Housing

When you’re a student of the Leiden University (Rijksuniversiteit Leiden) please contact the university for their student housing arrangements. Not a student of the Leiden University? Please continue reading.

Unfortunately finding accommodation in The Netherlands is not easy. There are three main types of housing in our country:

• Public housing
• Private housing (via private-owned companies)
• Student (room) housing (via private-owned companies or non-profit foundations)

The public housing companies in our country are govern-owned companies that provide housing at prices most people can afford. Services such as gas, electricity, water and internet are included in the rent. At the moment public housing companies have waiting lists with waiting periods of several years.

The private housing companies are privately owned companies which are free to determine rent prices for their apartments. Rent most times does not include costs for gas, electricity, water and internet. For these kind of services you are required to arrange seperate contracts.

Student rooms are a type of housing where certain facilities are shared, such as kitchen, shower and restroom. Student rooms are available in student complexes that are made available by housing corporations.

Important:
Dutch law prohibits contract signing by people below the age of 18 years old. When signing a rental contract payment of a deposit is mandatory. Children and pets are not allowed at student accommodations. When renting a student accommodation, most companies annualy require a 'proof of registration' from an educational institution. And after moving in, your new address needs to be registered by visiting City Hall or a local municipality office.

Before signing a rental contract have it checked legaly. At JIP we can help you with this or refer you to an aid organization that profides legal services. Important things to check are:

• Does the contract contain the right address?
• Are you allowed to register at this address?
• Are all specified amounts correct?
• Are gas, water, electricity and internet included in your rent or not?
• Are you renting the residence for a specified or unspecified amount of time?
• Does the accommodation come with floor and/or furniture (in Dutch "gestoffeerd") or not (in Dutch "kaal")?
• Are there facilities that you can or cannot use?
• Which people are allowed to register and how many?
• Are there any rules regarding visitors, smoking, sound, etc.?

A contract has to be signed by both you and the landlord – or your parents if you’re younger than 18. Wondering if everything checks out? Try to receive the contract before the signing date, so you have plenty of time to translate and read it.

In certain situations renting accommodation makes tenants qualify for so-called 'rent allowance'. This allowance was created in the past for so-called 'low income citizens' to provide them with the ability to fully pay rent obligations. As a result, tenants of 'independent accommodation' (form of accommodation with private front door, toilet and kitchen) can apply for rent allowance when they meet the following requirements:

• You are 18 years of age or older and you rent independent accommodation;
• You, your possible benefit partner, and co-occupants are registered at your home address in the Netherlands;
• Your rent, (combined) income and capital remain below certain threshold standards the Dutch government has determined;
• You have the nationality of an EU country, Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland or Switzerland. When you're from another country, you need a valid residence permit or work permit.

More information about 'rent allowance' can be found at the website of the Dutch Tax Authority (Belastingdienst): www.belastingdienst.nl You can also contact JIP for more information.

Health insurance

Dutch law states that every adult citizen is obligated to arrange health insurance. However, the answer to the question "Am I as an international student also obligated to do so?" depends on the following situations:

Situation 1: you are a student from an EU/EEA country or Switzerland.

• Students from EU/EEA countries or Switzerland are not required to arrange Dutch health insurance. The health insurance from their home country should suffice, as long as their stay is temporary. In other words: if you’re here to study, it’s fine but the moment you become a Dutch national, you are required to arrange Dutch health insurance.
The moment you start working (either a full-time or part-time job) you are required to arrange Dutch health insurance. That's also the case in the rare event that you perform an internship that pays a salary above Dutch minimum wage. This is the result of Dutch law which states that everybody holding a (part-time) job is insured by the 'Wet langdurige zorg (Wlz)'. All citizens insured by this law are required to have Dutch health insurance.

Situation 2: you are a Non-EU student.

• Non-EU students cannot apply for Dutch health insurance due to their non-EU status. However, once they find work and their employer attains a working permit, they are obligated to arrange Dutch health insurance. The above is the result of Dutch law which states that everybody holding a (part-time) job is insured by the 'Wet langdurige zorg (Wlz)'. All citizens insured by this law are required to have Dutch health insurance.
• As stated above, non-EU students cannot apply for Dutch health insurance. However, this only applies to public health insurance. We recommend that non-EU students check if their home health care provider offers adequate coverage for treatments abroad. If that is not the case, we recommend that non-EU students seek private health insurance or health insurance specifically for international students.

Important
If you're obligated by Dutch law to require a Dutch health insurance and you decide not to, then the CAK (Centraal Administratie Kantoor of the Dutch government) will issue a warning letter. You’ll be given a three months term to require Dutch health insurance or risk an additional fine of over € 400,- (over four-hundred euros). If you fail to require a Dutch health insurance within the given term of three months, you will receive the additional fine.

If you fail to pay both fines and fail to require health insurance within the given terms, the CAK will issue a Dutch health insurance for you. The CAK will then proceed to perform wage garnishment. This means that if you’re working, a part of your pay check will be withheld to pay off the health insurance premium. This will last for 12 months.

When you have required Dutch health insurance you can apply for 'health care allowance' (in Dutch "Zorgtoeslag"). Applying for this allowance is possible when you meet the following requirements:

• You are 18 years of age or older;
• You have Dutch medical insurance;
• Your (combined) income and capital remain below certain threshold standards the Dutch government has determined;
• You have the nationality of an EU country, Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland or Switzerland. When you're from another country, you need a valid residence permit or work permit.

More information about health care allowance can be found at the website of the Dutch Tax Authority (Belastingdienst): www.belastingdienst.nl or www.studyinthehague.com. You can also contact JIP if you need any help or advice.

Student & finance

EU students can apply for student grant if they meet the following requirements:

• Registered for education at a Dutch educational institution that entitles student grant;
• Having a job with a minimum of 56 working hours per month, proved by a contract of payment slips;
• When not having a job, one of the parents lives and works in the Netherlands.

When you are a student from one of the countries of 'The Kingdom of the Netherlands' (Aruba, Curacao, Sint-Maarten, Bonaire, St. Eustasius and Saba), you need to apply for student grant three months before the start of the Dutch education.

The Dutch student grant provided by DUO (department of the Dutch Ministry of Education & Sciences) consist of the following parts:

• Student loan (need to be paid back after graduation);
• Student travel product (for free travelling with Dutch public transport);
• Additional student grant (so-called "aanvullende beurs").

Applying for the student loan and student travel product requires a Dutch 'DigiD' (personal digital id) and providing information concerning your educational registration. For the 'additional student grant' DUO demands parental income information of the previous two years. Most times this information can be retrieved by DUO itself through contacting foreign government tax offices. However, the fastest way is providing the income information yourself when applying for the additional student grant. In case you wish to apply for the additional student grant and you're in the situation where your parents are divorced or there is no contact in any form with one of your parent, we advise you to contact your dean or student adviser at the educational institution you're registered.

Important to know: the moment you're not registered anymore at a Dutch educational institution (either by quitting or receiving a diploma), you need to stop your student grant immediately. If you fail to do that, you will receive a fine for 'unlawful obtaining of student grant'. If you want more info about student finance, you can visit www.studyinthehague.com. You can also contact JIP if you need any help or advice.

Work

Having a job while studying in The Netherlands has the following benefits: money to pay your bills, making new friends, gaining work experience, building a network and learning new skills. And if you work at least 56 hours per month: the ability to apply for a Dutch student grant (scholarship, check our Q&A "Student & Finance").

Most employers ask for a resume (in Dutch "cv" or "curriculum vitae") and an application letter. The more visually appealing your resume is, the better. Despite The Hague being as big and welcoming to international students as it is, jobs for English-speaking people can be hard to find. Restaurants, bars and international clothing stores (Bershka, H&M, Mango, Primark, Pull & Bear, ZARA) are more likely to employ English-speaking students. For digital job hunting we recommend sites such as Student jobs, Indeed or Young Capital.

When applying for a job, try to find out:

• Will you get a flexible contract (zero-hour contract, in Dutch "0-uren-contract") or a fixed amount of working hours?
• What working times will you get? And on which days?
• What will your minimum wage / salary be?
• When working in shifts, can you determine your availability or does the employer decide your availability?
• What's the term of the offered contract? For example: three months, six months or undetermined?
• Are you required to pay a deposit for working clothes / outfits?

When presented a job contract make sure you have read the full contract and understand everything stated before you sign the contract. When you questions or need help translating a contract, JIP can help you with that. Feel free to make an appointment with us.

Important
The delivery company Uber Eats requires you to register as a freelancer, which means that you’ll need to register at the Chamber of Commerce (Kamer van Koophandel). This obligates you to provide information to the Dutch Tax Authority about your income, VAT and expenses every yearly quarter. Furthermore it might complicate applying for a student grant or scholarship and applying for exemption from local taxes!

When finding a job you will be obligated to require medical insurance. Check our Q&A "Health Insurance" for more information about this.

Taxes & regulations

In The Netherlands different types of taxes might apply to you. We will explain the most common ones.

Income Tax
This concerns a percentage of your salary that your employer has to pay to the Dutch Tax Authority (Belastingdienst). These taxes are used to pay for government services and utilities such as various forms of welfare and infrastructure, a variety of insurances which help preserve quality of life for you and everyone else in the country. Income tax is mandatory and collecting this tax is the responsibility of your employer.

Each year, you have the opportunity to apply for a tax return. The Dutch Tax Authority will then calculate whether you paid the correct tax amount, paid too little or paid too much. In case of having paid too much, the overpaid amount will be refunded to you. If you need help with understanding the procedure and the tax return form, feel free to come by JIP.

Local City Taxes
Living in the city The Hague - or in any other city - means you are required to pay local taxes, which are used for financing public city cleaning services. For so-called 'low income citizens' it is possible to apply for full remission of these local city taxes. This requires that you provide information concerning your income, rent, rent allowance, health insurance, health insurance allowance and bank account(s). At JIP we can help you with this.

Provincial Taxes
Living in the province 'Zuid-Holland' - the province in which the city The Hague is located - means you are required to pay provincial taxes, which are used for financing water purification services. For so-called 'low income citizens' it is possible to apply for partial remission of these provincial taxes. This requires that you provide information concerning your income, rent, rent allowance, health insurance, health insurance allowance and bank account(s). At JIP we can help you with this.

General Practitioner (GP)
In The Netherlands a GP is the first step in receiving medical treatment for whatever medical issues you might have. Your GP is for consulting and receiving medical care for any acute and chronic illnesses. If your GP is unable to treat you, you may be referred to a specialistic for further treatment in a specialized facility, such as a hospital or medical centre. We urge you to first consult with your GP before seeking specialized medical treatment.

A GP is not immediately appointed to you when registering as a citizen and receiving health insurance: you will have to register yourself as a patient at a selected GP’s clinic. This can be difficult since not all GP’s will accept new patients right away: due to capacity issues some GP's have long waiting lists.

Sexuality & sexual health

Exploring your sexuality is part of your journey into maturity. And that can lead to a lot of questions. Whether it's about your body, society's standards, your performances, contraceptives, consent or 'sexually transmitted desease' (STD's). JIP offers consulting for questions related to sex and sexuality through our 'SENSE' consultation hour. This consultation also allows for you to take a pregnancy test and receive advice on the use or implementation of contraceptives.

To make a SENSE appointment: call 070 205 3500 to make an appointment at a JIP office in The Hague or Zoetermeer. SENSE appointments are available on Mondays in Zoetermeer and on Thursdays in The Hague.

In case you want an appointment on a different day or no appointment options at JIP: you can also call the Centre for Sexual Health directly at 070 353 66 88. We advise you to call them immediately if you've been warned by a previous partner that you might have an STD, or if you have experienced non-consensual sex.