Tips and tricks for new students in the Netherlands

Coming to the Netherlands and don't know where to start? Are you a first-year university student or doing an exchange programme in the Netherlands? Read the article to the end and I guarantee it will answer frequently asked questions about transport in the Netherlands, how to use the Ov-chipkaart and NS application, how to get medical insurance and how to apply to get your money back, as well as how to apply for DUO (student funding) and what the criteria are.

Public transport

The first hurdle you may face on your first day in the Netherlands is how to get from the airport to the train station and to the city where you live. Well, good news, you have several options!

Types of OV transport card

You can get your OV card anonymously from any special machine and it costs €7.5, then you top it up with credit at the same machine, which can be found at any train or metro station. It is scanned before the train journey, but also when you arrive at your destination.

It is a card that can be used for all public transport in the Netherlands and works on a check-in/check-out basis: Anonymous OV-chipkaart - OV-Chipkaart.nl.

There is also the option of a personalised OV with your name and photo, and the advantage is that you can ask for your money back if you forget to check out somewhere (if you don't check out, you will automatically pay 20 euros). If you lose it, you can get back the amount of money you had on the card. It is ordered at your address, so it is recommended that you order it after you have settled in the Netherlands: Personal OV-chipkaart - OV-Chipkaart.nl.

If you won't be using public transport that much, you can just use the NS app, which is dedicated to rail transport: NS app - Your journey begins with NS. You can create an account (although it's not compulsory), search for the route you want to take and all the trains for that day will appear. Tickets are valid all day, so you can choose any train on the route, pay by card via the app and get it instantly both in the app and by email. Follow the rule goldenscan it on entry and exit and you're on your way!

Group ticket discount

If you travel a lot by train with friends, you can also consider group tickets, which can be bought for 2 to 7 people and offer much lower prices per ticket, for any route, and fixed prices: Off-Peak Group Ticket | Losse kaartjes (ns.nl). For example, if you want to travel from Maastricht to Amsterdam with 3 friends, instead of €29.4 (normal price per ticket), you will pay €9.5 because you are travelling with friends. The only condition of these tickets is that you make the journey outside the peak times mentioned on the website.

NS Flex

Also during off-peak hours, NS brings an offer for train travel lovers: NS Flex. For €5.6 per month, the price of the subscription, you get 40% discount on the price of tickets for any journey, which can be used by 3 other friends who buy tickets. Travel with a season ticket holder in the NS application. For this, you use OV-chipkaart for check-in/check-out, and once a month, the amount of all trips will be withdrawn from your bank card. Note that you need a Dutch bank account before you can do your NS Flex.

Health insurance (and its allowance)

Health insurance in the Netherlands is the one that raises the most question marks among those who are just moving to the Netherlands and I can relate to this situation perfectly. If you are just starting your studies or know that you will be staying longer than 6 months in the Netherlands, the best advice I can give is to get Dutch health insurance, whether you are working or not, because it is easier than you think. This should be done within the first 3-4 months in the Netherlands, but it's not too late after that either. For the avoidance of doubt, the European health card and international insurance are zero in the Netherlands. First of all, you should know that you can take out insurance as soon as you get your BSN.

How do you get Dutch health insurance?

For starters, you can look at a website like Zorgverzekeringwhich shows you all the Dutch insurances, and you can also compare them according to your needs. For further details, you can go to each of their websites to search for information.

After choosing your insurance company, you opt for one of the packages. The basic one is the cheapest, followed by the one that includes the dentist and so on. Each year, you can change your choice of insurance package (the change is usually made in December, before the start of the new year and the new contract).

How do you register with your GP (GP or huisarts)?

Once you've managed to get your insurance, the last step to qualify is to sign up for the family environment. So, all that's left to do is look for a link to the medical clinic you want to "apply" to in the city where you live, fill in your personal details and medical history, after which you'll be called to the clinic to show ID and you're enrolled (sometimes the procedure is entirely online). Appointments for consultations are made either online or over the phone. Bear in mind that in the Netherlands you have to go to your family doctor first for any problems, and he will give you a medical letter for the specialist.

How do you apply for health care allowance?

Once you have insurance, you can access the website Care allowance (belastingdienst.nl) to apply for the allowance. The only condition for receiving the monthly insurance is to have a salary of less than €3,210 per month. Tip: Throughout the application process, you can use Google Chrome to translate all your pages into English or Romanian, as only the general information pages are in English.

Select health insurance subsidy and follow the steps. You need to fill in information such as the date the insurance starts, which company you are insured with, which account the money will be sent to. It will calculate from which date your money will be returned to you and, if applicable, what the amount is from previous months. When it has been calculated, you will receive a letter in the post, as well as an email.

So, during the first days of the month, the money is withdrawn from the insurance company's account, and at the end of the month the total amount is reimbursed. In case you're wondering, whether you use your insurance that month or not, you'll still get the money from the government. The only time you have to pay extra is if the medical check-ups or procedures you have exceed the budget ceiling. And remember, you don't have to work to get your money back!

DUO - funding for students

If you're a student with a part-time job, DUO will be your best friend during your studies: Student finance - DUO. This is a funding program for students and what you need to do to receive monthly funding from the government and free transportation is to work a minimum of 56 hours per month. On their website, you can calculate how much you will get back, but also whether you need to pay back some of the money after finishing your studies. You can also make an appointment at one of their centres and be guided by an employee.

New city, new country and a totally different system from the Romanian one? Surely the answer is FROM to all these questions, but I hope today's article has made a few questions go away and added some points to your administrative list To do from the first months.

Food from home

If I really missed anything from home, it was definitely the food. So I turned to 2 helpers to solve the problem: Romanian shops in the Netherlands and packages from home. An example of a shop that also has home delivery is Corandy - Corandy - Romanian shop and find products to satisfy your longing for the taste of our food. Also through Romfour Romfour - parcel transport I facilitated the receipt of many parcels from home at an affordable price, 25 euros for any parcel up to 11 kilograms, which arrived in 3-7 days, depending on the place of dispatch and destination. Packages can also be sent from the Netherlands to Romania if needed. Also DHL: DHL - International Freight and Romanian Post: Romanian Post - International Parcels offers such services at various prices, depending on the type of service chosen. Before asking for a package of goodies from home, explore each option and you'll find it easier to choose the right service for you.

Article by Ioana Orășteanu

Ioana is a second year student at the University of Applied Sciences Rotterdam, International Business program. She likes to spend as much time as possible outside the home doing all sorts of activities. For this reason, she also decided to join the Rompro team to write articles on various topics, such as travel, unique activities and destinations to visit in the Netherlands.