In Sergipe, a police report (boletim de ocorrência, or BO) can be filed online when the incident is among the types accepted by the Virtual Police Station and does not fall under an exception that requires in-person service. Access is free, uses a gov.br account and, after submission, the report goes through police validation. The Sergipe Services Portal states that the maximum validation period is 48 hours.
The practical rule is simple: use the Virtual Police Station for incidents expressly accepted by the platform; go to a police station when the crime is not on the list, there is bodily injury, a vehicle has been stolen, a sensitive item is involved, or the BO needs to be amended; and call 190 if the incident is in progress or there is immediate risk. 181 is a different channel: it is for anonymous tips to the Civil Police, not a substitute for filing a BO.
Online BO, police station or emergency: which channel should you choose?
| Situation | Most appropriate channel | What to note |
|---|---|---|
| Incident listed by the Virtual Police Station and no specific restriction applies | Virtual Police Station | gov.br filing, protocol number and later validation |
| Crime outside the online list, bodily injury, vehicle robbery/theft or sensitive item | In-person police station | In Aracaju, some cases have specialized units |
| Crime in progress, flagrante delicto or immediate-risk situation | 190 | This is the Military Police emergency-response channel |
| Anonymous information for investigation, with no need for immediate response | 181 | Civil Police tip line; it does not create a BO in the tipster's name |
What Sergipe's Virtual Police Station accepts
The official Sergipe Virtual Police Station page currently lists 14 criminal categories that can be reported through the national platform:
- alteration of a motor vehicle identification mark;
- threat;
- slander;
- unlawful coercion;
- defamation;
- fraud;
- theft;
- leaving the scene of a traffic accident, provided there is no injury or death;
- insult;
- unauthorized access to a computer or telematic device;
- animal mistreatment;
- disturbance of the peace;
- physical altercation without bodily injury;
- home invasion.
The system also accepts non-criminal reports, such as loss of documents or objects within the platform's rules, missing persons, traffic accidents with no victim or injury and only property damage, and other reports of atypical facts for civil-law purposes.
There are two important cautions. First, the online list is specific: you should not choose a “similar” category just to complete the form. Second, some categories have their own exceptions. Losses involving firearms, ammunition, explosives, medicines or chemical products, for example, must be handled in person. The portal also sets restrictions for certain documents and vehicle-related incidents.
When you need to go to a police station in Aracaju
In-person service is the appropriate route when the criminal incident does not appear among the accepted categories or when a condition expressly excluded by the Virtual Police Station applies. The main cases include:
- bodily injury: if the victim suffered injuries as a result of the incident, the report must be filed in person so the police unit can take the appropriate measures, including a possible referral for a forensic medical examination;
- robbery or theft of a motor vehicle: in the capital, official guidance is to go to the specialized vehicle robbery and theft unit;
- traffic accident with a victim or injury: this cannot be filed as an online BO; in Aracaju, the reference unit is the Specialized Traffic Offenses Police Station;
- firearm, ammunition, explosives, medicines or chemical products: incidents involving these items require in-person filing;
- crime outside the online list: it must be reported at a police station, normally the unit closest to the person's residence or the place where the incident occurred;
- amending a virtual BO: supplementary information cannot be added online; after validation, the amendment must be requested in person at the unit to which the BO was assigned;
- tourist passing through Sergipe: official guidance is to file in person at the station closest to where the incident occurred or at the Tourist Police Station on the Atalaia waterfront.
The Civil Police maintains an updated list of police units in Aracaju with contact details and addresses. This is safer than relying on addresses copied from old pages because facilities and contact information can change.
When not to wait for a BO: 190 and 181 have different roles
If the crime is happening, there is a flagrante situation, a current threat or risk to someone's safety, the right path is not to fill out a form and wait for validation. The Sergipe Public Security Secretariat portal lists 190 as the Military Police number for incidents in progress and urgent situations.
181, by contrast, is the Civil Police anonymous tip line. It is used to provide information that may support an investigation, such as drug-dealing locations, fugitives or recurring criminal activity where immediate police response is not required. The Public Security Secretariat itself distinguishes the two channels: 190 for immediate response; 181 for tips and investigation.
Domestic violence has its own virtual flow
In Sergipe, women experiencing domestic violence can also use the Women's Virtual Police Station to file a report and, when applicable, request an emergency protective order. The state service page says access uses gov.br and that the protective-order request can be completed in the same flow.
This online service does not replace emergency response. If an assault is in progress or there is immediate danger, police guidance is to call 190. In non-urgent situations, virtual filing can avoid a trip and start the case-routing process.
How to file an online BO in Sergipe
- Access the national Virtual Police Station through the link indicated by the Sergipe government.
- Choose “Register new occurrence” and select Sergipe as the state where the incident occurred.
- Read the instructions and select the correct incident category.
- Sign in with your gov.br account or create one if you do not yet have access.
- Fill in information about the facts, people involved and objects. Provide the date, time, address and an objective account of what happened.
- Attach documents, images or videos when they are relevant and available.
- Review the information and submit. The system provides a protocol number and sends information to the registered email address.
- Track the request. After validation, the BO can be viewed and printed.
The Sergipe Services Portal says that no physical document needs to be presented to start the service, but access depends on a gov.br account, which supplies basic registration data. The official maximum validation period is 48 hours.
What to prepare before you start
- access to your gov.br account;
- approximate date and time of the incident;
- full address or location reference;
- details of the people involved, when known;
- a chronological and objective description of what happened;
- identification of objects, documents, devices or vehicles involved;
- files that help show what happened, such as photos, receipts, screenshots or videos.
A good account does not need to be long. It needs to make clear what happened, when, where, who was involved and which property or documents were affected. Avoid presenting assumptions as certainty and do not omit information that is relevant to correctly classify the incident.
Minors, companies and incidents that occurred outside Sergipe
The Virtual Police Station also sets rules for situations that commonly cause confusion. People under 18 do not file the report in their own name; their legal representative must file in the representative's own name and provide the child or teenager's details. A legal entity also does not appear as the reporting person: the legal representative files in their own name and provides the company's details.
If the incident occurred in another state, Sergipe's Virtual Police Station is not the correct channel. The report must follow the rules of the Brazilian state where the incident occurred. For tourists passing through who experience an incident in Sergipe, the guidance published on the Sergipe portal is to go in person to the police station closest to the location or to the Tourist Police Station.
What if the online report is not accepted or needs correction?
If the incident category does not appear in the system, do not try to “adapt” the facts to another category. The correct step is to seek in-person service. If the BO has already been validated and needs additional information, the amendment must be made in person at the unit that received the report.
For questions about the service, the Sergipe Services Portal provides the email address delegaciavirtual@pc.se.gov.br. If there is a technical problem or delay, keep the protocol number and check the tracking page before filing again, to avoid duplicate reports.
Does the virtual BO have the same validity as an in-person one?
Yes. The Sergipe Civil Police states that, once validated, a BO filed online has the same validity as one filed in person. The difference lies in the entry channel and validation process, not in the legal value of the document.
The figures show that the service is already widely used: between January and May 2025, the Virtual Police Station validated 17,410 reports in Sergipe, 10,633 of them from Aracaju. During that period, the observed average validation time was 12 hours. For planning purposes, however, rely on the current official service standard: up to 48 hours.
Practical summary
- Online: use it when the incident category is on the Virtual Police Station list and no exception applies.
- In person: use it for crimes outside the list, bodily injury, vehicle theft/robbery, sensitive items, accidents with victims, tourists passing through and BO amendments.
- 190: use it for urgency, flagrante situations or immediate risk.
- 181: use it for anonymous information intended for investigation, without immediate response.
- Domestic violence: there is a dedicated virtual flow for the BO and protective orders, without affecting the use of 190 in emergencies.
Official sources consulted: Sergipe Services Portal — virtual BO filing; Sergipe Virtual Police Station — rules and accepted incidents; Civil Police — Aracaju units; Services Portal — virtual protective order; Sergipe Public Security Secretariat — 190 and 181.
