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the deadline

Is it too late to report?

Often, no. In many countries there is no deadline at all for rape, and in most of the rest the deadline is measured in years, not days. Below is what we have found for 50 places, quoted in full, with the source we read. In some of them no fixed deadline is published at all, and we say that rather than guess.

And there is no deadline for writing it down here. A report on Escrow can be made years afterwards.

Start a reportYou can read this page without writing anything.

2 different clocks

The exam window runs in hours. The deadline runs in years.

the forensic exam window

Hours to days. In most places you have 72 hours for a forensic exam, and some places extend it to 7 days. This is the clock that runs out fast. If the assault was recent, go to a hospital or a sexual assault centre now — you can be examined without deciding whether to report to police.

Your place has its own window, and it is on your guide.

the limitation period

Years, or none. This is the deadline for the case itself — how long the law gives before a prosecution can no longer be brought. It is usually many years for rape, longer or unlimited when the survivor was a child, and in several countries there is no limit at all.

Missing the exam window does not mean the limitation period has passed. They are separate.

The exam window and the deadline are read differently by different offices, and the law changes. Where this page and an official source disagree, the official source is right.

The deadline, place by place.

18 countries · 50 places · quoted in full, never shortened

Australia

Australia, country-wide

There is no single national deadline for reporting sexual assault to police, and limitation periods for prosecution differ by state and territory. The National Office for Child Safety confirms there is no statute of limitation on reporting child sexual abuse.

Sydney

NSW Police Force states there are no time limits for reporting a sexual assault. You can report immediately or wait until you are ready, and police can still investigate later.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh, country-wide

No official source sets out a fixed deadline for reporting rape to the police in Bangladesh. Under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, once a case is filed, investigation is meant to take 15 days and trial 90 days, though a judge can extend this.

Not checked against an official source yet.

Dhaka

No official source sets out a fixed deadline for reporting rape to the police in Dhaka. Once a case is filed, the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act sets a 15-day investigation period and a 90-day trial period, extendable by a judge.

Not checked against an official source yet.

Brazil

Brazil, country-wide

For adults, the limitation period (prescrição) for rape is tied to the maximum sentence under the Penal Code and is commonly cited as up to 16 years. For sexual offences against children and adolescents, a 2024 law extended the limitation period to 20 years, counted from the date the survivor turns 18, rather than from the date of the offence.

Rio de Janeiro

Brazilian law ties the limitation period (prescricao) to the maximum sentence for the offence. For rape of an adult (estupro, article 213), that is commonly cited as up to 16 years from the assault. Where the survivor was a child or adolescent, a 2024 law sets 20 years, counted from the day they turn 18. Reporting sooner keeps a case stronger.

São Paulo

There is no short deadline, though Brazilian law does set outer limits tied to the maximum sentence. Rape (estupro, article 213 of the Penal Code) carries 6 to 10 years in prison, which under article 109 gives prosecutors up to 16 years to bring charges from when the crime happened (longer if the survivor was a child, since the clock only starts once they turn 18). This means you can still report years later, but a lawyer or the DDM can confirm the exact period for your situation.

Canada

Canada, country-wide

There is no statute of limitations for reporting sexual assault to the police in Canada; you can report at any time after the offence. Rules on prosecuting historical cases can still be affected by evidence availability, and civil claims may have their own separate provincial time limits.

Toronto

There is no time limit. Under Canadian law there is no statute of limitations for reporting sexual assault to police; you can report an assault to Toronto Police or the RCMP at any point, even many years later.

Vancouver

Sexual assault is prosecuted as an indictable offence under Canada's Criminal Code, and indictable offences have no time limit for laying charges, so you can report at any time.

Colombia

Colombia, country-wide · Bogotá

Under Law 2081 of 2021, the criminal action for sexual offences committed against people under 18 has no statute of limitations. For adults, the criminal action prescribes after a period tied to the maximum penalty, never less than 5 years nor more than 20 years.

Egypt

Egypt, country-wide · Cairo

There is no deadline for filing the report, according to UK government guidance, though reporting sooner helps preserve evidence. No official Egyptian source sets out a fixed limitation period for prosecuting rape, so treat that point as unconfirmed.

Not checked against an official source yet.

India

India, country-wide

There is generally no statute of limitations for reporting rape or sexual assault in India: Section 468 of the Code of Criminal Procedure's limitation periods only apply to offences punishable with up to three years' imprisonment, and rape carries a much higher sentence. The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, which covers offences against anyone under 18, also has no prescribed limitation period for reporting.

Bengaluru · Delhi · Kolkata

There is no statute of limitations for rape under Indian law. You can report and file a case regardless of how much time has passed.

Mumbai

There is no deadline for reporting rape to the police in India. You can file an FIR at any time, even years later, and the one-year limitation period in the criminal procedure law does not apply to offences as serious as rape.

Indonesia

Indonesia, country-wide

Limitation periods depend on the offence and penalty under the Criminal Code and the TPKS Law; more serious sexual violence offences generally carry longer limitation periods. There is no single fixed period for all sexual offences, so it varies by charge.

Jakarta

There is no short deadline to report rape in Indonesia. Under the new Criminal Code (Law 1/2023, in force since January 2026), rape is punishable by up to 12 years in prison, and the state's power to prosecute lapses only after 18 years from the act, so a report made years later can still be investigated.

Ireland

Ireland, country-wide

Rape Crisis Ireland states there is no time limit on reporting a sexual assault to the Gardaí. You can report immediately or after any length of time, and the Gardaí can still investigate.

Dublin

There is no time limit on reporting a sexual assault to the Gardaí, according to Rape Crisis Ireland. You can report at any point, and the Gardaí can still investigate.

Kenya

Kenya, country-wide

Kenyan sources describe delayed reporting as a recognised practical obstacle rather than a fixed statutory bar for rape; check with a lawyer or the police for the current position on limitation periods, particularly for offences against children.

Mombasa

No official source sets out a fixed reporting deadline for adult sexual assault in Kenya. Report and seek care as soon as it is safe to.

Not checked against an official source yet.

Nairobi

No clear public source confirms a fixed reporting deadline for adult sexual assault cases in Kenya. Report and seek care as soon as it is safe to do so.

Mexico

Mexico, country-wide

Limitation periods for sexual offences are set by each state's penal code and vary considerably; many states set no limitation period, or a long one, for aggravated sexual assault or offences against minors, while other cases carry a fixed number of years. Check the code of the state where the assault occurred.

Mexico City

There is no short deadline. Under Mexican federal and Mexico City criminal law, the period to prosecute a serious sexual offence like rape (violación) generally runs for as long as the maximum prison sentence for that crime, which can be well over a decade, so you can still report well after the assault; a lawyer or the Centro de Justicia can confirm the exact period for your case.

Nigeria

Nigeria, country-wide

Specific national limitation periods are not centrally published; some Nigerian states, such as Delta State, have already abolished any statute of limitations on rape and sexual assault, and there has been public debate about extending this nationally. Check with a lawyer or the police in your state for the current position.

Not checked against an official source yet.

Abuja

There is no single nationwide statute of limitations for rape under the VAPP Act, and practice varies by state. Reporting sooner improves the chance evidence can support a prosecution.

Lagos

There is no fixed waiting period before you can report to the police, and doing so quickly helps preserve evidence. Nigeria's federal Criminal Code has historically placed a short time limit on prosecuting some sexual offences, and lawmakers have been moving to remove that limit; because the rules differ by law and are changing, ask the Mirabel Centre or a lawyer about the current deadline for your specific case rather than relying on a fixed number.

Not checked against an official source yet.

Pakistan

Pakistan, country-wide

No official source sets out a fixed deadline for reporting rape or sexual assault to the police in Pakistan. The Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) Act 2021 sets timelines for the investigation and trial once a case is filed, but this is not the same as a reporting deadline.

Karachi

No official source sets out a fixed deadline for reporting rape or sexual assault to the police in Karachi. Sindh's special courts are required to try rape cases within 4 months, with only one adjournment allowed, according to Karachi's mayor at the ARCC launch, but this concerns trial speed, not a reporting deadline.

Not checked against an official source yet.

Philippines

Philippines, country-wide

Rape generally carries a lengthy prescriptive period under the Revised Penal Code, commonly cited as around 20 years from the date of commission, and this period runs from when the survivor turns 18 in cases where the survivor was a child. Consult a lawyer or the Philippine Commission on Women for the rule that applies to a specific case.

Cebu City · Metro Manila

There is no rule requiring you to report within hours or days. Rape punishable by life imprisonment can generally be prosecuted for up to 20 years, and lesser forms up to 15 years, after the act.

South Africa

South Africa, country-wide

There is no time limit to report or prosecute sexual offences in South Africa. The High Court struck down the previous 20-year limitation period in 2017 and the Constitutional Court confirmed that ruling on 14 June 2018. Rape and compelled rape were already unlimited. So every sexual offence, including offences against children, can be reported and prosecuted no matter how much time has passed.

Cape Town

South Africa's Constitutional Court removed the time limit for prosecuting sexual offences in 2018. You can report at any time, no matter how long ago the assault happened.

Johannesburg

There is no time limit. South Africa's Constitutional Court ruled in 2018 that there is no prescription (deadline) for prosecuting any sexual offence, so you can report a rape at any point, even years or decades later.

Thailand

Thailand, country-wide

Under the Thai Penal Code, indecent assault or rape by a spouse generally must be reported within 3 months (section 281); for other rape and sexual assault cases the limitation period is generally around 10 years (sections 276 and 95(3)). Reporting as soon as possible is recommended so evidence can still be gathered.

Not checked against an official source yet.

Bangkok

For most rape cases, you have up to 10 years from the incident to file a criminal complaint with police, under sections 276 and 95(3) of the Thai Penal Code. If the case involves a spouse, or is indecent assault in a private place against someone over 15, the complaint must be filed within 3 months of the incident. Because evidence fades quickly, it is best to report as soon as you are able.

Not checked against an official source yet.

Chiang Mai

Under Thai law you generally have up to 10 years to file a criminal complaint for rape, but only 3 months if it involves a spouse or indecent assault in a private place. Reporting sooner helps preserve evidence and keeps the case stronger.

Not checked against an official source yet.

United Kingdom

United Kingdom, country-wide

There is no time limit for reporting rape or sexual assault to the police in England, Wales and Scotland; you can report at any point after the offence.

Glasgow

Scots law sets no time limit for reporting rape or sexual crime to Police Scotland. A report made months or years after the assault is still accepted and can still be investigated.

London

There is no time limit for reporting rape or sexual assault under the Sexual Offences Act 2003. You can report no matter how long ago it happened.

Manchester

There is no time limit on reporting rape or sexual assault to Greater Manchester Police, who say they take every report seriously no matter how much time has passed.

United States

United States, country-wide

Statutes of limitations for sexual assault vary significantly by state; some states have no limitation period for felony rape or sexual assault, while others set periods ranging from a few years to several decades, sometimes with extensions for DNA evidence or for offences against minors. Check the law of the state where the assault occurred, or ask RAINN's hotline.

Chicago

Illinois has no statute of limitations for criminal sexual assault, so you can report at any time, even years later. If you have an evidence kit collected without reporting, you have up to 10 years to decide whether to release it for testing.

Los Angeles

California removed the statute of limitations for most felony rape charges filed for crimes committed on or after 1 January 2017, so you can report at any time. Older cases may still have a filing deadline, so it helps to report as soon as you can.

New York City

There is no time limit to report first-degree rape in New York. Some lesser sexual offenses, such as third-degree rape, must be charged within 5 years.

if the deadline has passed

A closed case is not the same as no record.

If the limitation period in your place has run out, a prosecution may no longer be possible. That is the plain truth and we will not dress it up. 3 things are still open to you.

  • a timestamped report

    What you write here is dated and kept. Years later, a record that existed before anyone asked for it carries weight a memory does not.

  • a sealed report that can match

    Seal it against an identifier — a profile link, a phone, a workplace. Nobody sees it until someone else reports the same person. Their case may be inside the deadline.

  • a pin on the map

    Publish it and the next person who searches your city can see it. He stays an alias unless a court, the police or the press have already published his name.

Some countries also treat the clock differently when the survivor was a child, when the offence is ongoing, or when new evidence appears. A lawyer or a support organisation where you are can tell you whether that applies to you. Your guide lists both.

the honest note

This is information, not legal advice.

Nobody here is your lawyer. Every deadline above is quoted from a source we read, and the date we read it is beside it. Laws change, and an office may read a deadline differently from the statute. For your own case, ask a lawyer or a support organisation where you are.

If something on this page is out of date, write to hello@escrow.nanocorp.app and we will check it and say when we did.

when you are ready

A report is yours. You can seal it, publish it as a pin, or leave it where it is. Nothing happens until you say so.

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