๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ Amsterdam ยท First days

First 48 hours in Amsterdam

The first two days in Amsterdam, in priority order: what has to happen, what should, and what can wait. Tick things off as you go.

For Amsterdam
How long you are staying

Must do

  • Staying four months or more means registering within five days of arrival; it is what produces your BSN. Shorter stays register in the non-residents' register (RNI) at a designated gemeente instead.
  • KPN, Vodafone and Odido, plus cheaper brands such as Simyo and Lebara. Prepaid works on a passport; a contract needs a BSN and a Dutch bank account.
  • Use a contactless bank card or phone (OVpay) or an OV-chipkaart, and always check out. Forgetting costs you the maximum fare.
  • Compulsory for residents and backdated to when you became insured, with a fine for leaving it too long. Compare on the insurers' own sites; the basic cover is identical everywhere.

Should do

  • Highly skilled migrants whose employer is a partner of IN Amsterdam can collect the residence permit and register for a BSN at one appointment, instead of two separate queues.
  • Red asphalt is for bikes, tram tracks swallow front wheels at a shallow angle, and stopping in a cycle lane to check a map gets you shouted at.
  • ING, ABN AMRO and Rabobank want a BSN; bunq will open one before. A Dutch account unlocks iDEAL, Tikkie and direct debits.
  • Find a huisarts that covers your postcode and register while you are well. Without one there is no specialist referral and no out-of-hours triage.
  • Request it online once you have a BSN; the activation code comes by post within days. Set up the app at the same time.

Nice to do

  • From a bike shop with a receipt rather than a stranger on the street. One lock through the frame to something fixed.
  • Most embassies run a registration or alert service for nationals abroad. It takes two minutes.
  • Ferries leave from behind Centraal around the clock and cost nothing. It is the quickest way to see what the other side of the IJ offers.
  • Albert Cuyp in De Pijp, Dappermarkt in Oost and Ten Katemarkt in Oud-West run six days a week and are cheaper than the supermarket for fruit, fish and cheese.
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