student travel card netherlands

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ACCESS NL > Relocating to the Netherlands > First three months > Transportation Netherlands > I am a student. What is the student OV-chipkaart?

Transportation Netherlands

I find it difficult and expensive to park my car in many major cities. Is there a way for me to park my car easier and cheaper?

There is a severe lack of parking space in most big cities in the Netherlands. In an effort to reduce congestion, many cities have a park and ride scheme (P+R- locaties). The driver parks at an organised, out of town location and then finishes the journey via public transport to the city centre. ANWB (the Royal Dutch Touring Club) lists all park and ride schemes in an area. This scheme is very helpful to many people for finding a parking space more quickly as well as for spending less on parking fees. You find the parking space via the routeplanner of ANWB on https://www.anwb.nl/verkeer/routeplanner?displayType=instructions.

Each city in the Netherlands has a Municipal Parking Department for all affairs related to parking such as parking permits. Please contact your municipality for further details.

Are there any subscriptions to travel cheaper by public transport?

Subscriptions are available for a particular route, for a discount outside rush hours, for unlimited travel by train or by other means of public transport as well. If you don’t know which subscription fits best, you can use the information on the Dutch Railroads (Nederlandse Spoorwegen – NS) website. It is the principal passenger railway operator in the Netherlands: www.ns.nl/en/season-tickets .

It is highly advisable that you drop into a service counter and ask for help when deciding which subscription would be the most adequate for your situation. For more information visit the NS website.

What is the OV-chipkaart?

The smart-card system, the OV-chipkaart (chip card used to pay for public transport), is the form of paying for public transport. OV stands for openbaar vervoer (public transport). It resembles a bank card and contains an invisible chip and must be topped up before the start of any journey. The OV-chipkaart can be used on public transport all over the Netherlands.

For further details visit the website of the OV-chipkaart and select ‘English’ at the top right corner of the site to change the language: www.ov-chipkaart.nl .

How does the OV-chipkaart work?

The OV-chipkaart ( chip card used to pay for public transport ) must be purchased before you travel. To find a point of sale nearby visit the following website: https://www.ov-chipkaart.nl/en/service-points-finder

This address finder is very useful to find out where all specific OV-chipkaart services are located because services differ from location to location. Additional credit can be loaded onto your OV-chipkaart at vending and add value machines or at OV-chipkaart service points.

Cards must be validated at both the beginning and the end of a journey, by holding the card up to an OV-chipkaart reader. You can find them in various parts of the buses and trams. The card readers for trains are located on the platforms or at the entrance of the station. At the start of your journey, hold your OV-chipkaart up to the screen. The sound and light signal indicates your card has been read. When disembarking, check out by holding your card up to the screen. Checking in and out is also required when you transfer from one form of transport to another, except when you transfer from train to train.

When using trains, you always need to have at least a certain minimum credit on your card to be able to check in. T he boarding fee can differ from one transportation company to another. The latest information can be found on https://www.ov-chipkaart.nl/en/travelling-on-balance

When you check out, the boarding fee will be refunded and you will be charged for the number of kilometres you travelled. If you do not check out, you will pay the full boarding fee. If you fail to check in or buy a valid ticket, you face a fine plus the fare for your journey.

What types of OV-chipkaart are there?

There are three different types of OV-chipkaart (chip card used to pay for public transport) to choose from:

• Personal OV-chipkaart: this card is intended for the frequent traveller. To apply for a personal OV-chipkaart, you can pick up a paper application form at the counters for public transport companies or apply online at the Ov-chipkaart.nl.
• Anonymous OV-chipkaart: designed for the infrequent traveller, this allows the holder to travel immediately, once you have added money to your card . It can be purchased at sales devices in stations, newsagents, supermarkets and public transport companies’ counters.
• Business OV-chipkaart: the business OV-chipkaart. This card is offered to employees of companies by business card providers. If you have a business OV-chipkaart and have a question, please contact your business card provider. The contact details can be found on the front of your card.

How can I find out which tram, bus or train I need and the departure times?

Via the website 9292.nl /en , you can plan your journey from door to door. All options, bus, tram, train, metro and ferry for your journey are given here. 9292 provides a helpful app in English. Bear in mind that most information in the public transport system is announced in Dutch.

How can I go to the railway station or from the railway station to my destination?

There are several ways to travel to and from the railway station:

• By bus, tram or metro
• By bike or moped
• By car (shared or rental)
• By taxi or shared taxi

For more detailed information about this topic, please visit: NSinternational.nl/en/to-and-from-the-station.

It seems that everybody is biking in the Netherlands. Where can I buy a bike for myself?

All cities have one or more shops that sell and repair bikes. For a tweedehands fiets (second-hand bike) you can search online or visit one of the online auction pages such as Marktplaats.nl.  Bike shops often have second hand bikes too.

I have hardly any knowledge of biking. How can I learn to bike?

There are several bike schools all over the country that offer fietslessen (bike lessons). Most of them are called ‘ fietsschool’   or ‘ fietscollege’  (bike school).

Can I travel by public transport if I don't have an OV-chipkaart?

It is possible to travel by public transport without OV chipcard. You can pay wireless with your bank card (pin pass) or mobile phone  if you don’t have any discount or subscription. This applies to all buses,  trams, trains  a  metros in the Netherlands. If you travel by train you can only pay with your bank card or mobile phone if you are travelling 2nd class and don’t have a subscription. More information is available on https://www.ov-chipkaart.nl/en

Alternatively most of the train companies operating in the Netherlands offers the option to purchase your ticket online (e-ticket). For instance NS, the principal passenger railway operator in the Netherlands, offers not only the option to print your e-ticket but also to download it on your smartphone. For this you will need the ‘NS Reisplanner Xtra app’.

What kinds of tickets are available for the train?

For the train you can use either paper cards or the OV-Chipkaart ( chip card used to pay for public transport )  The main tickets available are:

• Single ticket
• Return ticket
• Day travel card for the train
• Day travel card for all public transport (called Holland travel ticket)
• Bicycle day travel card
• Rail runner (cheap ticket for children aged 4 to 11 accompanied by an adult)
• Group ticket off peak hours (single ticket)
• Joint discount ticket off peak hours

You can find an overview of available tickets on https://www.ns.nl/en

Should you experience a delay of 30 minutes or more, you might be entitled to a refund.  Read more about this on the website of the Dutch Railways .

What is the minimum age to ride a moped in the Netherlands?

If you want to ride a brommer  or snorfiets (moped), you need to be at least 16 years of age. You also need to have a bromfietsrijbewijs (moped driving licence). A driving licence for a car is category B, for a moped is category AM. If you have a driving licence category A or B, you can ask to add category AM when you renew your driving licence. You don’t need to pass an exam for this.

What kinds of bikes are available?

The most common type of bicycle is the omafiets  (grandma bike). However, you will see a lot of other types of bikes, including the following: stadsfiets (city bike), sportfiets (sport bike), elektrische fiets (electric bike), bakfiets (cargo bike), and mopeds.

Grandma bikes and city bike  are most often used for everyday trips, including going to school and/or work, and running errands around town while a sport bike is a more convenient bicycle for longer trips.

An ATB (All Terrain Bikes) is most convenient for those who bike on difficult terrain. A special type of ATB is the MTB (mountain bike), which is not often used in the Netherlands because of its flat terrain, but it is convenient for cycling in the mountains.

An electric bike offers the possibility to get trapondersteuning (electric support while cycling). It is especially useful when it is very windy because you do not require as much strength for pedalling. Trapondersteuning means that you have to bike yourself, but the electric motor will support you. Depending on the type of electric bike, you can choose between no support, little support, average support or a lot of support.

A moped is a snorfiets  when it has a light blue licence plate. A b romfiets rides on the roadway and can reach a maximum speed of 45 km/h. They have a yellow licence plate. By law, children younger than 8 years old can be passengers on a moped only when they are provided with a proper, safe seat that gives them adequate support for their back, hands and feet. It is not permitted to hold a mobile phone while operating a moped or any other electronic device. You are only allowed to use any device handsfree. This also applies to pedestrians . If you ignore this rule, you may get a fine.

Cargo bikes or  bakfietsen are transport bikes with three wheels and a large front bucket. It is common to see parents transporting children around because the box is low to the ground making it is easier to transport more weight.

There are also four-wheeled vehicles, but they are not allowed on bike paths and have to follow the same rules as mopeds. They look like small automobiles and must have an overall weight of less than 350 kg (excluding the weight of the battery in electric vehicles). They can reach a maximum of 45 km/h and can be distinguished by their small size and a 45 km/h sticker that is displayed on the back of the car.

Are there any special traffic rules for cyclists?

The following laws apply specifically for cyclists:

• Cycling is not allowed on sidewalks or pedestrian-only areas
• Use hand signals when preparing to make a left or right turn. Simply put your arm out in the direction you want to turn
• It is allowed to ride alongside another bicyclist, but cycling with three people in a row is not permitted
• Bicyclists share the bike paths with snorfietsen (mopeds). Be prepared for them by cycling on the right side of the bike path so that they can pass you.
• Brommers (mopeds with a speed of maximum 45 km/hour) are no longer allowed on the bike path.   They have to use then main road. Snorfietsen (mopeds with a speed of maximum 25 km/hour) are not always allowed on the bike path. Signs indicate if this applies.
• Cycling is not allowed on highways
• Tunnels may or may not be accessible for cycling. If they are, there is usually a separate bike path
• Bicycle lights are mandatory, white or yellow in the front and red in the rear. You can get a fine when cycling without lights in the dark, at dusk or in poor visibility

Are there any special traffic rules for mopeds?

Brommers (mopeds) must use the main road rather than the bike roads. They are allowed on the bike lanes only if explicitly indicated by the blue traffic sign displaying a bicycle and a moped symbol. Both drivers of a moped and passengers are required to wear a helmet.

Mopeds have bells for a reason! Use the bell to warn bicyclists that you are approaching them and need to pass them, use it to warn pedestrians who are blocking the bike path, or to warn anyone else who might be in your way! Do not park your moped in places that have signs posted saying “ Geen fietsen plaatsen ” (no bike parking).

How can I arrange a parking space lot near my house?

Parking space is limited in the Netherlands. In general you need to request a parking licence near your house from the municipality. This gives you the right to park near your house but you need to look for a place every time you want to park your car. In addition, you can see if there is a parking garage nearby and try to rent a place there. It is best to check with your municipality for further detail.

How are parking spaces lots organised in the Netherlands?

In most places it is paid parking. This is indicated along the road. You need to get a ticket from the ticket vending machine and pay on your return for the time you parked your car.

Sometimes there is a parking meter. Here you need to decide in advance how long you intend to park your car and pay for that time. If you park longer than expected, you need to add money to the meter to avoid getting a fine.

In areas where paid parking is not in force, you may find there is a Blue Zone. Within this zone, you are only permitted to park for short periods of time by clearly displaying a blue parking disc. You can buy them at large department stores. Before leaving your car, mark your time of arrival on the blue parking disc. You can recognise a blue zone by a nearby road sign. On this sign you can see the maximum parking time permitted, as well as any additional conditions such as specific hours during the day.

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Student finance & student travel pass

When studying at Leiden University you may be entitled to Dutch student finance and a student travel pass from DUO. Whether you are eligible depends on several factors such as your nationality and length of stay.

Student finance

The Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs (DUO) is the Dutch governmental agency for education. Students of Leiden University who are aged under 30 may be eligible to apply for student finance from DUO , depending on factors such as their nationality and length of stay . Student finance is in fact an advantageous loan that contributes towards your study costs.

Student travel pass

Students who are eligible for Dutch student finance may also apply for a student travel pass from DUO (known as a student OV card).  You can find all terms, conditions and application procedures on the DUO website.

Ending your studies

Important note! If you complete or discontinue your studies make sure to notify DUO and hand in your student travel pass. Failure to do so (on time) can result in fines.

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Student travel pass

Student travel product

• Switching subscription
• Eligible for how long
• Reimbursement additional travel expenses
• Compensation
• OV-chipkaart lost, defective or expired

You can travel with the student travel product from the moment you are enrolled. This is usually from 1 August on an MBO programme and from 1 September for HBO and university. Look in Mijn DUO to find out when you can collect the student travel product from a pick-up machine Link opent externe pagina .

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Worldwide discounts on everything? From airline tickets to cinema tickets? Buy the IYTC!

Please order your IYTC card following the exact procedure below.

• Please order your card using this link: https://www.isic.nl/en/get-your-isic/
• In this form you are obliged to fill in place of study , you can fill in here NVT
• Use the mandatory discount code: IYTCKILROY (there is no discount)
• Upload your picture ASAP, because your card can only be approved after we receive these document.

Anyone older than 12 and younger than 31 can apply for an International Youth Travel Card (IYTC). This gives you worldwide discounts on everything from airline tickets to cinema tickets. Are you a student? Then we recommend to apply for the ISIC student card and not the IYTC youth card.

Even if you are no longer a student, with an IYTC youth card you will still be part of the worldwide discount network of the International Student Identity Card (ISIC), together with 4.5 million other cardholders. You'll benefit from thousands of similar benefits, services and discounts offered by the ISIC student card. Both in the Netherlands and abroad.

Note: not all ISIC discounts are valid for the IYTC youth card. If you are a full-time student, apply for the ISIC card . Check all discounts here .

Are you a teacher? Then apply for the ITIC teacher card.

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I’m going to study in the Netherlands and I already receive student finance from DUO. What arrangements do I need to make?

If you are studying outside the Netherlands and are going to study in the Netherlands for a short period, you may need to make changes to your student finance. 

You need to arrange this

Applying for a student travel product.

With a student travel product you can travel free or with a discount on public transport in the Netherlands. Apply for a student travel product at least 2 months before you need it. 

You cannot have both a student travel product and a public transport allowance. If you are currently receiving a public transport allowance and you apply for a student travel product, your public transport allowance will stop automatically. Do you want to keep the public transport allowance? This is only possible if you remain registered with the educational institution outside the Netherlands and you do not apply for a student travel product.

Find out more about applying for a student travel product (DUO) 

Applying for a grant for students living away from home

If you are doing a vocational education course abroad and will be living away from home during your period of study in the Netherlands, you can apply for a higher basic grant. 

Find out more about the grant for MBO students living away from home (DUO) (information in Dutch)

Use the change of details form for students doing MBO courses in the Netherlands (pdf) (in Dutch) to apply for a grant for students living away from home.

Updating your contact details

• Check your email address in Mijn DUO. If it is no longer correct, enter your new email address so that you will not miss any messages. 
• You can also pass on a change of address in Mijn DUO. 

Logging in to Mijn DUO

If you want to arrange your student finance through Mijn DUO, you will need to login in using your DigiD or EU-recognised eID . 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us .

Also useful

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Requesting a temporary student travel product

A temporary student travel product has a validity of seven days.

• Did you request a replacement or renewed card? Then your student travel product is automatically transferred into your new card and you can travel immediately.
• Have you bought a new personal OV-chipkaart? Then you must link your new card to the student travel product and pick-up the student travel product onto your card at a pick-up device.
• Did you find your old card back after applying for a temporary student travel product? You have to re-link the student travel product to that card again. After linking the OV-chipkaart to the student travel product you can activate the product at a pick-up device. After that you can travel again.

If your application for a temporary student travel product has been denied, run through the next few steps. First request a replacement card, if you haven’t done that yet. After that, check if you meet the conditions for a claim for travel expenses incurred and save your bought (paper) tickets. After you’ve received your replacement card and you can travel again, you can submit a travel expense claim.

You can download a temporary student travel product on both an anonymous and personal OV-chipkaart. Does it not work? Then maybe your card is defective.

Submit a new application with the correct information. Pay attention to:

• Make sure that your date of birth matches the date of birth that is known at DUO.
• Did you entered a wrong e-mail address and are you therefore submitting a new application? Then you will receive a rejection for that second application because an earlier application is already being processed. You can ignore this rejection. A temporary student travel product is ready to download on your card.

Have you lost your OV-chipkaart or is it stolen or broken and are you therefore unable to travel? Then you can apply for a temporary student travel product so that you can continue travelling within 15 minutes.

You’ve applied for a temporary student travel product but you got a notification that you’ve reached the maximum number of applications. This notification means that you’re no longer allowed to use a temporary student travel product and from now on you travel at your own expense.

The temporary student travel product is a service for students with card problems and is meant to bridge the period of card replacement. You can request the temporary travel product for a limited number of times, namely two applications per lifetime of a personal OV-chipkaart. Do you want to travel as quickly as possible again with the student travel product? Then request a replacement OV-chipkaart immediately. You’ll receive the OV-chipkaart within three working days.

If you believe that your card problem has not been resolved through no fault of your own, check whether you are eligible for a possible reimbursement of your travel expenses. In that case, save your tickets. You can then submit a claim request as soon as you can travel with your student travel product again.

No, this is only necessary if you no longer want to use your student travel product. A temporary student travel product expires automatically after seven days.

Met de digitale nieuwsbrief van Studentenreisproduct.nl:

• Krijg je handige tips en actuele informatie over het studentenreisproduct (circa 4 keer per jaar);
• Krijg je aan het einde van je studie een aantrekkelijk aanbod om voordelig met het openbaar vervoer te blijven reizen.

Top 4 benefits of using a student travel card in the netherlands

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• 10 September 2021

Top 4 benefits of using a student travel card

The OV card is the main transportation card there is. It will take you from A to Z for a pretty high price, unfortunately, especially when you are a student. who is unfamiliar with this country, you don’t want to pay such a price while you don’t even know what you can do with it… However, when you use the OV card correctly, you get many benefits from it. We will discuss these benefits down below. We all share the same opinion. We want to travel as cheap as possible it doesn’t matter if it’s for school purposes or travel the day for some sightseeing. Now, what are these 4 Benefits? We will discuss them one by one.

1. Student OV Week – travel to your university and friends for free!

You as an International student can choose which give of OV-chipcard you want, In the Netherlands, we have the luxury to choose as a student. Therefore, students can choose between having a Week or weekend Student OV. With the student OV package, you can travel for free from Monday 04:00 till Saturday 04:00. Not only can you travel for free during the week, but during the weekend students have 40% off to travel to do sightseeing.

2. Student OV Weekend – Sightseeing during the weekend?

The student OV weekend is almost the same as Student OV Week. However, this package provides you to travel for free during the weekends and whenever you want to travel during the week you will get 40% off. When a student always travels to the university by bike or just walking, I would advise getting the Weekend OV package as you have time to see the Netherlands and travel for free. When you get the feeling the subscription you choose is not the right one for you, don’t worry! You can switch later on.

3. Take 3 other people with you with a 40% discount.

What is even better than traveling for free, traveling with friends! With student-OV, you can take up to 3 people to travel with you with 40% off. The ones who are traveling together with you with 40% must select this at an NS machine at the stations. After they have done that they get 40% off.

Important information: when can I use the 40%

You can let people travel with you with 40% from Monday until Friday before 06:30h, between 09:00h-16:00h, and after 18:30h. Good to know, whenever you want to do fun things on the weekend you can give the others 40% for the whole day!

What is more Dutch than biking? Nothinggg. Therefore, NS provides bikes to rent to people who need it to get to work, university, friends, sightseeing. We Provide you how to get this Bike to be on time for your next plans.

4 steps towards your ov-bike

1. online OV-bike subscription

2. go to an OV-Bike location and rent a bike with your OV-Chipcard

3. Return the bike to the location where you got it from.

4. In the NS app, which is called Mijn NS , you can easily find all your trips and the costs.

Important information: What do you actually pay for such a bike?

To rent a bike for 24h you only need to pay €3,95!

After reading this blog, you got to know the most important benefits you as a student can get, during the week. but also for the weekends. I can imagine you want to start getting all these benefits. because most of them are for FREE. But how to exactly arrange this? Please find it in our OV-chipcard . To stay updated on more relevant information, sign up for our newsletter, which will be sent out every Monday morning!

What are the best places to travel to with your student OV?

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3 ways to save money traveling in the Netherlands

Are you traveling to university by public transport daily or do you regularly visit cities throughout the Netherlands? Then, we have great ways to save money for you!

Table of Contents

Group ticket

You should definitely consider buying a group ticket if you are doing a trip with your friends. Up to seven people can be in one group – the more, the cheaper!

A small overview:

• 2 people: €17,00 per person
• 3 people: €11,33 per person
• 4 people: €9,50 per person
• 5 people: €8,40 per person
• 6 people: €7,67 per person
• 7 people: €7,15 per person

Travel products

The first step for travel discounts is applying for a personal OV-chipkaart via their website.  It usually requires to have a Dutch bank account, but you can fill out a form if you want to pay with a card from another country. After receiving your card you can purchase travel products. Take a look which one is most suitable for you to save money.

Travel with discount: 

• Dal Voordeel (€2.50/month for the first three months, afterwards €5.60/month):  40% discount during off-peak hours, at weekends and public holidays
• Altijd Voordeel (€26.70/month):  20% discount during peak hours, 40% discount during off-peak hours, at weekends and public holidays
• Weekend Voordeel (€2.20/month):  40% discount at weekends and public holidays

Unlimited travel: 

• Weekend Vrij (€34.95/month): unlimited travels during the weekend 
• Dal Vrij (€119.95/month): unlimited travel during the week at off-peak hours and unlimited travel at weekends and on public holidays
• Altijd Vrij (€353.80/month): unlimited travel during peak hours, during off-peak hours, at weekends and on public holidays
• Traject Vrij (price depending on your fixed route): unlimited travel on a fixed route, 40% discount on other routes during off-peak hours, at weekends and public holidays

€15 yearly bus ticket Nijmegen

For those who travel by bus regularly in Nijmegen, the 15 euro yearly bus ticket is a must. Check the following points to see whether you are eligible for it. 

Requirements:

• You’re living in Nijmegen
• You’re 18 or older 
• You have a personal OV-chipkaart
• You cannot make use of the DUO student travel product 
• You don’t earn more than €1.560/month

How to apply for student travel product

If you are working in the Netherlands as an international student for at least 56 hours you might be eligible for the travel product of DUO student finance. Find out how to register for DUO on this blog post.  

These tips can help you paying less money than you would with regular tickets. Read about further hacks on how to save money as a student on our blog .

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Partner content, planning to study in the netherlands get your finances sorted.

Coming to study in the Netherlands after the summer holidays? Signing up for a bank account before term begins is a key part of every “to do” list.

New arrivals to the Netherlands are often surprised at how “digital” the country is when it comes to money. New students need to pay a deposit on their student housing, take out a new phone and internet subscription and be able pay for public transport as soon as they arrive, if not before. So it makes sense to open a bank account and get digital as soon as you can.

In the past, this was always a challenge: in order to comply with money laundering and other obligations, the main Dutch banks would always ask for a Dutch tax identification number ( BSN ) before they would open an account.

ABN Amro is now offering the possibility to onboard using a foreign tax number, so that students can arrive in the Netherlands ready to pay their rent, shopping and phone bill…with a local account.

Then, as soon as you have supplied proof of residence – either a BSN or a formal document showing you are enrolled at a college or university – all the features of a current account will be up and running.

Matthé Kooi, a student himself, who works as a client adviser at the international student personal banking team, said that internationals in particular can struggle at the start of term.

“First of all, many universities ask for a cash deposit of €5,000 or €10,000,” he said. “You transfer that to the university, so that the university knows that the student has enough money to live here: then when they arrive here, the money is transferred back them, but they need a bank account to put it in.

“The second point is that this is a really digital country. Students might come from their own country where a lot of shops still accept cash, but here, everything is going digital. If you don’t have a bank account, you can’t pay your landlord. It’s also useful to pay for your groceries. It’s really necessary.”

Digitalisation has gone so far that you pay for public transport by swiping your bank card if you get on a bus or tram. And the tikkie – a way of sharing bills between groups of friends – is an essential part of everyone’s social life.

One of the things that won’t cost you anything is your student bank account: unlike other types of banking in the Netherlands, a student account at ABN Amro is free of charge.

You might have to pay a fee to transfer cash into the account from abroad, however – if the foreign bank demands a charge, this will be passed on to you. “It might make sense to pay one transaction fee for a larger amount, rather than foreign relatives sending money every month,” said Kooi. “Or investigate other ways of transferring money with internet transfer services. But the nice thing is that the student account itself is free so you don’t have to pay for a debit card.”

While you will not qualify for certain services such as banking loans or credit cards – which are based on salary – you may want to look into other banking services like contents insurance or liability insurance, in case you have an accident on your bike.

ABN Amro gives advice to student networks such as the Erasmus Student Network and has a regularly updated website in English with all kinds of recommendations for new arrivals and international students to help them find their feet and get the most out of their time in the Netherlands.

Getting your bank account sorted will just take a weight off your mind, especially if you can onboard using the banking app before you even get to the country, said Kooi. “And that leaves you free to focus on your study!”

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