Banks need your Citizen Service Number (Burgerservicenummer, BSN) to share financial information with the tax authorities. This is compulsory by law.
If there is a delay in your registration and therefore you don’t have a BSN yet,you can still open a bank account with Bunq or ABN AMRO and provide your BSN within 90 days.
When you are dissatisfied with the medical specialist, it is suggested to discuss it with him/her first. If this doesn’t solve the problem, you can file a complaint. Every hospital and clinic has a procedure for this.
If you have second thoughts about the medical solution provided by the specialist, you can ask another doctor for a second opinion. Depending on your preferences this can be a doctor in the same hospital or clinic or somewhere else. You need a new referral for this from your GP.
If your child is capable of HAVO or VWO but her Dutch level is insufficient, a kopklas can be the solution.This year following group 8 focuses on improving children’s Dutch and enabling them to attend the most appropriate secondary school. Choosing this class requires high motivation by both parents and child, and it is best to discuss this option with your child’s teacher.
Dutch education is , like in many other countries, divided into primary education, secondary education and tertiary education.
Primary education
In the Netherlands, primary school starts with kindergarten at age four. From age five it is compulsory to attend school fulltime. There are hardly any private schools in the Netherlands. Schools can have a certain religious orientation such as Protestant, Catholic, Islamic, Hindu, any other religion or no religion at all. In addition, schools can follow a certain educational philosophy such as Montessori, Jenaplan, Dalton or Vrije School (internationally also known as Waldorf). Children with special educational needs will find offerings more frequently in primary than in secondary schools.
Secondary education
There are four options for secondary school:
Tertiary education
After secondary school there are several options:
You can read more about how the Dutch education system works on the site of Ute Limacher-Riebold
Every first Monday of the month you at 12 (noon) you will hear the sirens. Iit is just a test and it takes 1 minute and 26 seconds. YThe alarm has nothing to do with attacks from an enemy anymore. Nowadays, it is a warning in case of a huge fire or an environmental disaster.
If you hear the sirens on any other day or time other than the first Monday of any month, do the following:
In case of a national emergency, listen to NPO Radio 1 (see www.radio-frequentie.nl/radio-1/ for a frequency list) or watch TV on channel NPO 1 (also known as Nederland 1). The frequency of channel NPO 1 depends on your location and your television provider.
You can find additional information on what to do in case of emergency and how you can prepare for one at this website www.crisis.nl (Dutch only)
In addition NL-alert is used to inform you about disasters. It tells you what’s going on, what you should do and where you can find more information.
You receive NL-Alert on your mobile phone. NL-Alert can also be seen on an increasing number of digital advertising displays and digital signage at train, bus, tram and metro stops. A handy factsheet about NL-alert can be found on the website of the government
In the Netherlands out-of-school care (buitenschoolse opvang, BSO) is usually arranged outside the regular school system. However, primary schools are legally obliged to offer this if parents ask for it. As most schools don’t have the resources and staff to do, they will refer you to a specialised organisation. Many out-of-school organisations have waiting lists. It is therefore advised to contact them well in advance.
The Dutch government reimburses a substantial portion of the cost of BSO. This benefit is called kinderopvangtoeslag. The amount that you will be entitled to receive is dependent on several factors such as the number of children, family income and the working hours of parents.
You can find more about the kinderopvangtoeslag in the FAQ about childcare .
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In addition to national taxes, every resident in the Netherlands has to pay local taxes as well. Every year your municipality sends you a tax form that covers your local tax contributions for the year.
If you rent a house
If you are renting a house, it is likely you have to pay two local taxes: household waste tax and water tax.
Household waste tax (afvalstoffenheffing) is used for the collection and processing of your household waste
Water tax (waterschapsbelasting) is billed separately by the water board (hoogheemraadschap) in your area. It is used for cleaning water, sanitation and flood prevention.
If you own a house
If you own a house you have to pay afvalstoffenheffing and waterschapsbelasting too.
In addition you have to pay sewage tax (rioolheffing) and property tax (OZB, onroerende zaak belasting).
The rioolheffing is used to pay for waste water and for rainwater that ends up in the sewer.
The OZB is a percentage of the value of your house and is used to maintain the local infrastructure.
When you are considering international education for your child, you can find a school in your neighbourhood on https://sio.nl/find-a-school-on-map/ and on www.dutchinternationalschools.nl
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.
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.
In the Netherlands, citizens from outside the EU/EEA sometimes qualify for study finance. You can read more about it on our website .
The pension rights you have built up in the Netherlands are not affected by Brexit. As for your pension rights built up in the UK, we suggest contacting your pension provider in the UK.
