Making yourself at home in the Netherlands: learning Dutch, social customs, shopping, public holidays and the small things that make everyday life easier.
All Dutch public holidays for 2026 and 2027, whether you get them off work, and the traditions to know: King's Day, 4 and 5 May, Sinterklaas, a New Year's Eve without fireworks, and the Dutch circle birthday.
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The unwritten rules of Dutch social life: why directness is polite, planning friends into your agenda, splitting the bill, what a coffee invitation really means, meeting your neighbours, tipping and Dutch office habits.
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Your phone on a bike costs €170, bags next to a container up to €200, and no health insurance €529.74. The fines newcomers get most in 2026, how CJIB letters and the new free reminder work, fake fine messages, and how to object.
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Your landlord keeps your deposit, a webshop won't refund you, your bank says no. A route finder for the Huurcommissie, the Geschillencommissie, Kifid, ConsuWijzer and the small claims judge, with 2026 costs and the deadlines not to miss.
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