How I Survived Losing Everything on a Dutch Train

I have been expat for couple of years now, moving between countries as my work demanded. Packing your life into two suitcases and flying into a new place has always excited me. But settling down in a new country has its challenges, the biggest one being understanding the processes and protocols. I expected the same when I landed in the Netherlands, but I was pleasantly surprised by how efficiently organised the processes are for an expat. With a stroke of luck, I was able to find decent accommodation within a month. I was elated that finally everything was in place to start my life’s chapter in the Netherlands. And then on a random Wednesday evening, my luck ran out.

What are the chances?

My bag containing my laptop, iPad, wallet, passport, resident permit (RP), credit and debit cards, and my keys to my accommodation were stolen on the train to Utrecht. I realised this midway when the train stopped at Gouda and panicked completely as I had lost nearly all my vital possessions. As an immediate response, I frantically started calling the emergency services. Seeing me helpless, a kind Dutch lady offered to help. On my behalf, she called the NS helpline and helped me register my items at the Lost & Found at the NS Information Centre at Utrecht Central.

I was under severe emotional distress and these next crucial steps helped me minimize the impact:

1. First thing I did was to block my local debit card and international credit cards. While I lost few hundred euros in cash, it saved me from a larger financial loss.
2. I lodged a First Information Report (FIR) online at Politie.nl to register the theft and called 0900-8844 to request a mobile unit dispatch to iPad’s last traced location – a house in Den Haag. While the police helped, they could not search the house without a warrant.
3. Next morning, I visited a police station to get a signed copy of my online FIR. This turned out to be a valuable document, crucial for any future ID re-issue.
4. Next, I visited the Indian Embassy and informed them of my situation. I used a scanned image of my lost passport and RP card to ascertain my identity. My odd habit of scanning important documents and storing them on Google Drive proved to be very useful! The embassy staff helped me by scheduling a priority appointment for a replacement passport.
5. With the Indian passport re-applied on priority, I informed my landlord about my situation and shared a copy of the FIR. A Slotenmaker (locksmith) was arranged by the landlord, and I requested a week’s time to pay for the service. But as heaven’s blessing, the Slotenmaker did not charge me anything.
6. Finally, I re-applied for a new RP card through the IND website as per the process. After a three week wait, my card was ready for collection.

The chain of events that started on a sunny August evening was finally over on a cloudy September morning, when I walked out of the IND building with my new RP card. The initial 40 hours of crisis will be forever etched in my memory. From losing everything in a foreign land, with no backups or contacts, to figuring out the next steps and fighting the emotional distress – every moment had been arduous.

But on the positive side, I met with some exceptionally kind locals who helped me navigate communication challenges, police processes and who even changed locks for free. The prompt support of the Indian embassy and the simple yet super-effective Dutch processes helped me replace lost documents quickly. While the start of my stint in the Netherlands might have been rocky, it taught me crisis management and boosted my confidence in myself as an expat and in calling Netherlands a ‘new home’.

Always something to gain

In the weeks that followed, the shock slowly gave way to reflection. There were moments when the fear returned unexpectedly—while commuting, while checking my pockets, while unlocking my door with a newly issued key. I realized how close I had come to feeling completely unanchored in a country that was still new to me. Losing everything at once stripped me of more than documents and belongings; it took away my sense of control, independence, and certainty. Rebuilding that piece by piece was emotionally exhausting, but it also made me deeply aware of my own resilience.

I learned to sit with discomfort, to ask for help without hesitation, and to trust myself to navigate uncertainty. Each recovered routine felt like reclaiming a part of myself. What began as a crisis quietly became a turning point. It made me stronger, more grounded, and more present in this journey. The Netherlands may have tested me early, but in doing so, it helped me find confidence, patience, and a deeper sense of belonging I hadn’t expected to find so soon.

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