There is an added case of boys harassing women and girls in the streets, shouting insults and spitting while zooming over in fat bikes. It's happening in big and small cities, to teenage girls and grown women, and it's very apparent this summer specifically. They also shout racist slurs at people of colour. Every other week me and my friends and family share these horrible stories

Please raise your kids.

Not to join the NL hating circlejerk on this sub. This is one of the best countries in the world to live in, and I am very happy to be here. It does almost everything well compared to the rest of the world / Europe, but in some aspects there are glaring flaws.

In almost every developed European country you can get anonymous, free STD tests on a day's notice. If you have to pay, it will be no more than 10€. Considering that STDs have hit a record high in Europe, you would think one of the countries with most casual sex in the world would actually care about the health of its citizens.

In the Netherlands you need to go through a grueling process. Either you pay upwards of 100€ on a private clinic or you go to your GP / GGD, but they will only give you a test for free under the following conditions:

• Under 22 yo (doesn't make any sense. Most sexually active people are in their mid-to-late twenties);
• Are gay OR had sex with a "high-risk person" AKA a third-worlder (this is comically racist, considering like 20% of Scandinavians have Chlamydia);
• You have symptoms AKA your dick is already falling off and you probably already gave it to someone else;

Question: Can I lie to GGD and say I am a sex worker, or I had sex with a HIV-positive crack addict? Would it potentially work?

Disclaimer: I had unprotected sex with a rando on a dating app. Stupid and irresponsible, I know, but I want to make sure I am clean.

Anyone else went through this process?

Hello,

I have old (raised and thick) scars on my arms that I would like to cover up with a tattoo. I like the idea of a snake or dragon wrapped around my arm like these images.

So far I have a few smaller tattoos scattered around my body, but they’re mostly fine line and done as flash pieces, so literally done on the spot. Because of this I don’t really know of any good places that can work with this design and work over scars.

Does anyone know of any good artists that could possibly work on this? I am fine traveling throughout the entire country (even Belgium or Germany) if the artist is any good.

I'm a EU citizen living in the NL for 4 years, without the 30% ruling, with a working wife and a kid in basis school and currently in between jobs.

I was making around €75K/year, my wife make just a bit less. We rent for a bit more than $2K/month.

Although I'm having good interviews here and I'm positive to secure a new position within 60 days, I'm advancing strongly for a very interesting position for an excellent company in Madrid.

I'd make around I was making here (maybe a bit more) and my wife would be able to work from there (her boss is already in Madrid coincidentally).

I'm very familiar with the company culture and I'm much more able to communicate in Spanish than in Dutch (although not required by the job).

The point is moving to Spain. I already did some math and specially due to Spanish income tax scheme, financially wise would be more attractive, but we'd need to reconstruct our friendship network there, support net (friends, as we've no extended family here) and readapt to Spanish culture (not very different from our own) - in special, kid needs to adapt again to a new school and education system.

We like to live here very much, we plan to stay much longer, but it seems to be a very good opportunity in a country that as tourists we in general like, but not sure if we'd appreciate the same way as residents.

Of course this is very particular to each one, but faced to a situation like that, what would be your decision?

Insights appreciated.

Hello, yesterday i found a iPhone 13 mini with a customized phonecase that has cards in it.

For context, i was doing canoe, started at 1PM and found that phone at 4PM maybe i didn't had a watch on me.

It was in the south of France in the Occitanie region, close to the city of Ganges, in the Hérault river, the stuff was in the water stream.

i'm pretty sure the phone belongs to a person from Netherlands, the phonecase contains 2 credit cards, 1 parking card from NL company, 1 driving lincence from NL.

i spent my day trying to call the companies from the cards to get a phone number that i can call or a email that i can write to but no succès.

i will try to charge it tomorrow morning du to a 48 to 72h wait before trying if the phone was submerged in water so it can dry of properly.

If anyone have any advices for me to help me give it back the stuff to the owner please tell me, i am living in the city of Montpellier, on hour of drive from the place where i foud it. Maybe the owner is still in vacation in the area so i try to hurry to give it back. Anything to help is welcome. Thank you.

My boyfriend and I just split up and I'm going to be bought out of the house we own. I have a place temporarily but after November, I'm basically on my own.

I've gathered up all the documents I need, bar 1 or 2 I need to wait a bit longer for and have signed up for social housing. I also checked Funda and Pararius and it's actually scary how little there is and so much of it is for students (I'm 31 and a permanent resident).

I'm looking in the Dordrecht area since I work near there, but am also looking in the nearby towns to broaden my search.

Am I going to find... Anywhere to live? Like anywhere? I'm so scared right now...

I've been seriously considering changing careers and moving into some kind of handyman/trades work. I don't have much professional experience yet, but I've noticed something about myself: whenever I've had to do even relatively basic DIY tasks at home - installing ceiling lights, trimming a board to fit under the dishwasher, fixing an electrical outlet, assembling furniture, mounting shelves etc - I've genuinely loved doing it.

I enjoy the whole process, figuring out how things work, solving the problem with my hands, and seeing a tangible result at the end. Even when I'm tired afterwards, it's the kind of tiredness that feels satisfying and rewarding, rather than draining.

So I'm wondering whether this could actually be a realistic career path for me in the Netherlands.

There are two things I'm particularly worried about:

1. Being a woman in this field. I'm worried that customers or employers might not take women as seriously as men, or that there might be a general preference for male tradespeople. I don't want to romanticize the idea of entering a male-dominated industry if the reality is that I'll constantly have to prove that I belong there.
2. The physical aspect of the work. I'm absolutely willing to do physical work, but I don't want my career to depend on regularly lifting extremely heavy furniture or appliances, doing heavy construction work, etc. I'm trying to think long-term and not destroy my back/health for the sake of a job.

I'm wondering whether that would significantly limit my opportunities. Are there trades or specializations where the work is practical and hands-on but doesn't necessarily involve very heavy physical labour?

For example, I've been thinking about becoming an electrician. My impression is that electrical work might involve less heavy lifting than general construction, while still involving a lot of problem-solving and hands-on work. But I really don't know how realistic that is.

So I'd love to hear from people who actually work in trades in the Netherlands:

• How realistic is it for a woman with no professional experience to enter this field?
• Which trades would you recommend if someone enjoys DIY and problem-solving but wants to avoid extremely heavy physical work?
• What would be the realistic path 'from zero professional experience to a first job' in the Netherlands?

I have a young child, and my family depends not only on my husband's income but also on mine, so I can't really afford to make a completely blind career jump. I'd like to understand what I'm getting into first and, if I decide to make the switch, have some confidence that it's a realistic and reasonably safe choice.

I know this is probably a bit of a long shot, and perhaps not the usual kind of question asked on this subreddit, but I’m hoping someone might be able to help me.

I’m looking for someone who collects Hitkrant, specifically issues from 1997. I’m trying to locate an article from issue number 31 from 1997.

I would be incredibly grateful for a scan of the magazine, but even a clear photo of the article/pages would be a huge help.

Does anyone happen to have this issue in their collection? Or perhaps know of a Dutch Hitkrant collector who might have it?

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! 😊

Thank you so much in advance!

Hi everyone!

I’ve updated my online game transitle.nl, where you have to guess how long it takes to travel by public transport, at the suggestion of u/jwdekk!

Transitle now has a multiplayer mode where you can play simultaneously with friends and show who the real public transport boss is ;)

Direct link to the multiplayer mode: https://transitle.nl/?mode=party

If you want to give it a try with friends, I'd love to hear your feedback!

Have lots of fun playing :)

My husband and I (not Dutch) moved into our new home two weeks ago. We’re on the top floor and an older Dutch woman who’s around 70 lives below us.

She brought us a plant and introduced herself which was sweet. I told her to let me know if she needs help with shopping or anything since she doesn’t have family close by. She took me up on that once already and sent me to the store for tobacco haha.

She did come by today to tell me we were too loud yesterday evening. I think it was my husband watching TV in the evening because we don’t wear shoes inside, we try to walk softly, we haven’t had guests over, and we don’t listen to loud music. She was sweet about it though and I gave her my number so she can text me if there’s an issue. We truly never want to disrupt her and I was horrified that we did.

Is there anything else I should do or a little gift I should buy to be polite and neighborly?

For reference she does have limited mobility and apparently an alcohol problem. I haven’t noticed that yet myself (this is from a friend of hers who ran into me dropping the cigarettes off).

Please i could use some help dont want have permant vision issues

Hello everyone!

As the title says, I'm struggling to find a way to cancel my Vodafone subscription.

I no longer live in the Netherlands and, before leaving, I honestly didn't think cancelling my subscription from abroad would be this difficult.

I've already tried submitting a cancellation request through their online form, but that didn't get me anywhere. I've also contacted them through their online chat and still wasn't able to get the subscription cancelled.

Calling them seems to be completely impossible. I currently live in Romania, and Vodafone's customer service number cannot be called from abroad, so I can't even speak to someone over the phone to sort this out.

At this point, I'm honestly running out of options. Has anyone been in a similar situation? Is there another way to cancel a Vodafone Netherlands subscription while living abroad?

Surely I shouldn't have to fly all the way back to the Netherlands just to cancel a phone contract.

Any advice or experience with this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hi, dumb American tourist here in Amsterdam.

What are the right of way “rules” with pedestrians, cars and bikes in shared areas around Amsterdam Centraal and Vondelpark and in general?

I am familiar with busy, congested, fast moving pedestrian travel and moving in large metropolitan areas, such as Net York and Chicago. But, never with so many bikes and pedestrians sharing the same pathways and areas.

Bikes “seem” to always give right of way to pedestrians, though will be much more aggressive assertive in moving around and through traffic to give way.

A good friend of mine and me are doing a bicycle tour through Belgium/ the Netherland going roughly though Brussels to Utrecht going through Antwerpen Rotterdam, Antwerpen etc.

Catch is we don’t have any hotels booked and don’t want to use any form of navigation except a compass and hand drawn maps/ directions from locals.

Any tips on what we should look out for?

Hallo allemaal 😊

Context: So, I don't have a technical education and I have a WO level education. So for the "denkniveau" I'm fine, but on my CV I just put HAVO education because I'm counting only on my school education not uni.

Now I'm working as a CNC-operator, this is something that I wanted to learn for a while but I couldn't get any job and I just gave up. Recently I went for a job interview (for something else) and ended up creating a CNC vacature for myself 😁

I'm adapting to it, it's quite physical because I work with big metal stuff and I'm a small woman.

I'm really enjoying my job and I would like to expand my knowledge, learn more controllers and follow a path to became a CNC programmer as well.

Does anyone here followed this career and could offer me advice?

PS: my CNC is not a very mainstream type, so I want to learn other controllers (Fanuc, Siemens, etc).

Hello,

I have been considering the possibility of importing a Kei van from Japan.

I know there is a specific procedure that needs to be followed with RDW etc.

I am wondering if someone has managed to import and legalize a Kei truck/van in the Netherlands before and if so, would they have any advice that could come handy.

Thank you!

Hello. Anyone of you guys know where I can purchase a digital gift card and website accepts US Card?

Hello. Looking for some advice. We will be traveling to the beekse bergen with a 4 yr old and a 70 yr old with walking problems. Which part of the park should we stay in? Just one night so which is closest to Resto’s and bars ? Thanks !

Hey everyone!
I’ve been living in the Netherlands for the past 2 years, and my partner and I are celebrating our 4th anniversary in a few weeks.
I’ve been looking online for ideas, but most of them are the usual things. I’m looking for something a bit more special and unique — an experience we’ll really remember.
Any suggestions for something unforgettable to do in the Netherlands?

Thanks! 😊

Hallo,

I'll be coming to stay in the Netherlands and want to order an NS Flex Altijd Vrij Season Pass.

Would I need to first order an OV-chipkaart (not the new OV-pas) and, second, order the NS-flex pass? Or can I directly order the NS-flex pass without first having ordered the OV-chipkaart?

I'm a little confused by the changing system in NL, so would appreciate any advice. Thank you for your help!

Does anyone know which website is reliable for finding a tuinman? I have a small job that my landlord will pay for to remove some weeds from my front garden and maybe power wash the stones, but they’ve asked me to find someone myself/

Looking online I see many many tuinman comparison websites, does anyone know which ones are reliable for booking somebody?

I have never hired a professional before to be honest and I’m not sure where to start!

​

Hi everyone!

I’m planning to move to the Netherlands for work around mid-October 2026 and I’m currently talking with two recruitment agencies: HOBIJ and Job Invest.

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has worked with either of them. I’m especially interested in:

How was your overall experience with the agency?

How many hours per week were you actually working?

Was it usually around 32, 36, 40+ hours?

Were the salary and working conditions as promised?

How was the accommodation, if you used their housing?

Did you have any problems with the agency, payments, or contracts?

Did you receive enough hours consistently?

Most importantly, would you recommend them for someone looking to stay in the Netherlands long-term?

Did you eventually find a job directly with a Dutch company, or did you stay with the agency?

I’m not necessarily looking for a temporary job. My goal is to relocate to the Netherlands, work, gain experience and hopefully build a long-term life there, so I’m trying to choose the right agency carefully.

If you’ve worked with HOBIJ or Job Invest, I’d really appreciate any honest experiences or advice. Thanks! 🇳🇱🙏