, the procedure to be carried out to obtain the return of the object is different. Only the victim from whom the object was stolen can do it.
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Author of the concealment
If the object was found during the police or gendarmerie investigation at the home of the person responsible for the concealment, you can request its return during the investigation.
Buyer in good faith
A person who has purchased an item that has been stolen may be considered in good faith if he proves that he was unaware of the illegal origin of the item. For example, this is the case if the product was packaged and the seller submitted invoices.
You can claim your item from the buyer, during 3 years from the day of the flight.
If the purchase was made at a fair, market, public sale or at a dealer selling this type of object, you will have to refund the buyer the price he paid.
In the event of a dispute, you can take legal action to claim the return of your property and have the amount of the refund assessed for the buyer.
The court having jurisdiction depends on the sums at stake in the dispute.
- For a dispute less than or equal to €10,000, it is the local court or the judicial court.
- For a dispute greater than €10,000, it's the court of law.
Who shall I contact
Bad faith buyer
If the buyer is acting in bad faith, i.e. knows the dubious origin of the property, you can ask the return of your property.
You can request it at any time, whether during the police or gendarmerie investigation or during the trial in court if there are prosecutions.
The court may refuse judicial restitution where it presents a danger to persons, property or where the seized property was used to commit the offense.
You can ask for damages to the dealer of the good, if you prove that the dealer was aware of its questionable origin.
You have to fill out a form and send it to the court:
Request for the return of an object placed under the hand of justice
Who shall I contact
Who can help me?
Find who can answer your questions in your region
To find out
For more information on this subject, you can contact Allô Service Public.
Attention: the service does not have access to users' personal files and therefore cannot provide information on their progress.
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The informants who answer you belong to the Department of Justice.
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This service allows victims of infringements (excluding damage to property on the internet) to be listened to and referred to a victim support association or a specialized service. It is accessible to deaf and hard of hearing people.
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By email
By email: victimes@116006.fr
To be assisted
LawyerTo file a complaint
Police stationTo file a complaint
Gendarmerie Brigade
Penalties for concealment
Additional penalties
Limitation period
Return of a stolen item (good faith buyer)
Return of a stolen item (buyer in bad faith) -
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