r/Netherlands Jan 20 '26

Update on the moderation

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Hi everyone,

We've talked some stuff through and cleaned up the mod-team a bit, although some of the names you might have positive or negative associations with are still there.
I'll leave it up to the moderators involved to clarify that, or not.

What I can tell you is that 1 mod did 97% of the moderation, and that wasn't healthy and likely led up to the situation you might have seen.

The rules have changed slightly, this is because we see your call for less strict moderation on language, but we also heard from those who want to be able to have a place to converse in English.

The compromise we've reached currently is that we intend to not moderate the language used in the comments of the post.
This means that you can have discussions in Dutch in the comments. (as long as those follow the rules of course)

We also will be looking at those banned on a case by case basis, but keep in mind that if you were harassing people, or bigoted in any way you won't be unbanned.

I'll invite you all to respond to this post with your feedback, and I know for some it might feel like too much or not enough.
We are currently trying to strike a balance between becoming r/thenetherlands2 which is bilingual but 99% Dutch in practice, and the other option of being a sub for only those speaking English.


r/Netherlands Apr 14 '23

[FAQ] Read this post before posting

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This post is meant to cover the answers to questions that are frequently asked in this sub. Please read through the relevant section of this post before posting your question.

Contents

  • Moving to the Netherlands
  • Housing
  • Cost of living
  • Public transport
  • Language
  • 30 percent ruling
  • Improving this FAQ

Moving to the Netherlands

Netherlands is a modern country that ranks high in many global metrices on quality of life and freedom. For this reason, it attracts a fair share of attention from people interested in moving here.

If you are looking to move to the Netherlands to live/work/study, firstly, you would need to secure residency. Apart from the right to residence, you will also need to consider housing and cost of living before you move. See other sections of this post.

If you hold an EU passport, you will be able to freely travel into the country and reside.

If you hold a non-EU passport, generally below are your main options to obtain residency. Each one comes with its own set of conditions and procedures. You can check all the official information on the website of Dutch Immigration and Naturalization Services (https://ind.nl/en)

Work visas

Highly Skilled Migrant : You need to have an advanced degree, a high enough salary and need a recognized sponsor employing you. Typically for people whose skills are in demand in Dutch economy.

Work Permit : A more general category covering intra-company transfers, seasonal workers, researchers and other employees who might not meet the salary threshold

Startup visa : special visa for founders and employees of startups. Typically you need to be funded by a recognized incubator.

DAFT Visa : special visa for US citizens that allows starting a business in the Netherlands

EU Bluecard: A visa from EU wide program to attract special skilled talent. The advantage is that you can continue the accumulation of residency into/from other EU countries allowing you to get permanent residence or citizenship sooner. Beneficial if you are planning to move to/from another EU country.

Family visa

If you are partner or a dependent child of a Dutch/EU citizen

Student visa

If you participate in an educational program from a recognized Dutch institute

Housing

Currently [2023] the Netherlands is going through a housing crisis.

Houses/apartments for rent or purchase are hard to come by, especially for the entry level housing like 1-2 bedrooms. When such properties do come on market, they are often taken within hours.

So, it is strongly advised to organize your housing BEFORE arriving at least for the first 6-12 months. You can look at available properties on Funda (https://www.funda.nl/) or Pararius (https://www.pararius.com/english) This should give you an idea of how much you can expect to spend on rent. The rents/prices can vary depending on the location and size. Typically the rents are higher in bigger cities and go lower as you move away from the center. In addition to the rent, mind that the cost of utilities might be higher/lower than what you are used to paying and estimate based on your situation.

Cost of living

Like anywhere, the cost of living depends on your lifestyle and preferences. In general, housing is the biggest cost, followed by food, transport and healthcare. Expect to pay 800-2000 EUR/month for rent depending on where you live and 200-1000 EUR for food for a family of 2-4 depending on how often you eat out. Health insurance is around 125 EUR/month for adults (free for children). You can compare plans on a comparison site like https://www.independer.nl/ The basic health insurance plan has the same coverage and own-risk (co-pay) across all insurers and is mandated by law. The premia differ across companies and typically ad-ons like dental or physio make the main difference in what is covered.

Utilities could range from around 300-600 per month for a small house/apartment. Owning a car can oftentimes be quite expensive than what you may be used to, with high taxes, insurance and high cost of fuel.

Public transport

Netherlands is a small country and is exceptionally well connected with public transport (at least in comparison to other countries). However, it can be quite expensive compared to driving, especially for inter-city travels. You can access the full Dutch public transport network of trains, metro, tram, buses and even public bikes using the OV-Chipkaart or OV-Pay.

You can of course purchase tickets for a single journey from the ticket booths or kiosks at major stations, although it is often less convenient and more expensive. Google Maps often has good directions including public transport but 9292 (https://9292.nl/en) is the better option which also gives you the estimated costs.

Language

Dutch is the primary language in the Netherlands. However, the Netherlands ranks one of the highest when it comes to proficiency in English. As a visitor or tourist you can get by completely fine without knowing a word of Dutch (although it will help to learn a few phrases, at least as a courtesy). However, if you are living here longer, it would undoubtedly benefit to learn the language. Dutch is the only language of communication from most government agencies including the Tax office. At the workplace, it is common for global or technology companies to be almost exclusively English speaking even when there are Ducth people. For smaller and more traditional companies, Dutch is still the primary language of communication at the workplace.

30% ruling

30% ruling is a special tax incentive meant to attract international talent for the skills that are in short-supply in the Netherland. You can find about it here https://www.belastingdienst.nl/wps/wcm/connect/en/individuals/content/coming-to-work-in-the-netherlands-30-percent-facility

The general concept is that 30% of your gross salary will be tax-free. So, if you have a salary of 100k gross, for tax purposes, it will be considered as 70k gross. You pay tax only on 70k. Because of how marginal tax brackets work, the overall benefit translates to you receiving 10-15% more net salary than someone without this benefit.

You should be aware that this is somewhat controversial since it is deemed to create inequality (where your Dutch colleagues doing the same work get a lower net salary) and because in the end the burden is borne by the taxpayer. Recently the government has been reducing the term of this benefit.

Overall, you should consider this as a privilege and not a right.

Improving this FAQ

[You are reading version 1.0 published 14th April 2023]

For this FAQ to be useful, it needs to evolve and kept up to date. I would see this as a sort of Wiki that is managed by me. I aim to update this post often (say once a few weeks in the start and once a few months as time goes). If there are topics you want to add to this post, please leave a comment and I will update the post. For the long term, if I lose interest or have no time for it (could happen!), then this post can be a basis for a new Wiki or a new updated post maintained by someone else.


r/Netherlands 32m ago

Discussion People who only buy groceries at Albert Heijn, why?

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I feel like in past, AH and other chains had very similar prices, but recently AH seems to have started aggressively increase their prices. You can literally find the same products, not on discount in Dirk, cheaper than on discount in AH.

I can understand that if you are in a village where you have 1 supermarket and it's AH then you have no choice. But vast majority of people that I encounter who exclusively go to AH have a different supermarket chain right next to it. Sometimes even multiple.


r/Netherlands 13h ago

Discussion A small thank you from me.

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Hi there,

I'm a trans refugee and a sex worker in Amsterdam. I'm celebrating ten years of living a relatively safe, new life.

Ten years ago, I didn't know if I'd make it to thirty.

Since moving to the Netherlands, I've got an education, a home and a group of friends who I consider my family. I have hope.

It's ironic that I should even have to say this, but please don't be hateful.

This is my very quiet thank you.

I'm always interested in meeting new people, my DMs are open.


r/Netherlands 13h ago

Discussion Disrespectful Youth's

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Honestly, I am so damn tired of dealing with disrespectful people nowadays, especially some of the younger teenagers. I genuinely don't remember seeing this much unnecessary behavior before. Some of these kids ride around on their fat bikes like they own the entire road, don't care about pedestrians, don't slow down for anyone, and then act surprised when people get annoyed with them.

And the worst part is the constant harassment. Some of them seem to think it's hilarious to bother random strangers, shout things at people, make stupid comments, laugh at someone for no reason, or deliberately get in someone's way just to get a reaction. Like, seriously, what is so funny about annoying someone who is literally minding their own business? Not everything has to be a joke, and random people are not there for you and your friends to entertain yourselves with.

I've also noticed this among some MBO students, and I say that as a 20-year-old MBO student myself. Plenty of MBO students are respectful and hardworking, but unfortunately, some also behave extremely immaturely and disrespectfully. And the whole "I'm with my friends, so I can act however I want" attitude is just embarrassing. Being loud doesn't make you cool. Harassing strangers doesn't make you funny. Acting tough doesn't make you intimidating. And riding around on a fat bike while acting like traffic laws and basic manners don't apply to you certainly doesn't make you special.

Sometimes it feels like they are trying to impress their friends by being loud, obnoxious, or disrespectful toward strangers. I genuinely don't understand why bothering random people, acting tough, or making other people uncomfortable is considered funny or cool. Being young isn't an excuse for having no manners. You can have fun, joke around, ride your bike, and hang out with your friends without treating everyone else like they're there for your entertainment.

At the end of the day, I just wish some people would learn a little more respect, self-awareness, and common sense. You never know what someone else is going through, so there really is no reason to make a stranger's day worse just because you want attention or a laugh.

Am I the only one who feels this way in the Netherlands, or have other people experienced this too? Do you also feel like basic respect and manners are becoming less common among some younger people nowadays? I'm genuinely curious to hear what other people think and whether you've had similar experiences.


r/Netherlands 2h ago

Common Question/Topic Long Commute

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Hi everyone. I just moved to Amsterdam because my girlfriend started a new degree here and I am able to finish mine virtually by December. I just accepted a full time engineering position in Eindhoven and have been commuting for the past week around 4.5 hours a day total because I cannot find any accommodation whatsoever. The pay is great but I hate being so far from gf and by the time I get home im completely drained. How can I make this lifestyle more sustainable? What other cities should I keep an eye out in terms of rent? For context I am 20 making just over 3k a month can I match my rate a bit closer to Amsterdam?

Thanks


r/Netherlands 18h ago

Life in NL Sunset in the Netherlands, by me, acrylic, 2026

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r/Netherlands 12h ago

Transportation Bike rack mishap.. learn how to use them first!

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Ok so I've been here for about 1.5 years. I have started biking quite a bit more this last year. I haven't used the double decker bike racks until 2 days ago outside a cafe. I am always trying to fit in and try new things here.. so I couldn't find a normal ground rack to tie my bike to, but I did see some open slots on the upper level ones..

Well, I'm an idiot. I figured out the part about the rack sliding out. I did not figure out that apparently these racks tilt down so you can use them like a ramp and then are gas assisted to tilt back up? That makes TOTAL SENSE. Because let me tell you, apparently deadlifting a dutch stepthrough bike overhead onto one of them is very difficult and apparently hurts your neck and back. I'm in pain a few days later and am impressed with myself for finding yet another dumb way to get myself hurt.

So I'll try and ask questions, look things up, and if something doesn't feel right don't do it going forward. Welkom in Nederland jongen?


r/Netherlands 2h ago

Discussion Feel stuck during burnout reintegration

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Long story not so short:

Just came back from 6 months burnout sick leave, 2nd week of reintegration, so far feel so bad(even worse than my situation during the burnout), in the first week I had suicide thoughts and everyday could only sleep for 2-4 hours, I almost stopped eating and lose weight 3kg. this week my sleep getting better but also had suicidal thoughts and feels no joy or energy at all. I don’t think the environment is good for my mental health. I am thinking to bring it up to my manager that I’d seek for internal opportunities to start freshly. But I know my company has a rule that is you could only switch role if you are 100% reintegrated, but to be 100% reintegrated at my current role I feel it’s more than forever, tbh I would just quit if I’m selfish if I really care myself, but I am almost get my permanent residency (application in progress) and I have a high mortgage, that’s why my family keep convincing me to continue, they don’t know how difficult it is. During the time I have tried applying jobs externally but so far no luck. Now for me everyday is hopeless and endless. For context I have life coach/ therapist/ sport coach with me weekly but still…


r/Netherlands 2h ago

Transportation Schiphol before strike

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So I arrive at 00:10 tonight so that counts as 9th September and I see two trains to utrecht central before 2 am. Do you think those are valid and the strike begins after that ?

Fortunately i can get the last one if i dont have any long delays.

Thanks


r/Netherlands 13h ago

Sports and Entertainment Why do A24 (and independent movies in general) take so much time to release in the Netherlands ?

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Hey guys, I wanted to watch primetime but I noticed that in the Netherlands it premieres almost a month after the rest of world. Is there any specific reason for this ?


r/Netherlands 18h ago

Technology (mobile phones, internet, tv) Please stop the bots

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Too many click/rage bait posts recently from the same accounts which always have some randomly generated account names with numbers at the end...

Mods can we do something about this?

Yes yes, I know lots of you have randomly assigned usernames. I'm talking about the recent flood of nonsense engagement


r/Netherlands 1h ago

Common Question/Topic Best places to buy Dutch made products?

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Hi all, in an effort to buy local can people advise me the best places to avoid import goods? Or brands that are made here in the country? Preferably not ones who destroy the environment.


r/Netherlands 4h ago

Employment Employer Short-Termism and GenZ Termination

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Hello all,

My wife and I work in highly skilled Dutch-based, internationally-oriented companies (engineering and psychology) and we are seeing a worrying trend in our workplaces:

* GenZ workers being classified as inefficient and let go rather than offered extended contracts

* Consolidation of resources into fewer departments

* Prioritization of short-term objectives

* Work overload to keep up with existing objectives

* Decision-making risk aversion

It feels that in the last year, both of our workplaces have shifted into a direction of focusing on short term sprinting and no long-term planning. Our workplaces are imbalanced since older people are retiring and the young are being let go. Seeing co-workers leave monthly has become a norm.

I can speculate as to why boards of directors and upper management are making choices like this, but what I'm more curious about is if anyone else in this country is experiencing this - is our situation just a coincidence or a broader state of this economy?


r/Netherlands 20h ago

Legal Overcharged by a taxi

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Last weekend I got overcharged by a taxi which billed me 550 euros instead of 55, probably on purpose. Unfortunately, I do not have the receipt cause taxis don't do receipts, and I do not have license plate of the car, although I have some info:

- Uber profile of the taxi (he asked me to pay off app via card, silly me I agreed)

- car model and color

- picture of the person from the Uber profile

- name of the merchant on the transaction (the taxi is not linked to a taxi company, the company behind is a different business, I believe it's his wife business)

- phone number (not sure if still up to date)

- address (not sure if up to date)

- Uber ride cancelled + 2 calls done to the driver around the same time

What can I do apart from trying to dispute the transaction with my bank, which I believe it's gonna be a tough battle as I don't really have a receipt to show the right amount of the ride?


r/Netherlands 16h ago

Travel and Tourism Entrance of a cottage we rented in Amsterdam - Durgerdam

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This was in september 13th 2025. The owner of this house was one of the nicest woman I've ever met, she welcomed us when we arrived late at night, gave us a tour and some "traditional gifts" and a map of all the things we needed to see and do in the city, we were planning to rent bikes as I'm already a big cycling lover but she gave us access to all their bikes and we could use whichever we wanted. Honestly the Netherlands stays one of the best countries I've been to so far and she definitely played a big part in that. Even though it was only 3 days I enjoyed every second of it, I could talk about this trip and her all day.


r/Netherlands 23h ago

Legal Frustrated with my lawyer in the Netherlands , is this normal, or should I be concerned?

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I’m an expat living in the Netherlands and currently involved in an eviction-related court case. I hired a lawyer because I obviously don’t understand Dutch law or court procedure as well as a Dutch legal professional would.

Before starting the case, I had a free consultation with the lawyer. He seemed knowledgeable, identified some good points in my case, and gave me an estimate of what the whole procedure would cost. Based on that, I decided to proceed.

Since I started paying the invoices, however, my experience has become increasingly frustrating.

I feel like my lawyer’s role has basically become: draft the summons, contact the court, arrange the hearing date, show up at the hearing, and present what has already been written.

I expected much more strategic involvement from a lawyer — analysing the other side’s weaknesses, identifying the strongest evidence, challenging my own assumptions, preparing counterarguments, and helping me build the strongest possible case.

Then, after the hearing date had already been scheduled and I had paid what I understood to be close to the expected cost of the case, I suddenly received another invoice for approximately 8 hours.

Eight additional hours is significant considering the original estimate and what I had already paid.

My hearing is now this week.

My lawyer has started sending me quite pessimistic emails explaining that we could lose and asking me to come up with additional reasons/facts that could support our position.

Of course I understand that no lawyer can guarantee winning a case, and I actually want my lawyer to warn me honestly about weaknesses and litigation risks.

But I’m struggling with something else:

Isn’t part of the reason I’m paying a lawyer to identify the legally relevant arguments and evidence?

I’m the client. I can provide the facts, documents and evidence. But I expected my lawyer to take those facts and tell me:

  • which facts actually matter legally;
  • what evidence we need;
  • where our case is weak;
  • what arguments the other side will probably make;
  • how we counter those arguments;
  • what additional evidence I should look for;
  • and what strategy gives us the best chance in court.

That’s what is making me frustrated. It feels like I’m paying substantial hourly fees while also having to develop the litigation strategy myself.

Edit 1: Guys Please stop mentioning AI in the comments, I know you are smart enough to detect that its AI. English is not my first language, I used AI to correct my grammer.

Final: Thank you to everyone who read this post and took the time to comment. I’ve decided not to continue posting about this for now, but I’ll share the judgment when I receive it next week.

I received a lot of criticism about how I explained the situation. I understand that, but this isn’t how I’ve spoken to my lawyer. This post was mostly me venting because I felt he had lost interest in my case.

A lot of the advice here has made me rethink things. I think some of the difficulty may come down to cultural differences and how people communicate here. I’ve also connected with a few people who offered helpful advice.

This morning, I attended a free legal advice session at the library and spoke to a lawyer about my communication concerns. He helped me work through several things and suggested different ways to raise those concerns with my own lawyer.

I chose not to share the details of my case because I wanted to focus on the communication issue. The case itself is open to interpretation, and I was frustrated with my lawyer rather than looking for people to judge the case.


r/Netherlands 1h ago

Legal Help finding a customs broker... it's so expensive!

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Hi my sweet darling dutch friends ;-)

I am currently moving personal possessions from the UK to the Czech Republic through the Netherlands where i wish to declare the EU import taxes and then freely move them within the Schengen zone.. I don't qualify for any tax relief and would like to declare my import duties and VAT and pay them. I am not trying to avoid anything, not trying to lie about the contents of the boxes. There are 49 boxes of used, personal household goods evaluated at just under 600EUR... the total tax bill should be around 160EUR.... the brokers all seem to want 4-500EUR just for the electronic import filing.

My plan is to self-drive this into Hook of Holland from the UK in a larger MWB hire van. It is under the weight, volume, and evaluation for personal possessions. However, i have been advised that driving through the red channel in this scenario could result in the border customs agent getting pissed - categorising it as cargo, holding us there, forcing us to use a tax broker and pay exorbitant fees and possibly needing to extend van rental, mess up driving hours, schedules (i am trying to do this on an extended weekend and return the van to the UK then fly back to Czechia where i live), etc. I am in no way worried about inspection btw, nothing to hide - i wanna do the right thing and pay the tax.

I have a prepared 6-line grouped-box TARIC code-compliant table for declaring the taxes, I have a more detailed box-by-box inventory as well. I am a UK citizenship and have permanent residnecy in Czechia.

Can anyone advise me on where i can find a cheaper customs broker, maybe specialising in one-off, simple personal moves? Or has the industry just become about large B2B shipping and cargo - and private indivuals are priced out of the market?

What about the border scenario, does anyone have experience with this kind of scenario - is it likely the border agents would just process my taxes without much issue?

Thanks so much for your help.


r/Netherlands 2h ago

Travel and Tourism Planning a day trip to Texel with my kids (5 and 9) — recommendations?

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Texel with kids — recommendations?
Planning a day trip to Texel with my kids (5 and 9), possibly staying overnight.
What are the must-see places, best family-friendly beaches, and fun activities for kids? Any recommendations on where to stay?
We’ll have a car. Any tips for a good one-day itinerary would be appreciated!


r/Netherlands 2h ago

Moving/Relocating Completed Education so Free Study/Computer Desk & Chair Available

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r/Netherlands 1h ago

Shopping Any cheap clothing stores for Halloween in the area of The Hague or Amsterdam?

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I’m putting together a Halloween costume but many of the pieces are just regular clothing and will only be used once, and then probably donated afterward, so I don’t wanna spend too much money. I know SoLow sells some cheap Halloween items but they don’t have many “normal clothes”. Does anyone know of any in and around The Hague (preferably) or Amsterdam?

P.S: An online store would also work but in-person would be better


r/Netherlands 12h ago

Dutch Culture & language Ons avontuur op het NK Straatmuzikanten

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We kwamen naar Alphen aan den Rijn voor het NK Straatmuzikanten. Hopelijk vind je het verslag leuk


r/Netherlands 19h ago

DIY and home improvement New cats?

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I only ever got rescues via other people. Where i get a cat around amsterdam? in slovakia you just go to fb and see 100s strays to pick from free, just to save lives.. Where to go?


r/Netherlands 1d ago

Transportation Spitsstroken / keep right

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Hi lovely neighbors from Belgium and Germany! In The Netherlands it is mandatory by traffic law to keep to the right as much as possible. We also have this thing called "spitsstrook". If the green arrow is there, you are allowed to cross the solid line to get there or even leave the shoulder to overtake someone and go back to the right.

Fine for not keeping right is well over €300, just saying.

Enjoy your stay here ❤️


r/Netherlands 40m ago

Discussion Considering the weather today what are nice activites one can do here in NL?

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I have free two three days and i am looking for nice activities to do around Hague or i can make a travel as well.