FAQs

In Australia, a missing person is defined as:

Anyone who is reported missing to police, whose whereabouts are unknown, and there are fears for the safety or concern for the welfare of that person.

While there is a single definition used by police to describe a missing person, there are a variety of different circumstances which fit that description. A missing person may be a victim of misadventure, someone suffering from a health related issue (i.e. dementia), someone needing time out, or simply someone not where they are expected to be.

People talk about ‘missing’ in different ways including disappearance, abduction, homelessness, running away, couch surfing, sleeping rough, going walkabout or heading off. Missing persons can be of any age, gender, ethnicity, or background and the reasons why people go missing are many and varied.

Long term missing persons

When a missing persons case lasts longer than three months, the case is considered to be long term. Every missing persons case remains active until the missing person is located.

There are some circumstances where a person does not fit the police definition of a missing person but where loved ones are feeling the same loss due to their absence.

• Family courts and parental abduction
• Searching for family connections

In 2023 approximately 56,000 missing persons reports were made to police in Australia. This equates to 153 reports per day! Over 99% of people reported missing in 2023 were located. Furthermore, almost all of those found were found alive and well. 

The majority of missing person's reports are from the states with a higher population, including New South Wales and Victoria.

Out of the estimated 56,000 missing persons reports each year, more than half of these relate to youth aged 13-17.

In Australia, Australia had just over 56,000 missing persons reports made to police compared with over 12,000 in New Zealand during the same year.  

There are three primary groups at risk of going missing: those suffering from a mental illness, young people (particularly females aged between 13 to 17 years) and the elderly (Missing persons in Australia - statistical bulletin 2016).

In Australia, anyone can be reported as missing if their disappearance is out of character and there are concerns for their safety and welfare.

Reasons for going missing are many and varied, intentional and unintentional.

Reasons for going missing include anxiety and depression, misadventure, homelessness, dementia, domestic violence, becoming a victim of crime, and drug/alcohol abuse.

For young people, family dysfunction and conflict, miscommunication, issues associated with puberty and peer pressure, mental health issues, child abuse/neglect, poor coping skills and drug and alcohol problems are amongst some of the reasons for going missing.

See the why do people go missing? page for further information. 

Going missing itself is not a crime. Police are involved in the location of missing persons because they are best placed to provide appropriate resources and to ensure that missing persons are located as quickly as possible. While going missing is not a crime, being away from normal support networks can make missing persons more vulnerable to becoming a victim of crime or committing a crime to stay missing.

Approximately one third of missing persons go missing more than once. Each time a person goes missing, it is treated as an individual report.

Each time a person goes missing it is treated as an individual report and the priority is to find the person safe and well as soon as possible.

Every missing persons case is different. Most people who go intentionally missing do so to remove themselves from personal stress in their lives. Research conducted in the UK ‘Geographies of Missing People’ showed that for cases where people went missing intentionally that they generally stayed close to familiar places and often used public amenities / transport for travel and security. For those with dementia, it is often the search for places which used to be familiar or part of an old routine which can lead to the person becoming unintentionally lost. It is important to remember that being away from normal support networks can increase the risk of missing persons also becoming victims of crime.

Of the 56,0000 missing persons reports submitted to police in 2023, more than 95% were located within a short period of time (usually one week), and overall 99% were located. However there remain approximately 2,500 long-term missing persons, who have been missing for more than three months. 

95% of missing persons are found within one week of going missing, with the majority found safe and well within 24 hours.

There remains more than 2,500 missing persons in Australia who are listed as long-term missing, that is, missing for more than 3 months.

What happens when someone is located will depend on the circumstances of their disappearance and location. See the located missing persons page for further information.

All details about missing persons are kept confidential and are not made available to the public unless permission has been granted by the family of the missing person and investigating officers.

When located, a missing person must give permission before their whereabouts are released. In the case of a located missing child, information and decisions regarding their circumstances and their location may be made in consultation with relevant agencies.

If you are reported missing it means that someone is concerned about your safety and welfare. It is not a crime to go missing. You should attend the nearest police station with identification so that police can ascertain that you are safe and well. See the have you been reported missing? page for more information.

If you are worried about someone you should encourage them to seek professional support. Alternatively you can seek professional support yourself in order to better help those you are concerned about.

See our support services page for more information on available services. 

If you have information on a missing person you should report it to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via their website. Crime Stoppers will refer the information to the relevant missing persons unit and/or the investigating officer for the case.

If you have simply lost touch, and there are no unusual circumstances, police will not commence a search as they do not provide a family tracing service. Please see the lost contact, but not missing? page for details of tracing services. 

If you have made some attempt to find your friend/relative and you hold genuine fears for their safety, which can be justified, you should report them missing to your local police. As part of taking a missing persons report, police need to be able to verify who you are and that the reasons for making the report are genuine.

As soon as you have concerns for the safety and welfare of someone and their whereabouts are unknown you may report them missing to your local police.

You do not have to wait 24 hours to report someone as missing. If you have serious concerns for the safety and welfare of a person, and their whereabouts are unknown, then you may immediately report them missing to your local police. Police will take a report where there are concerns for safety and welfare and their whereabouts are unknown.

No. If you have concerns about a missing person you can visit your local police station or call police assistance on 131444 to file a missing persons report - even if the missing person lives in another state or territory. If the investigation has to be conducted in another town, state or territory the case may be transferred to another police jurisdiction.

To file a missing persons report, you must attend your local police station or call police assistance on 131444.

Where there are concerns for the safety and welfare of an Australian missing overseas, a missing person's report should be made with local state or territory police, who will then lodge the report with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Depending on the circumstances the report may also be lodged with INTERPOL to facilitate international cooperation in investigating the whereabouts of the missing person.

DFAT (Consular Operations) may also be contacted to assist where there are concerns for the safety and welfare of an Australian citizen overseas. For more information see the Australians missing overseas page.

Tracing agencies including the Australian Red Cross also work to reunite people missing overseas.

In many countries the communication network is often difficult to access, and language barriers make it difficult to maintain contact.

In cases where there are genuine fears for the person's safety, or concerns for their welfare, a missing person report can be made at any police station within Australia. See the how to report a missing person page for more information. If fears for safety are only based on the fact the family has lost contact with each other, that is not justification to commence an overseas investigation. For these matters, contact see the lost contact, but not missing page for further information, or engage the services of a private investigator.

Genuine fears for the persons safety must exist before Australian police will commence a search. If the only fears for safety are the fact the family has lost contact with the person, then this is not sufficient.

If you want to report a person missing in Australia, from a location outside of Australia, you should report the person missing to local police in your country. They will send a request for investigation to Australian police via Interpol channels. Or alternatively you can sometimes make a report through your embassy or consular office in Australia.

Australian police do not accept missing persons reports from overseas by email, phone or post. Missing person reports will only be accepted through the channels above, as they are able to verify who you are and that the reasons for the report are genuine.

You will need to provide:

• The missing person's full name and date of birth.
• A full description of the missing person.
• A recent photograph of the missing person.
• Details of where and when they were last seen or heard from.
• Details of any bank accounts and credit cards that the missing person may be using.
• The missing person's mobile phone number and email address.
• Details of any vehicle they may be using or travelling in.
• Names and contact details of friends and associates.
• Any relevant medical/mental health information.
• Any known travel plans or destinations.
• Details of anyone who may be in the company of the missing person.
• Information about whether the person is a resident of Australia or travelling (temporarily overseas). If travelling, please try to provide an itinerary.
• Details of any enquiries you have made to locate the person yourself.

Most children that are reported missing are located safe and well within 24 hours. Common reasons for children going missing include a breakdown in communication, family conflict, domestic violence, mental health issues, peer pressure and drug/alcohol abuse. Only a small percentage of missing children are the result of stranger abductions.

Parental abductions occur where a child has been taken by a parent without consent. The Family Court of Australia may issue a recovery order when a parental abduction has occurred. The child is not considered a missing person unless there is evidence to suggest threat or danger to the child. In this case then a missing persons report may be filed with local police.

No, rescued people are not expected to pay. We prefer to educate and alert people to the potential risks and encourage people to plan and take responsibility for themselves.

We want people to request help if they are in distress or if their loved ones are missing. We don’t want people hiding from us to avoid costs. However, if there is evidence of recklessness police may lay charges and seek costs.

Search and Rescue operations are funded by a number of government and volunteer agencies including police. It is a service provided to make our outdoors safer for Australians and overseas visitors to enjoy.

For more information visit:

National Search and Rescue Council

Australian Maritime Safety Authority

State Emergency Services e.g. Land Search SES SA

Distress Beacons and MMSIs in Australia

Bushwalking Australia’s Technical and Safety Advice list