Have you lost an item on public transport in the Netherlands? Here is a review of contact information for the main Dutch transport companies.
Most Dutch transport companies either handle lost property queries directly themselves or use the iLost portal. You should go to the relevant page listed and contact the transport operator directly. Please do not contact us about your lost item as we are not the transport company and we cannot help you!
Unfortunately some Dutch transport companies do not have English language pages when it comes to lost property. You should know that verloren means lost, gevonden means found and voorwerpen means items or things. You may need to use a web translator to help navigate some of the pages and contact forms.
One final point, if you lose a form of ID then these cannot be recovered via the transport companies. The lost ID are sent to the relevant issuing authorities. You will need to replace your ID.
You can also report or check for lost items in general at this official ‘lost or found’ site: verlorenofgevonden.nl which is a collaboration between city councils and the police. It does have an English language option.
NS Dutch Railways Lost Property
If you’ve lost something on a Dutch Railways (NS) train then try to contact NS as quickly as possible. Lost items are kept at the station where they were found for 5 days. You can pick up your object by filling a form, going to the relevant station and showing ID.
After 5 days the objects are transferred to the central NS Lost & Found Desk in Utrecht. The item will be stored for up to 3 months. It is possible to get the object sent to your home address but you will pay the shipping costs, the minimum charge being €15. Note, it is not possible to visit the NS Lost & Found Desk.
The information page (English) is here
The NS lost property (Verloren voorwerp) contact form (Dutch only) is here
Fill in the date of loss and location, type of item and your personal details and go from there.
GVB (Amsterdam Trams/Metro/Buses/Ferry) Lost Property
GVB has a lost and found process described here. Basically all found items are collected and the next morning are brought to the lost and found desk to be registered. Items are placed on the GVB iLost portal by 1400 the next day.
You can see GVB lost items listed here. If you see your item you can click “claim item” and you need to describe the item in detail to prove you are the rightful owner. Once ownership is confirmed you can either make an appointment to pick up the item or get it shipped to your home address at cost.
Connexxion Buses Lost Property
Connexxion runs various bus services around the Amsterdam region including the 397 Amsterdam Airport Express.
Connexxion also uses a similar process to GVB. Lost items will be uploaded to the iLost portal here within 1-7 days, so you may need some patience to see if your item turns up there. Connexxion states not to contact them directly but wait for the item to appear on iLost.
EBS (Waterland) Buses Lost Property
EBS runs regional bus services which service the Waterland area just north of Amsterdam.
EBS also uploads to the iLost portal here
The EBS contact form (Dutch) is here. If using the form choose the drop-down option “verloren voorwerp” (lost items) under “onderwerp” (subject).
Arriva Buses Lost Property
Arriva runs a number of bus services all over the Netherlands
Arriva uploads any found items to its iLost portal here by 1600 the next working day. If the item does not appear within 5 days it can be regarded as lost.
RET Rotterdam Transport Lost Property
Similarly to GVB, lost items on RET public transport in Rotterdam (metro/buses) will be taken to the RET Service Point at Rotterdam Central Station. This process should take up to 2-3 days.
Items are listed here on the iLost portal where claims can be made. Once you are confirmed as the rightful owner you can go to the Service Point at Rotterdam Central which is open weekdays 0900-1200 and 1400-1600. Alternatively you can pay to ship the item to your home address.
U-OV Utrecht Public Transport Lost Property
U-OV (a QBuzz company) runs buses and trams in Utrecht. Lost items are generally registered to the iLost portal here by 1400 the next working day.
If you find your item online and establish yourself as the rightful owner you can arrange to pick them up from the U-OV desk at Europalaan 2A in Utrecht. It is open 0800-1800 Mon-Fri and you must bring ID. U-OV will also ship the item at cost to your home address.
HTM Den Haag Public Transport Lost Property
HTM runs buses and trams in Den Haag (The Hague). Lost items are registered to the iLost portal here. Your item should appear by 1800 the next working day. If the item is not there after 3 days then you can consider it lost.
Items can be shipped within the Netherlands for a €4.50 admin fee. For delivery to international addresses the shipping costs must be paid. HTM’s English customer service page is here
Last update 13 January 2023 (originally published in 2019).
