Guides
Useful starting points
Every how-to on the site, grouped by the situation you are actually in. This grouping is editorial, not a live popularity ranking.
Your first weeks
Registration, an identity you can log in with, insurance, money and an address that the rest of the system reads from.
How to get a BSN in NL
Get your Burgerservicenummer (citizen service number), the unique number you need to work, study, open a bank account and use Dutch government services.
How to register at the municipality in NL
Register as a resident in the BRP with the municipality where you live if you will stay in the Netherlands for more than 4 months.
How to get a DigiD in NL
Apply for and activate DigiD, the login for Dutch government, tax and healthcare services. The route differs depending on whether you are registered with a municipality (BRP) or in the RNI.
How to use MijnOverheid and Berichtenbox in NL
Activate MijnOverheid, set Berichtenbox preferences and notifications, check how each sender delivers government post, and handle messages without relying on email reminders.
How to get Dutch basic health insurance in NL
Take out the compulsory Dutch basic health insurance (basisverzekering) within four months of your obligation starting, so cover is backdated instead of lost.
How to choose or switch Dutch health insurance in NL
Review the care and providers you expect to use, compare policy contracts and reimbursement, choose your deductible and supplementary cover deliberately, then adjust or switch your Dutch health insurance on time.
How to register with a GP (huisarts) in NL
How to find a huisarts (GP) practice that will take you, register each family member individually, and use the GP as your route to specialist care. A practice may refuse you if you live too far away or if it is full.
How to get prescription medicines in NL
Choose and use a Dutch pharmacy, keep your medication information complete, understand prescriptions and repeats, check cover, and find the local out-of-hours pharmacy route.
How to register with a dentist in NL
Find a dental practice that is accepting new patients, check the individual dentist's BIG registration, arrange your registration and records, and know what to check about cover, costs and urgent dental care.
How to get urgent medical help in NL
If you need medical help now in the Netherlands, use 112 for life-threatening emergencies, your GP when it is open, and the local huisartsen-spoedpost when it is closed. This guide also explains where hospital emergency care fits.
How to open a bank account in NL
How to open a Dutch payment account, and when you do not need one: under the SEPA Regulation a firm in the EU/EEA must accept any EU/EEA euro IBAN for transfers and direct debits.
How to use public transport in NL
Plan journeys, choose between OVpay, OV-pas and an existing OV-chipkaart, check in and out correctly, change operators, compare subscriptions and fix a missed check-out.
How to learn Dutch and find a course in NL
Work out which Dutch-learning route applies, find courses and local practice, compare providers, and use the right official route if you need inburgering or B1/B2 proof.
How to find housing in NL
Prepare for a private rental search in the Netherlands, compare listings, check the tenancy terms and know the basic rules before you pay.
How to check a Dutch rental contract before signing in NL
Review the contract type, rent and point score, service costs, deposit and fees, key clauses and move-in evidence before you sign a Dutch tenancy agreement or transfer money.
How to handle rental problems with your landlord in NL
Document the problem, contact your landlord in writing, then choose the right route through the Huurcommissie, your municipality or legal help without assuming one body can solve every rental dispute.
How to set up electricity, gas, water and internet in NL
Check what your Dutch home already includes, then start each service through the right route: an energy supplier you choose, a network operator and water company fixed by your address, and fixed internet that depends on what reaches the building.
How to exchange your driving licence in NL
How to swap a foreign driving licence for a Dutch one through your municipality. The rules split sharply between EU/EFTA licences and licences from everywhere else, so check which applies before you drive.
How to import your car in NL
Register a foreign car in the Netherlands: check whether import is required, choose the Customs/BPM route, complete RDW registration, then arrange insurance, plates, MRB and APK.
How to legalise a foreign document in NL
Legalisation, or an apostille, is what makes a document issued abroad usable by a Dutch authority. The route depends entirely on the country that issued it, and EU public documents are exempt. Check which applies before you pay.
How to move your household goods in NL
Moving your belongings to the Netherlands from inside the EU needs no customs declaration. From outside it, you cannot file the declaration yourself: a removal or transport company does it, and the relief has conditions.
How to move with your pet in NL
Bring an existing pet to the Netherlands: choose the right species and origin route, prepare the veterinary documents, enter through the correct EU route and complete any Dutch registration after arrival.
How to plan your first 90 days in NL
Plan your first 90 days in the Netherlands: registration, BSN, DigiD, health insurance and banking, with the deadlines and order that actually apply.
How to set up DigiD, health insurance and a bank account in NL
Check insurance promptly, prepare banking and arrange DigiD once its registration requirements are met. Some tasks can run in parallel.
How to settle in after arriving as an international student in NL
Arrival is the start of a system, not a single moment. Sort the student-specific parts from the ones every newcomer faces: municipal registration, a BSN, DigiD, insurance and banking, and know which questions belong to your university.
Studying in the Netherlands
Choosing a programme, applying, the student residence route and the rules that matter while you study.
How to apply to a Dutch study programme in NL
Check the programme requirements, deadline and application route, then complete Studielink and the institution's own admission steps without paying for an unnecessary diploma evaluation.
How to get a student residence permit in NL
For non-EU students in Dutch higher education: check the recognised sponsor, prepare the institution's permit file, meet the funds requirement and protect your permit through study progress.
Work, residence and the IND
Sponsored employment, what happens when a job ends, and the permits that carry you from arrival to permanent status.
How to find a recognised sponsor in NL
Find an employer authorised by the IND to bring skilled workers to the Netherlands under the highly skilled migrant scheme.
How to get a highly skilled migrant permit in NL
A recognised sponsor applies for your highly skilled migrant permit. Check the route, sponsor and salary first, then follow the application from documents and MVV to the IND decision and residence card.
How to change employer as a highly skilled migrant in NL
Change to a new recognised-sponsor employer while keeping a valid highly skilled migrant residence permit and continuing to meet the permit conditions.
How to keep your permit after losing your job as a kennismigrant in NL
What happens to a highly skilled migrant (kennismigrant) residence permit when the job ends: the sponsor's reporting duty, the 3 or 6 month search period and its 2026 change, and how to keep lawful status before it runs out.
How to apply for the orientation year in NL
Apply for the IND orientation year for highly educated persons (zoekjaar hoogopgeleiden): a one-year permit to look for work. You must apply within 3 years of graduating, and it cannot be extended.
How to extend your residence permit in NL
Extend a Dutch residence permit: the 3-month application window, who is allowed to submit the application, and what a residence gap costs you later. Some permits can only be extended by a recognised sponsor.
How to apply for permanent residence in NL
How to apply to the IND for a Dutch permanent residence permit or EU long-term resident status after five years, and which of the two statuses fits your situation.
How to apply for Dutch nationality in NL
Apply for Dutch citizenship by naturalisation at your municipality: which residence term applies to you, the A2 civic integration and good conduct conditions, renouncing your nationality, and when to use the option procedure instead.
How to get your diploma evaluated in NL
How to obtain a credential evaluation (diplomawaardering) of a foreign diploma through IDW, what it costs and how long it takes, and why it is advice rather than legal recognition.
How to get a VOG (Certificate of Conduct) in NL
How to obtain a Certificate of Conduct (Verklaring Omtrent het Gedrag, VOG) from Justis: the digital route an employer starts, the free route for volunteers, the paper and non-resident routes, and what to do if refusal is proposed.
How to check your work permit route and apply for a GVVA in NL
The single permit (GVVA) is one work route among several, and most people who think they need one do not. Work out which route applies first, then apply: the fee is €423 and the IND decides within 90 days.
How to take the required TB test in NL
Most regular residence permits carry a tuberculosis test condition. Check the IND exemption list first, because a large share of applicants are exempt, and if it applies to you the GGD appointment has a three month clock on it.
How to get a return visa in NL
A return visa (terugkeervisum) lets you travel while the IND holds your residence document. It is not only for people awaiting a decision, and if you are visa-exempt you may not need one at all. Check before you book.
Looking for work
Work authorisation, making your experience legible, finding routes into the market and preparing for the interview.
How to work part-time as an international student in NL
Check whether you can work, whether your employer needs a TWV, how many hours you may work, and what to arrange before starting a part-time job.
How to find a job as an international in NL
A Dutch job search works better when it combines direct applications, referrals and recruiters, not job boards alone. Settle work authorisation first, then separate role clarity, visibility and network instead of treating every application as the problem.
How to write a Dutch CV in NL
A Dutch CV is usually one to two A4 pages, reverse-chronological, and built around concrete results. Your experience may be strong but not yet legible here, and the goal is to make its value easier to read rather than to make it smaller.
How to use recruitment agencies in NL
Use recruiters as one route into the Dutch job market: choose agencies that fit your role, understand who would employ you, prepare your profile, and check sponsorship and contract details before you rely on an introduction.
How to prepare for a job interview in NL
Prepare for a Dutch job interview by turning the role into proof points, practising your motivation and examples, explaining your international context clearly, and knowing what you want to ask.
Your job and your rights
What to check before you sign, what you are entitled to once you are working, and where to go when something is wrong.
How to check your employment contract in NL
What to read before you sign a Dutch employment contract, and what your employer must put in writing in the first week and the first month. Covers probation, notice, the CAO and the non-compete clause (concurrentiebeding).
How to understand your employee rights in NL
The baseline protections a Dutch employee has on pay, holiday, sickness and dismissal, and the map of where to go when something is wrong: Work in NL, a union, Het Juridisch Loket, the Labour Inspectorate, UWV or the courts.
How to navigate a PhD career in NL
Not every PhD candidate (promovendus) in the Netherlands is an employee, and what you are entitled to follows from which type you are. Covers the categories, the university CAO terms, supervision, and the immigration route.
Money, benefits and tax
The allowances and filings with real deadlines attached, where being late costs money rather than time.
How to apply for zorgtoeslag (healthcare allowance) in NL
Claim zorgtoeslag, the Dutch healthcare allowance, from Dienst Toeslagen with DigiD: the 2026 income and asset limits, the insurance and residence conditions, and why the payment is an advance you can be asked to repay.
How to apply for huurtoeslag (rent benefit) in NL
Apply for huurtoeslag from Dienst Toeslagen. Covers the independent living space rule, the 2026 change to bare rent only, the asset limits and the 31 December deadline.
How to apply for the 30% ruling in NL
Apply jointly with your employer for the expat scheme (30%-regeling), which covers extraterritorial costs untaxed. Covers the 150 km condition, the 2026 salary norms and the 4-month application window.
How to file your tax return in NL
File the Dutch income tax return (aangifte inkomstenbelasting) with the Belastingdienst, and work out which return applies to you: the standard return, the M return for your migration year, or the C return for non-residents.
How to apply for unemployment benefit (WW) in NL
Claim a WW-uitkering from UWV after losing paid working hours: the one-week application window, the 26-of-36-weeks condition, and what is different for non-EU permit holders.
Working for yourself
Registering a company, starting as a freelancer, and keeping recurring VAT and business admin under control.
How to start a business in NL
Register a new business in the Netherlands, from choosing a legal structure to signing up with the Chamber of Commerce and the tax authority.
How to start as a freelancer in NL
Set yourself up as a self-employed freelancer (zzp'er) in the Netherlands, including registration, tax and insurance.
How to manage VAT and recurring business admin in NL
Keep Dutch business VAT and admin under control: maintain records, issue invoices, file and pay returns, handle ICP, correct errors and close the year cleanly.
How to find a startup visa facilitator in NL
Use the live RVO list to find a facilitator for the Dutch Start-up residence permit, compare fit, prepare your first contact and check the cooperation agreement before you apply.
How to get startup credits in NL
Find cloud, AI and software credits your startup can use from the Netherlands, check which access route fits, and avoid expiry, billing and eligibility traps.
Buying a home
Affordability, the offer and purchase agreement, mortgage evidence, valuation, buyer costs, the notary and getting the keys.
Moving again or leaving
Ending a tenancy and recovering the deposit, changing address inside the Netherlands or closing the Dutch side cleanly when you move abroad.
How to move out and get your rental deposit back in NL
End a Dutch tenancy cleanly: confirm notice, document inspections and handover, check deposit deductions, and recover your borg if it is not repaid.
How to change your address after moving in NL
Report a move inside the Netherlands to your municipality so the Personal Records Database (BRP) is correct, any time from 4 weeks before your moving date to 5 days after it. Moving abroad is deregistration and follows different rules.
How to deregister and close things out in NL
Work out whether you have to deregister from the BRP, arrange the deregistration in the final five days before you leave the Netherlands, keep DigiD usable abroad, and settle insurance, allowances, your home and the migration-year tax return.
Family and children
Pregnancy and birth, bringing a partner, school, childcare and the separate payments that support children.
How to bring your partner in NL
Use the standard IND partner residence-permit route to bring a foreign partner to live with you in the Netherlands. Different rules can apply under EU law or other special situations.
How to enrol your child in school in NL
How to enrol a child in a Dutch primary or secondary school, from compulsory education (leerplicht) to newcomer language classes. You register with the school itself, but in some municipalities the schools allocate places centrally.
How to find and arrange childcare in NL
Work out which type of Dutch childcare fits your child, search the Landelijk Register Kinderopvang for registered places, read the GGD inspection report, and reach a confirmed place with the details the funding route needs.
How to claim child benefit (kinderbijslag) in NL
How to get kinderbijslag from the SVB: who counts as insured, when the SVB writes to you and when you have to claim yourself in Mijn SVB, and how far back a claim can be paid.
How to get kindgebonden budget in NL
Work out whether child budget should arrive automatically or needs an application, check eligibility, apply in Mijn toeslagen and keep the advance accurate.
How to apply for childcare allowance in NL
Apply for kinderopvangtoeslag from Dienst Toeslagen within three months after the month your childcare starts. Miss that window and you miss the allowance for the earlier months.
How to arrange pregnancy care and kraamzorg in NL
Contact a midwife, check the right insurance route, arrange kraamzorg, understand when specialist care takes over, and prepare the practical handoff after birth.
How to register a birth in NL
A birth must be registered (geboorteaangifte) with the municipality where the child was born within 3 days. This guide covers that deadline, acknowledgement and parental authority, and what follows for a child who needs a residence permit.