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Nederland: wat je moet weten voor vertrek

Het belangrijkste

  • Amsterdam charges a 12.5% tourist tax on the room price, among the highest in Europe; cruise day visitors pay EUR 15 per person.
  • Smoking cannabis in the street in Amsterdam's Red Light District is banned; cannabis is tolerated only in licensed coffeeshops.
  • Never walk in red-surfaced bike lanes: cyclists have right of way and collisions are common.
  • Some shops and supermarkets accept only debit cards; carry a debit card or phone wallet and a little cash.

Inreis en visa

The Netherlands is in the Schengen area. Non-EU visitors are registered in the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) on first entry: fingerprints and a facial photo, no passport stamps. Visa-free visitors may stay 90 days in any 180 across all Schengen states. ETIAS is not operating yet: its launch is now expected in 2027, so ignore sites selling "ETIAS" approvals.

Geldigheid paspoort: Non-EU passports: valid at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen area and issued within the last 10 years.

Aan de grens kan worden gevraagd naar

  • EES registration at the first Schengen border: fingerprints and face photo (children under 12 give no fingerprints). Allow extra time at passport control.
  • Border guards may ask for a return ticket, accommodation proof, travel insurance and funds for your stay.
  • Your 90/180 days are counted across all Schengen states together; use the EU short-stay calculator to check.

Douane

  • From outside the EU: 200 cigarettes, 1 L spirits or 2 L fortified wine, 4 L wine, 16 L beer; other goods up to EUR 430 by air/sea (EUR 300 by land).
  • Personal imports of meat, milk and dairy products from non-EU countries are banned (small exceptions for infant food and medical needs).
  • Declare cash of EUR 10,000 or more (or equivalent) when entering or leaving the EU.
  • Prescription medicines: carry the prescription; narcotic or psychotropic medicines need a Schengen certificate (Article 75) or a doctor's letter.

Gecontroleerd op 29 oktober 2026 · Bronnen: home-affairs.ec.europa.eu ↗, travel-europe.europa.eu ↗, home-affairs.ec.europa.eu ↗, home-affairs.ec.europa.eu ↗, taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu ↗, finance.ec.europa.eu ↗, gov.pl ↗

Geld

Bijna overal kun je met de kaart betalen. Kaarten worden bijna overal geaccepteerd.

Betaalnetwerken: Visa, Mastercard

Apple Pay — werkt · Google Pay — werkt

Waar je geld wisselt

  • Withdraw euros from a bank-owned ATM in town, or bring euros from home.
  • Pay by card or phone in euros; contactless is near-universal.
  • Bank ATMs (Geldmaat) charge no local fee.

Waar je beter niet wisselt

  • Airport and station exchange bureaux (poor rates, high commission).
  • Independent ATMs such as Euronet in tourist zones: high fees and currency-conversion offers.
  • Exchange offices around Amsterdam Centraal and Damrak.

Geldautomaten: Geldmaat (the shared Dutch bank ATM network) charges no local fee. Many places are card-only ("pin only"), so you rarely need cash.

Fooi: Optional: round up or 5-10% for good table service; service is included in prices.

  • When a card terminal or ATM offers to charge you in your home currency, decline and pay in local currency: dynamic currency conversion adds roughly 3-10%.
  • Cards issued by Russian banks (Visa, Mastercard and Mir) do not work here because of sanctions; bring enough cash or a card from a non-Russian bank.
  • Debit cards and Apple/Google Pay work almost everywhere; some shops, markets and supermarkets still refuse credit cards or Amex.

Gecontroleerd op 29 oktober 2026 · Bronnen: holland.com ↗, gov.uk ↗, dnb.nl ↗, support.apple.com ↗

Regels en verboden

Verboden

  • Amsterdam Red Light District: smoking cannabis in the street is banned; drinking alcohol in public is banned in many central areas (fine around EUR 100).
  • Buying drugs from street dealers is illegal; hard drugs are illegal everywhere.
  • Taking photos of sex workers in windows is forbidden.
  • Cycling without lights at night or with a phone in hand: fines around EUR 100-170.
  • Travelling without checking in and out on public transport (OVpay/contactless card): fines.
  • Urinating in public: fines.
  • Drones are prohibited in most of Amsterdam and near airports.

Wetten die reizigers onbewust overtreden

  • Carry ID: police can ask for it (age 14+).
  • Coffeeshops serve 18+ only, max 5 g per person per day; no alcohol sold there.
  • Drink-drive limit 0.5 g/l (0.2 for new drivers).

Gecontroleerd op 29 oktober 2026 · Bronnen: gov.uk ↗, amsterdam.nl ↗, amsterdam-explorer.com ↗, amsterdam.nl ↗

Cultuur en kleding

Religie: Largely secular; Catholic and Protestant heritage; Muslim minority.

Kleding: Casual and practical; rainproof layers. Nothing is especially formal.

Etiquette

  • People are direct; it is not rude.
  • Bikes have priority; look both ways before crossing bike lanes.
  • Splitting the bill ("going Dutch") is normal.
  • Be punctual; book restaurants ahead in Amsterdam.

Gecontroleerd op 29 oktober 2026 · Bronnen: holland.com ↗

Klimaat

Mild maritime climate: cool summers, mild damp winters, wind and rain any month. Figures are Amsterdam average highs/lows.

Per maand
  • januari: Jan: 6/1°C, cold, windy, wet
  • februari: Feb: 7/1°C, cold
  • maart: Mar: 10/3°C, cool
  • april: Apr: 14/5°C, tulip season
  • mei: May: 18/8°C, pleasant, tulips early May
  • juni: Jun: 20/11°C, mild, long days
  • juli: Jul: 22/13°C, warmest, busy
  • augustus: Aug: 22/13°C, warm, showers
  • september: Sep: 19/11°C, mild
  • oktober: Oct: 15/8°C, windy, wetter
  • november: Nov: 10/4°C, grey, wet
  • december: Dec: 7/2°C, cold, festive

Beste seizoen: Mid-April to mid-May for tulips; June-September for warm weather.

Gecontroleerd op 29 oktober 2026 · Bronnen: knmi.nl ↗, holland.com ↗

Wat mee te nemen

  • Waterproof jacket (umbrellas suffer in wind)
  • Debit card or phone wallet
  • Type F plug adapter (230 V)
  • Layers
  • Comfortable shoes

Niet meenemen / invoer verboden

  • Buying anything from street drug dealers (often fake or dangerous).
  • Meat and dairy from outside the EU.
  • Relying only on a credit card.

Praktisch

Stopcontacten: Type F (Type C fits); 230 V, 50 Hz

Water: Tap water is safe and excellent.

Verkeer: rechts rijden

Mobiel en eSIM: EU roaming: SIMs from any EU/EEA country work at home prices (fair-use limits). Ukrainian and Moldovan SIMs too since 1 Jan 2026. Swiss, UK, Serbian and other non-EU SIMs pay roaming; an eSIM data plan is cheaper.

Apps: NS (trains), 9292, GVB (Amsterdam), Uber / Bolt, Buienradar (rain radar)

Internet: Excellent 4G/5G and free Wi-Fi almost everywhere.

Gezondheid: EU/EEA/Swiss and UK (GHIC) cardholders get state healthcare at local rates with their EHIC/GHIC. Others pay in full, so bring insurance. Pharmacies (green cross) handle minor issues.

Verzekering: Schengen visa applicants must hold travel medical insurance of at least EUR 30,000 valid in all Schengen states. Everyone else: strongly advised.

Noodnummers: 112 (all emergencies); 0900-8844 police non-emergency

Gecontroleerd op 29 oktober 2026 · Bronnen: europa.eu ↗, europa.eu ↗, digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu ↗, gov.uk ↗

Inreisregels veranderen. Controleer vóór de reis de website van de ambassade of immigratiedienst van het land.