Frequently asked questions
Everything people ask us most, answered briefly.
Is FietsRadar really free?
Yes. Registering bikes, reporting a theft, alerts, posters and the frame-number check cost nothing, and there is no card to enter. Only the optional daily depot check is paid.
Do I still need to report a theft to the police?
Yes, always. FietsRadar is not the police. We prepare your details for the report at politie.nl, and that report is what puts your bike in the RDW register and what your insurer asks for.
What do other people see about me?
Nothing that identifies you. A poster shows the bike, not its owner, and a finder talks to you inside the app without seeing your email address or phone number.
How does someone who finds my bike reach me?
They report the bike they saw. If its frame number matches yours, you are told at once and a conversation opens. A look-alike without a frame number is passed on only after the finder confirms it.
My bike is gone. Could the council have removed it?
Quite possibly. Dutch municipalities remove tens of thousands of wrongly parked bikes a year and keep them in a depot for a few weeks. FietsRadar searches the national lost-and-found register for you.
Can I check a second-hand bike before I buy it?
Yes, without an account. Enter the frame number and see in seconds whether it is reported stolen, then check the RDW register in one more step.
Does it work outside Amsterdam?
Yes, everywhere in the Netherlands. The more people near you use it, the more eyes there are on your bike, so tell your neighbours.
Can I register more than one bike?
Yes. You can keep all your bikes on one account, including your household’s.
What happens when I sell my bike?
Do not delete it: transfer it to the buyer. The frame number then stays in the register in the new owner’s name. Your receipt and purchase price do not go with it.
Does FietsRadar work with the RDW?
The RDW bike-theft register is closed to other apps, so the frame-number check sends you there yourself, with the number ready to paste. Your bike gets into the RDW register when you report the theft to the police.
Is there an app?
FietsRadar works in any browser, on your phone and your computer. On an iPhone or Android phone you can add the site to your home screen, so it works like an app and can send you notifications.