Category: Information Center

Code Orange

The Netherlands and Belgium have recorded their highest ever temperatures today. The Dutch meteorological service, KNMI, said the temperature reached 39.1C (102F) at Gilze-Rijen airbase near the southern city of Tilburg on Wednesday afternoon, exceeding the previous high of 38.6C set in August 1944. City records in Amsterdam and Brussels are also expected to fall. Cities are particularly vulnerable in heatwaves because of a phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect, in which concrete buildings and asphalt roads absorb heat during the day and emit it again at night, preventing the city from cooling. KNMI has issued a code orange extreme temperature warning for everywhere except the off shore Wadden Islands and implemented its “national heat emergency” plan, while Belgium has taken the unprecedented step of placing the entire country on a code red warning.

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Useful links and information for newcomers

If you are new to the North of the Netherlands and are feeling a bit out of your depth below is a list of some useful websites where you can gain additional information (generally in English).

Connect International has worked for over 20 years with the international community in the North of the Netherlands.  Our ultimate goal is to help internationals coming to live in the provinces of Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe to feel at home as quickly as possible.

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Insurances in the Netherlands

Except for health insurance, which is mandatory for people living or working in the Netherlands, the type and the amount of insurance you want to purchase is mostly a personal decision. These following list of insurances are the typical types of insurances that many people carry in the Netherlands, including vehicle, personal liability, home-owners, house contents (personal possessions in the accommodation), legal and travel.

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Starting a business and obtaining a residence permit via the Start-up Permit

Could you make it in the Netherlands as an entrepreneur? In 2015 the Dutch government brought in new regulations to help ambitious businesspeople from non-EU countries. A one-year ‘start-up’ residency permit has been specially designed to help people like you in the Netherlands. As part of the scheme, all entrepreneurs are required to have a mentor, or ‘facilitator’ on-board and for their start-up to offer something innovative in the Dutch market.

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Lost Residence Permit

Here are the steps to follow when you discover your Residence Permit is lost or stolen: 

When you first get your Residence Permit, always make a copy (paper or digital) and keep it safe.  If you save the front and back image on your phone, you can easily find your V-number to put on a police report.

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