Short Answer
You must obtain an official loss report from a local police station immediately if you lose your physical plastic residence card. While your actual legal right to remain in the country is stored inside a central state database, the physical card is required to verify your profile with corporate entities and border guards.
What Most Expats Don't Realize
You lost your wallet containing your biometric card and delayed reporting it because you had a pre-booked flight out of the country the following week. Border control officers stopped you during your return journey and detained you at the transit terminal because you lacked valid physical entry credentials. You lost €450 for an emergency return flight and an alternative connection because you lacked the proper interim paperwork to clear the checkpoint.
What To Do
- Call 116 116 immediately to block the electronic identity functions if you have the online feature activated on your lost card.
- Bring a new biometric passport photo to your local immigration office to secure a temporary "Verlustbescheinigung" document.
- "Ich muss eine Verlustanzeige für meinen Aufenthaltstitel aufgeben." (I need to file a report of loss for my residence permit.) — say this to the officer at the police station counter to get your initial protective receipt.
The Truth
The card is just a carrier; your right to stay is in the database. But without that plastic, you are invisible to banks and border guards, so get the police paper immediately to act as your shield.