The 5 best ways to register your bike in the Netherlands

A bike often represents hundreds or even thousands of euros. Yet many cyclists do not know their frame number and have never recorded anywhere which bike is theirs. That makes a police report, an insurance claim or a recovery harder than it needs to be. If you have just moved to the Netherlands, the Dutch system can be confusing too: there is no national register where you simply register bicycle ownership, and the RDW (the Netherlands Vehicle Authority) only registers vehicles with a licence plate. The good news: you can fix most of this today. Below we explain the five ways to register your bike in the Netherlands, including the advantages, the limits and the combinations that work best.

1. Register your bike for free at BIKEBAZE

At BIKEBAZE, the only accessible bike registry in the Netherlands, you register your bike in your name for free. All your important details are in one place, and a finder or buyer can check whether the bike is known as stolen.

When you register, you record the brand, model, type, colour and other features. Add the frame number, photos and your purchase invoice to make your bike as recognisable as possible. For an e-bike you can also register up to three batteries, each with its own serial number. You can add the frame number later if you do not have it yet.

Why register at BIKEBAZE?

• Free bike registration: recording your bike and receiving a digital proof of ownership as a PDF costs nothing. There are no subscription fees or hidden costs.
• Everything in one place: keep your bike details, photos, purchase invoice and maintenance history together.
• Quick theft check: via BIKEBAZE Scan anyone can check a frame number, battery number or SafeTag ID without an account. Every check also consults Stop Heling (the Dutch police register of stolen goods) and the international Bike Index.
• Easy transfer of ownership: when you sell your bike, you start the transfer from BIKEBAZE. The buyer receives an email with an acceptance link and takes over the complete bike file.
• Community and recovery: report your bike as stolen straight away. A finder who looks up your bike or scans a SafeTag can send you an anonymous message and, if they want, a location.
• Visible prevention: with an eye-catching, tamper-resistant SafeTag you show that your bike is registered.

From our production data from 2022 to 2026, a BIKEBAZE SafeTag reduces the risk of bike theft by 98%. The SafeTag is optional: you can register your bike for free without a sticker.

How do you register your bike at BIKEBAZE?

1. Find your frame number. It is usually under the bottom bracket, on the down tube, near the seat tube or at the rear of the frame. Carefully clean a hard-to-read spot and shine a torch on it at an angle. You will find more help in our guide to checking a bike frame number.
2. Collect the key details. Write down the brand, model, colour, frame number and any distinctive features. Take photos of the whole bike, the frame number and accessories. Keep the receipt as well.
3. Register for free. Go to free bike registration at BIKEBAZE, create your account and add your bike. You can then download your digital proof of ownership.
4. Add a SafeTag if you like. A set of two SafeTags costs €9.99 in our shop: a large tag for the frame and a small one for the battery. Place one visibly on the frame and, on an e-bike, one on the battery.

With an active SafeTag you can also add your proof of ownership as a pass to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, where you see the current status of your bike. Keep your original proof of purchase too: your registration and your invoice complement each other whenever ownership comes up.

2. Write down your frame number and keep your purchase details

The simplest step costs nothing: record which bike you own. The frame number is the unique identification code of the bike frame, usually a combination of letters and digits. The format differs per manufacturer and model year. An example is `BA1234567`.

You can find the frame number, among other places:

• under the bottom bracket, near the pedals;
• on or under the down tube or seat tube;
• on a barcode or type-plate sticker near the bottom bracket;
• on older bikes, stamped into the metal.

Build a small bike file: photograph the number up close and the whole bike from several angles. Note the brand, model, colour, accessories and any noticeable damage. Store the invoice digitally and in a second safe place, such as a secure cloud folder. Write the frame number on paper as well if you like.

If the bike is stolen, those details help to recognise it and to complete the police report. A photo alone is useful, but a clearly readable frame number makes identification far more precise.

Bought a second-hand bike without a receipt?

Draw up a simple sales or transfer statement together with the seller: date, price, names of buyer and seller, brand, model, colour, frame number and both signatures. Keep the payment confirmation and the advert as well. If the bike is already registered at BIKEBAZE, ask for a digital transfer of ownership. And before you pay, check whether the bike is registered as stolen with the free bike check.

3. File a police report after theft and report your bike as stolen

A police report (aangifte in Dutch) is not a preventive bike registration, but it is an essential step once your bike has been stolen. The police use the details from your report for their investigation. After processing, the bike can appear in the RDW bicycle theft register, the national register of stolen bikes kept by the RDW. That register is public: a buyer can check with brand and frame number whether a bike is known as stolen.

Your frame number, brand, model, colour, purchase details and any distinctive features make the report much stronger. You can report bike theft online at politie.nl with DigiD (the Dutch digital ID), by phone on 0900-8844 or at a police station, depending on the situation. The online forms are in Dutch only. Do you not have DigiD, or would you rather report in English? Call 0900-8844 (from abroad +31 34 357 8844) to book an appointment at a police station and bring your passport or ID. The police explain this on their English information page.

Why file a police report?

• The police can recognise the bike when it turns up.
• Most bike insurers require a police report before they handle a claim.
• The theft becomes visible in the official registers, so a future buyer can be warned.

Check the municipal bike depot first. Not every missing bike has been stolen. Municipalities can remove bikes that are parked incorrectly or abandoned and take them to the fietsdepot, the municipal bike depot. Check your municipality's website or verlorenofgevonden.nl, the national lost-and-found site (in Dutch only, but searching by brand and colour works without any Dutch).

Report your bike at BIKEBAZE straight away as well

Have you registered your bike? Change the status in your BIKEBAZE account to stolen. That status is immediately visible to anyone who looks up the bike or scans the SafeTag. A finder can then reach you anonymously via BIKEBAZE, without your name, address or phone number becoming public. A police report and a BIKEBAZE report complement each other. A BIKEBAZE report is not forwarded automatically to the police or Stop Heling.

Not registered yet? Report your bike as stolen at BIKEBAZE. You can do this without an account and without a previous registration. From that moment, anyone who looks up the frame number or scans the SafeTag sees that your bike is stolen. A finder can reach you and share the location, all anonymously. For every step, read our guide on how to report a stolen bike in the Netherlands and find it.

4. Use brand registration and know the difference with the RDW

Besides an independent bike registry, manufacturers sometimes offer their own portal where you link your bike to your purchase or customer account. That is mainly useful for warranty, service and maintenance.

Brand registration with Batavus or Gazelle, for example

At Gazelle you register your bike on the brand website; you then receive an overview of your bike details by email and a key ring with a QR code. Batavus and other brands also offer their own registration for warranty and service. Check your manufacturer's terms: with some brands, registering within a set period after purchase is a condition of the factory warranty.

Brand registration is useful, but it serves a different purpose than a publicly searchable bike registry. A random buyer or finder usually cannot look into your personal manufacturer account. That is why it makes sense to combine brand registration with a registration that also helps with checks and recovery.

RDW bicycle theft register: for checking after a police report

An ordinary bike, or an e-bike with pedal assistance up to 25 km/h, cannot be registered in your name with the RDW. This surprises many newcomers: the RDW registers cars, motorbikes and mopeds, not bicycles. The RDW bicycle theft register exists to check whether a bike has been registered as stolen after a police report. It contains reports from 1 January 2008 onwards; processing can take up to ten days. The search page is in Dutch, and the Dutch government describes the register on its English website.

This is something different from registering a bike as your property in advance. In our blog RDW bicycle register vs BIKEBAZE we explain the difference in more detail.

Speed pedelecs do need RDW licence plate registration

A speed pedelec assists you up to 45 km/h and legally counts as a moped (bromfiets). That is why a speed pedelec must carry a yellow licence plate and be registered in your name with the RDW. You must also be at least 16, hold a moped driving licence (category AM), wear an approved helmet and have third-party liability insurance (WA-verzekering). The Dutch government lists the rules for speed pedelecs and the RDW explains the difference between an e-bike and a speed pedelec.

If you buy a new speed pedelec from an RDW-approved dealer, the dealer can register it in your name. For a second-hand speed pedelec, the registration must be transferred to the new owner. You do that online with the DigiD app and the vehicle registration code, or at a vehicle registration counter (kentekenloket). The RDW explains the procedure in English on its page about transferring a registration number to a person's name. In 2026 the transfer fee is €13.10.

Important: the RDW licence plate registration for speed pedelecs is not the same as the RDW bicycle theft register for stolen bikes. Alongside the mandatory licence plate registration you can also record the frame number of your speed pedelec at BIKEBAZE, so it stays recognisable if the plate is missing.

5. Have your bike marked or engraved

Some bike shops and municipalities organise campaigns where bikes receive an engraving, stamp or other recognisable marking. That can be a useful extra identifier, especially on a bike whose existing number is hard to find.

Advantages of a physical marking:

• A permanent marking is often difficult to remove.
• A clearly recognisable number helps with identification when a bike is found.
• Municipalities or local initiatives sometimes offer these campaigns for free.

There are limits too:

• Not every municipality or bike shop offers this service.
• An engraving does not automatically mean your details are in a searchable bike registry.
• On e-bikes, loose parts such as the battery remain a separate concern.

Do not stamp or engrave a new number into your frame yourself. That can damage the frame or cause confusion with the original frame number. Ask your bike mechanic what is suitable for your bike, especially with carbon frames or unusual e-bikes.

A physical marking works best alongside a digital registration, not instead of it.

Extra: register your e-bike battery and valuable accessories too

On an electric bike the battery is often one of the most expensive loose parts. The battery's serial number is not the same as the bike's frame number, so record both numbers separately. At BIKEBAZE you can add up to three batteries per e-bike and place a SafeTag on a battery if you want.

Also keep photos and serial numbers of valuable parts, such as a GPS tracker, special lights or an expensive saddle. Note which battery belongs to which bike, especially if there are several e-bikes in your household. That makes a loose part that turns up much easier to recognise. Read more about e-bike battery theft and what you can do about it.

Which way of registering your bike suits you?

You do not have to choose one method. The best protection is a combination: keep your documents, register your bike digitally, use a good lock and always report theft immediately. For locking and parking tips, read how to protect your bike against theft.

Frequently asked questions about registering your bike

Can I register my bike in my name with the RDW or Stop Heling?

No. An ordinary bike cannot be registered in your name there in advance. The RDW bicycle theft register and Stop Heling show details of goods that have been reported stolen. In the Stop Heling app you can keep a private list of your own belongings, but that is not a public bike registry in your name. At BIKEBAZE you can register your bike in advance, for free. Speed pedelecs are the exception: they must be registered with the RDW because they carry a licence plate.

Is registering a bike free?

Yes. Bike registration at BIKEBAZE is free, including the digital proof of ownership as a PDF. You only pay for extra physical protection if you want a SafeTag: €9.99 for a set of two.

Can I register a second-hand bike?

Certainly. Before you buy, check with BIKEBAZE Scan whether the bike is registered as stolen. That check automatically consults BIKEBAZE, Stop Heling and Bike Index. Ask for the receipt or a transfer statement. If the bike is already registered in someone's name at BIKEBAZE, have the seller transfer the registration to you.

What if my bike has no frame number?

You can also register a bike without a frame number at BIKEBAZE and add the number later if you find it. A unique SafeTag also gives your bike a scannable identification. Read more about frame number stickers.

Should I register my speed pedelec at BIKEBAZE as well?

The mandatory RDW licence plate stays necessary. In addition, you can voluntarily register your speed pedelec at BIKEBAZE with the frame number and a SafeTag. That way the bike can be recognised even without a visible licence plate.

Does my BIKEBAZE registration also work outside the Netherlands?

Yes. BIKEBAZE is accessible internationally. A buyer or finder can look up your bike by frame number or SafeTag ID, also outside the Netherlands. Every status check also consults the international Bike Index.

What is the difference between proof of ownership and a receipt?

A receipt or signed purchase agreement documents the purchase. Your BIKEBAZE proof of ownership bundles the registration and the characteristics of the bike in your name. Together they are useful when selling, insuring or reporting a theft. So keep both.

Do I have to register my bike again when I sell it?

No. If it is registered at BIKEBAZE, you can hand the registration to the buyer with a digital transfer of ownership. The new owner receives the bike file and the registration stays up to date.

Conclusion: start by registering your bike for free

Keeping your frame number, creating a brand registration, having your bike marked and filing a police report after theft are all sensible steps. But if you want your bike recognisable and registered in your name before it is stolen, you start with an accessible bike registry.

At BIKEBAZE you register your city bike, road bike, e-bike or speed pedelec for free. You keep your details in one place, transfer ownership when you sell and give finders a way to reach you anonymously. With an optional SafeTag you make your registration visible too.

Register your bike for free at BIKEBAZE and make it recognisably yours today.