Report lost or found items

How does it work?

Did you find an object? It is your duty to do your best to return a found object to its owner. If you know who this is, you can arrange that yourself. If you do not know who the owner is, you can report the object to us via www.verlorenofgevonden.nl if it was found in the municipality of Tytsjerksteradiel.

• The law does not require you to search for the owner, but it does require you to report the found item. So, if you find something, you are not obliged to pick it up. However, if you do pick up the item, you must report it to the municipality as soon as possible.
• The law also does not require you to hand in the found item. So, you are allowed to keep the found item at home. An exception to this are driver's licenses and/or other identity documents. Because these are state property, you are required to hand them in (failure to do so is a crime).

Storing found items

You can hand in a found object at the town hall. We will take care of it. If you keep it yourself, you must ensure its maintenance. The object must remain in the same condition. If the rightful owner comes forward, he/she is obliged to reimburse any maintenance costs and expenses for tracing the owner within one month. If the owner does not pay on time, you become the owner of the lost object.

Becoming an owner

The municipality will inform you if the owner comes to collect the found object. If you keep the found object yourself and have reported it, you will become the owner after 12 months or after 3 months. The number of months depends on the value of the found object.

• If you want to become the rightful owner of the object, you must indicate this on the form when reporting the found object.
• If the object has a value of more than € 450, you will become the owner after 12 months.
• If it is less than €450, - you will become the owner after 3 months.
• If you have handed in the found object to us for safekeeping, you must report to us with the declaration form and proof of identity within one month after the storage period (i.e. after 12 or 3 months).

Getting your lost property back

Did you see the item you lost on www.verlorenofgevonden.nl? If so, please contact the municipality. We will ask you to describe the lost item accurately and compare it with our description. If it matches, you can, of course, get the item back.

• If the municipality has it in storage, you can report to the town hall.
• If the finder keeps it, we will give the finder your contact information so that you can get your property back.

Destroy travel document

It is no longer legally permitted to return a found passport or Dutch identity card to the holder. Any travel document that is found and handed in to the municipality is therefore immediately destroyed. Do you have a well-founded suspicion that you are going to become a victim of identity fraud? Then it is important to take action immediately.

Stolen items

Theft remains a matter for the police. Do you suspect that your property has been stolen? You can report it via www.politie.nl.

Found bicycles

The management of lost and found bicycles is handled by Estafette Kringloop in Burgum, Lageweg 17. Telephone: 0511 - 46 92 11. They also collect bicycles that have been dumped or left unattended for a long time. They also take care of the sale of found bicycles whose owners have not reported within the set period. The rules are the same as for found and lost objects. If you have found a bicycle, you can report it to the municipality. If you cannot bring the bicycle to the recycling center yourself, they can pick it up from your home. You can also report the loss of your bicycle to the municipality.