There are a number of things you need to know before entering the job market in the Netherlands, such as: the make-up of the Dutch employment market, finding a job here as an expatriate, Dutch labor law, the Dutch social security system etc.
Import or Buy? If you are considering buying a new car, you should be aware that the taxes levied on a new car in the Netherlands can amount to up to 45% of the list price. As there is hardly any country in the European Union that levies the same amount of taxes on new cars, you might want to buy your new car in the country you are coming from. If your car is less than six months or 6,000 km old, or its license plates have been issued within the last six months, you will have to pay VAT in the Netherlands. Check whether you can get a (partial) refund of the VAT/BTW paid when the car was delivered to you in the country where you bought it.
If goods are imported into an EU-member state, customs duties are due. However, for your household effects – that includes cars – there can be an exemption from customs duties. Some of the conditions to be met are that you must have lived in a non EU-member state for a period of at least twelve months and that you must have had the car in your possession for at least six months.
Exchanging a Foreign Driver’s License Visit www.rijbewijs.nl (click on English) to see if you can exchange your foreign license for a Dutch license. You cannot exchange an international driver’s license, as it is merely a translation. If you are benefiting from the 30% tax ruling, you and the other member(s) of your family can exchange your license, no matter where you are from. The exchange form can be obtained at your local municipal office.
Owning a Car If you import and own a car here, you should keep the following in mind:
• your car will have to be approved by the RDW (Road Traffic Authority) (www.rdw.nl)
• you will have to arrange a periodic check-up of the car (Vehicle Approval – APK); usually, your local garage can do this for you
• you must take out car and liability insurance
• you must pay road tax (motorrijtuigenbelasting) (www.belastingdienst.nl/mrb)
THE BICYCLE
The best way to get around If you really want to sample Dutch life, and get around quickly and easily, buy yourself a bicycle – one like those that people in the Netherlands use as a serious form of transport: a sturdy, no-nonsense bike, preferably not too expensive so that if it gets stolen you will not feel too bad. Fancy, 10-speed bicycles are relatively rare, and used only for recreational cycling.
A new bicycle, made by one of the better-known manufacturers and sold at a bicycle shop, costs between € 275 and € 500. A discount store will sell you a new, imported bike for as little as € 175, but you must examine it to make sure the quality is alright.
Buying a second-hand bicycle
Most students (and foreign visitors) buy second-hand bicycles (tweedehands fietsen or tweedehands rijwielen). A reasonable one will cost you between € 75 and € 175. You can find them at (second-hand) bicycle shops, or at the bicycle parking facilities near railway stations. They will also be advertised in the small ads at the back of the local newspaper under Rijwielen, or on the notice board at the supermarket or anywhere students congregate. (A woman’s bike is a damesfiets and a man’s bike is a herenfiets. Dutch men are not embarrassed to ride on women’s bicycles – and vice versa.)
Since the second-hand bicycle market is different in different towns, you should ask a local for advice. They may know of an especially good place, and, if you’re lucky, may even help you to pick your bicycle and negotiate the price.
When you buy a bicycle, make sure that its lights work and that it has a sturdy lock (slot). Even better is to buy a chain and padlock so you can fasten your bicycle to something when you park it (secure parking for bicycles is available at most railway stations and in some city centers. Look for the signs for rijwielstalling or fietsenstalling).
Renting a bicycle You can also rent bicycles by the day from the parking facility at many railway stations, under payment of a deposit. It is wise to telephone in advance to make a reservation. Ask at the railway station for the free booklet. At certain places, such as Veluwe National Park, bicycles are available, free of charge, to roam the beautiful woods at your leisure.
For more on renting a bicycle and on the Public Transportation Bicycle.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Getting around in the Netherlands is quite simple, the road networks are good and the public transportation system, including airports, is excellent. All you need to know is how the system works.
Public Transportation Card The personal OV-chipkaart is a plastic credit-card shaped public transportation card with your photograph that contains information on the amount of credit it still has on it, on whether you have a right to certain reductions, and on whether you are traveling on the basis of a public transportation ‘subscription’, or pass.
When entering the bus, tram or metro, you enter it into the card reader and then, upon leaving, you enter it again; when traveling by train, you enter the ov-chipkaart in the card reader on the platform or when entering the train station, doing the same as you get off. This way you pay for your travel based on the number of kilometers you travel.
There is also the so-called ‘anonymous’ OV-chipkaart, without photograph. It does not have the option of an automatic ‘refill’, or the use of subscription or (age-related) reductions. For one-time use, for tourists for instance, there are ‘disposable’ one-day cards. Students who receive the Studiefinanciering study grant are issued a public transportation pass.
Students If you are a student and receive the Studiefinanciering study grant, you are issued a public transportation pass, called the Studenten OV-chipkaart. You can choose whether you want to travel for free between Monday morning 4 A.M. and Saturday morning 4 A.M. (and at a reduced price during the weekends, on holidays and during summer break) or for free between noon Fridays and Monday 4 A.M., as well as holidays and summer break, and at a reduced price on weekdays.
Credit To travel using the OV-chipkaart, you need credit. You can load this onto your card using the automats place in newspaper/tobacco stores, supermarkets, stores that offer post office services, and train stations – You will need your bank card to do this. The automats offer the option of using a variety of languages. You can also do it online at www.ov-chipkaart.nl.
USEFUL REFERENCES
GENERAL MINISTERIE VAN INFRASTRUCTUUR EN MILIEU
Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment
Plesmanweg 1 – 6, 2597 JG The Hague
P.O. Box 20901, 2500 EX The Hague
Tel.: 070 351 61 71 www.rijksoverheid.nl
Dutch Customs (Douane): www.douane.nl
GENERAL ENGLISH-LANGUAGE INFO www.rijbewijs.nl
BUREAU NADER ONDERZOEK RIJVAARDIGHEIDSBEWIJZEN, BNOR
Special Driving Test Office
Tel.: 070 413 03 00 www.rijbewijs.nl
DRIVING LICENSE INFORMATION FOR PERSONS HOLDING DIPLOMATIC OR CONSULAR STAFF STATUS
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Protocol Department
Tel.: 070 348 64 86 www.minbuza.nl
TRAFFIC RULES
General: www.veiligverkeernederland.nl
ROAD TAX Info on BPM: www.douane.nl/particulier/bpm.html , click on English
CENTRAAL BUREAU MOTORRIJTUIGENBELASTING
Central Office for Motor Vehicle Taxes
Tel.: 0800 0749 on working days from 8 A.M. – 5 P.M. www.belastingdienst.nl
ORGANIZATIONS General information on trade-ins, and registration:
RDW (National Traffic Authority) Vehicle technology and information center
Internet: www.rdw.nl
The Royal Dutch Touring Club (ANWB)
Roadside Assistance Service (Wegenwacht), tel.: 0800 0888
Internet: www.anwb.nl
Route Planner: http://route.anwb.nl
RECOMMENDED READING BICYCLE MANIA HOLLAND
By Shirley Agudo
Published by XPat Media
For the first time ever, the Dutch bicycle culture is captured in this fascinating book by American photographer and author Shirley Agudo.Young, old, and even naked cyclists - they’re all here in this humorous and surprising book about a culture gone completely mad about bikes. www.bicycle-mania.nl , www.shirleyagudo.com
BICYCLE TOURING HOLLAND
By Katherine Widing
Published by Van der Plas Publications
This book treats you to 50 wonderful bike tours into ‘every corner of the country, and sometimes beyond into some of the most picturesque destinations in neighboring Belgium and Germany’. www.cyclepublishing.com
