Against theft, bicycle marking is mandatory

Marking

The marking process must guarantee its permanence and its unalterability. The identifier of 10 alphanumeric characters is placed on the frame of the cycle except in special circumstances and can be read without difficulty on a stationary cycle.

The cycle identification number shall also be entered on the invoice. The trader provides the buyer with the information necessary for the new owner, in case of resale, to exercise his rights of access or rectification.

This compulsory marking shall not apply to:

• children's bicycles (with wheels of 40.64 cm or 16 inches in diameter or less);
• cycle trailers;
• personal transport equipment (scooters, gyropods, hoverboards...).

However, their owners will be able to ask for it.

What the Authorized Operator databases and the single national file contain

The databases managed by authorized operators or trusted third parties (salesmen of new or second-hand cycles, bodies responsible for destroying or re-using cycles, etc.) contain:

• personal data, collected at the time of purchase, enabling the cycle owner to be identified and contacted (given or surname, telephone number, e-mail address) when law enforcement authorities or a service of found objects retrieve an identified bicycle;
• data describing the cycle (gear type, make, model, color) and the cycle status (in service, stolen/lost, unserviceable/destroyed, looking for owner, for sale, leaving the workshop);
• optional personal data (postal address, date of birth of the owner or where applicable of the co-owners);
• optional data describing the cycle (serial number of the bicycle, serial number of the motor, serial number of the battery.

A single national register of identified cycles shall include the information contained in the databases of authorized operators. Personal data will be stored until the owner is no longer in possession of the bike. The information in this file is available to:

• police, gendarmerie and customs services;
• municipal police officers, country guards, as well as municipal officers assigned to the service of found objects, authorized by the mayors of their commune;
• persons, services or bodies contributing to the identification of cycles;
• pounds;
• and the Director of Central Administration for Transport and Mobility or his delegates.

The cycle status in the single national file shall be freely accessible by means of the cycle identifier. Thus, when buying a used bicycle between private individuals, the buyer can check whether the cycle is declared stolen.

The data contained in the single national file cannot be used for commercial purposes but may give rise to statistical exploitation.

In case of change of ownership or theft

• In the event of a resale, the owner of the business shall notify the authorized operator who supplied the identifier of the sale and shall provide the purchaser with the information enabling access to the file so that it can record the data relating to him.
• When the bicycle is stolen, returned after theft, scrapped, destroyed or otherwise changed, its owner shall inform the authorized operator within two weeks.
• When an identified bicycle is handed over to a trader for destruction or preparation for reuse or reuse, that trader, who must be registered with the national file manager, shall inform the national file manager. The national file manager shall transmit this information to the authorized operator who has provided the identifier, who shall contact the owner to inform him of his cycle and have a period of three months to remove it before its destruction.