Guides
How the Netherlands actually works
One question answered properly per guide. What you have to do, in what order, and which part trips people up. Every figure is dated and traced to an official source.
Study
Applying through Studielink, tuition, and student finance.
- Studielink and applying to a Dutch universityEvery application to a Dutch university runs through Studielink. What the national deadlines mean, and why your own programme's date is earlier than both.8 min read
- Scholarships and student finance for internationalsWho qualifies for DUO student finance in the Netherlands, the working-hours test EU students have to pass, and which scholarships are open if you do not.8 min read
Visas and permits
MVV, residence permits, and what the IND needs from you.
- MVV vs residence permit: what you need and in what orderAn MVV gets you into the Netherlands and a residence permit lets you stay. Which of the two you need, who files the application, and the order they happen in.8 min read
- The orientation year visa (zoekjaar) for recent graduatesThe orientation year visa lets recent graduates stay in the Netherlands to find work. Who qualifies, how the application window counts, and what it is worth.7 min read
- Highly skilled migrant visa: the salary threshold and how it worksWhat a Dutch employer has to pay to sponsor you as a highly skilled migrant, how the IND tests the salary threshold, and which of the amounts applies to you.8 min read
Housing
Finding a place, what your contract means, and what rent is fair.
- How to rent in the Netherlands, and avoid the scamsHow renting in the Netherlands works, what the law makes a landlord put in the contract, and the free checks that tell a real listing from a rental scam.9 min read
- Student housing in the NetherlandsHow international students find housing in the Netherlands: what your university can arrange, how the ROOM waiting list works, and what hospiteren means.8 min read
- Stekkies vs Pararius vs Huurwoningen vs Kamernet: which Dutch rental site to useWhich Dutch rental site to use, and why hearing about a place first beats picking the right portal. What Stekkies, Pararius, Huurwoningen and Kamernet each do.9 min read
- The Dutch rental points system (WWS): are you overpaying?Is your Dutch rent too high? Every rented home scores points, and the score sets a legal maximum rent. What the points measure and which homes have a ceiling.8 min read
- Huurtoeslag: do you qualify for housing benefit?Who qualifies for huurtoeslag, why most student rooms are ruled out, how much of your rent actually counts, and how to claim it without owing money back.8 min read
BSN and registration
Getting registered at your gemeente, your BSN, and DigiD.
- How to get a BSN in the NetherlandsA BSN is issued when you register with your gemeente. What the deadline is, which documents to bring, how the appointment works, and what the number is for.5 min read
- How to get a DigiD in the NetherlandsDigiD is the login for Dutch government services. What you need before you apply, how the application and the activation letter work, and what it is used for.6 min read
Banking and money
Dutch bank accounts, transfers, and how payments work here.
- How to open a Dutch bank account as an internationalWhat Dutch banks ask for, which ones open before your BSN arrives, how to get paid while you wait, and your right to a basic account if you are refused.8 min read
- bunq vs ABN AMRO vs ING for internationalsWhich Dutch bank to choose as an international: what actually separates bunq, ABN AMRO and ING, what only looks like a difference, and who each one suits.8 min read
Health and insurance
Health insurance, finding a huisarts, and the cover you need.
- Dutch health insurance: basisverzekering, eigen risico, deadlinesWho has to take out Dutch health insurance and who is barred from it, the deadline after you arrive, what the eigen risico costs you, and when you can switch.8 min read
- Comparing Dutch health insurers: naturapolis or restitutiepolisEvery Dutch insurer sells the same basisverzekering, so the policy type is the real choice: what naturapolis or restitutiepolis means, and who is contracted.7 min read
Tax and income
The 30% ruling, your payslip, and filing a Dutch return.
- The 30% ruling, explainedWho qualifies for the Dutch 30% ruling, what it is worth on your salary, the deadline your employer has to meet, and who skips the salary threshold entirely.7 min read
- How to file your first Dutch tax return (the M-form)Your first Dutch tax return is the M form, for the year you arrived. Who has to file it, when it is due, what to gather, and why arrivals often get money back.7 min read
Daily life
Transport, phone and internet, and settling into the everyday.