Lost or Found? This increases the chance of finding

Did you lose something or found something on the street, in the park or in the bike shed? In the Netherlands, there is a handy and well-organized system that allows you to report found items and find lost items. Whether it's your bike, key ring or backpack — acting quickly and smartly increases your chances of finding it enormously.

In this article, we explain:

• Where to report lost or found items
• What exactly to do if you lose something
• What you do when you find something yourself
• How BIKEBAZE is a valuable addition to this — for bike owners

1. Where do you report a lost or found item?

The central place in the Netherlands for reporting lost and found items is verlorenofgevonden.nl. This national website is used by almost all municipalities, police and bicycle depots.

Here you can:

• Search for an item you've lost
• Report a loss yourself if you don't find it
• Report a found item if you find something on the street or on public transport

2. Lost something? This is what you can do

Have you lost your bike, bag or anything else? Then follow these steps:

• Step 1: Search verlorenofgevonden.nl
  Enter attributes such as color, brand, location, and item type. Your item may have already been found and reported.
• Step 2: Nothing found? Then report it yourself
  Fill out the form on the website with a clear description and — if possible — a photo. The more specific, the better.
• Step 3: Keep an eye on your mail and phone
  If someone reports your item, you will receive a message from the municipality or contact the finder.

Please note: for bicycles, it is also possible that your bike has been removed by the municipality and is in a depot. You can often also find them via verlorenofgevonden.nl.

3. Found anything? Report it properly

If you find something on the street or in a public space, it is neat and mandatory to report it.

You can do that easily:

• Via the report form on verlorenofgevonden.nl
• You choose whether to keep it yourself (at home, safe) or drop it off at the municipality
• Your information will not be public unless someone can contact you to say thank you

Make sure you keep the found object properly if you keep it yourself. And report clearly where and when you found it.

4. Lost your bike? Think beyond just searching

When it comes to cycling, it works just a little differently. Can't find your bike via the municipality or found objects? Then it can also be a matter of theft. In that case:

• Do always report it to the police
• And report your bike as stolen to BIKEBAZE

At BIKEBAZE, you can ride your bike register for free based on the frame number. You will then create a digital proof of ownership in the database. If your bike is stolen, you can mark it as stolen with one click. This way, others know that this bike is not for sale or legal, and it can be detected more quickly.

5. Prevention is better than searching: use a SafeTag

Do you want to prevent your next bike from ever ending up in the “lost or found” system? Then protect it smartly:

• Register your bike directly with BIKEBAZE
• Paste one conspicuous SafeTag on your frame — a tamper-resistant sticker that makes your bike recognisable to thieves and bystanders

Bikes with a SafeTag are up to 9x less frequently stolen. And should it happen, all the information is already ready to file a report and find your bike.

Conclusion: lost or found? Act fast and smart

Loss or discovery? Always report it via verlorenofgevonden.nl. And did you lose your bike or do you want to prevent that?

Then BIKEBAZE is your extra layer of protection.

• Report stolen bikes to the BikeVault - the BIKEBAZE database
• Use a SafeTag as a deterrent
• Increase your chances of recognition and retrieval

Register your bike today for free via BIKEBAZE. And protect for with a SafeTag.