IBAN stands for International Bank Account Number and is a number attached to all accounts in the EU countries. It is made up of a unique code that identifies the country in which the account is opened, the account holder's bank and the account number. The IBAN helps to make the process of cross-border payments easier and faster. The bank assigns an IBAN to your account. You need to use the IBAN when sending interbank transfers or wiring money from one bank account to another, especially across international borders.

The structure of the IBAN is as follows: The country code NL / 2-digit control number / 4 letters that identify the bank / 10 digits, which consist of the current account number supplemented with zeros.

Example of a Dutch IBAN:  NL73 INGB 123 456 78 00

Documents

Students should bring the following documents in hand luggage:

• Valid passport (with a valid visa for non-EU/EEA students)
• Medical records and vaccination reports (if relevant)
• Wittenborg Admission Letter
• Original birth certificate in English or with a certified legalised English translation
• Passport-type photos

 Clothes

The Netherlands is a country with a pleasant, temperate maritime climate. Daytime temperatures vary from 3°C-37°F in the winter and 19°C-66°F in the summer. As a result, you will need to pack an assortment of clothes, such as:

• Winter coat and winter accessories, like gloves, scarf, warm headgear
• Summer clothes
• Waterproof jacket and shoes (+ umbrella)
• Business attire for formal occasions, company meetings, presentations, and events

Money

Please bring enough money in cash to cover the first weeks’ expenses, since it may take a few weeks to open a bank account. Foreign currency can be changed to Euro at Grenswisselkantoren. For information and locations, visit https://www.gwktravelex.nl/en.

Electrical equipment

• Computer/laptop/tablet + charger
• Mobile phone + charger
• Power adapter if needed. The Netherlands uses Type C&F Euro electricity outlets with 230 V with 50 HZ frequency. Some appliances do not need a converter. If the label states 'INPUT: 100-240V, 50/60 Hz' the appliance can be used in all countries in the world and is standard for chargers of tablets/laptops and phones

The “Burgerservicenummer” (BSN) is a unique personal number that enables reliable and efficient data exchange between residents, the government and various other organizations. In the Netherlands, you need the BSN for opening a bank account, visiting a doctor, getting health insurance, receiving your salary (if you are working part-time while studying), applying for tax benefits and many other administrative processes.

The requirements and process:

Whether you are a Dutch citizen or an international, everyone living in the Netherlands is required to be registered at their home address. You need to register (inschrijven) at the town hall in the municipality (gemeente) where you are living. 

To register your address and get a BSN from the gemeente, you need to make an appointment. 

If you live in Apeldoorn: the University Front Desk will make the appointment with the Gemeente (City Hall) on your behalf. For the appointment, students should bring the following documents:

• Residence permit
• Passport (original copy)
• Birth Certificate (with legalised translation in Dutch or English) (if applicable)
• Accommodation contract

The process of registration will take between 20 to 30 minutes. Once you are registered at the municipality, you will receive a document which states your particulars and your BSN. An official welcome letter will be mailed to you at your home address.

Take note that you cannot open a bank account unless you have your BSN. So ensure that you have sufficient cash with you when you arrive.

1. If you move within or to the municipality of Apeldoorn, you are legally obliged to inform the city hall. 

a.       Firstly, please send us your new address by writing to frontdesk@wittenborg.eu

b.       Secondly, you need to change your address online with your DigiD code.  Completing this process is your own responsibility.

The following link is the page on the city hall website, which informs how to change your address online. 

https://iburgerzaken.apeldoorn.nl/gaas-web/server/continue/StartVerhuizing;jsessionid=8C22DB3273EA4687ACA6B5DB4096CB48#burgerzaken

Note:

You must inform the municipality of your change of address anywhere between 4 weeks prior to moving and 5 days after moving. The moving date that you provide will be treated as the day on which your address changed. If you inform the municipality more than 5 days after moving, the date on which you inform the municipality will be treated as the moving date. Municipalities can impose a fine of up to €325 if you do not inform them in time of important changes to your personal information.

We highly recommend the students to pick up the residence permit from the IND office as scheduled because changing the location can take a long time and is often not accepted by the IND. Even if accepted, this might delay the completion of your registration requirements.

Travel with a mobile phone, tablet or laptop can be difficult without the right adapter. Make sure you bring a European adapter from home, or buy one at any of the local shops once you arrive in the Netherlands. In the Netherlands the power plugs and sockets are of type C and F. The standard voltage is 230 V and the standard frequency is 50 Hz.

Please visit https://www.power-plugs-sockets.com/netherlands-holland/ for more details on using the right power adapter in the Netherlands.

Yes. Residents must give at least four weeks’ notice in advance to Wittenborg Housing of their intended check-out date and time, so a mutually suitable pre-check-out time can be agreed by both parties. The intended check-out date and time can be on or before the last date of the housing package.

At check-in, residents are provided with an inventory checklist, the Check-In Form*. Please use this document to report any issues within your apartment and submit it signed to the front office within 3 working days of your arrival. If this document is not submitted, it is taken as confirmation that all items, and dormitory, as set out in the inventory checklist, are present and in good condition. Residents must pay for any damages incurred outside normal ‘wear and tear’.

*This list is used again when checking out. The items on the back of the form must be present when checking out. All missing items are to be paid for by the leaving student. The personal items on the list must be removed from the room.

If students are sick, or have another serious reason for not attending class, they should contact their module teacher by sending an email directly, with a copy to their process tutor/study advisor. 

Take note that no lessons will be facilitated online. All students are expected to attend all classes on-campus. 

Read the EEG Part 5: General Assessment Policy.

You will be notified of any changes in your classes if you activate the notification setting in your time table. Activating the notifications in your timetable will enable you to keep track of changes in the room and time or cancellation of your classes. You will receive a notification via your student email account. 

To activate the notification, follow the steps below:

At your Timetable page,

• Click the Profile icon on the left side. Mobile users will need to open this column by clicking on the top left icon on the screen and click My Profile in the column.
• Deselect the 'I don’t want to receive notifications' button and enter an email address for notifications. Now you will receive a notification every time there is a room change, cancellation of a lecture or rescheduling of classes!

You can communicate with Wittenborg teachers and staff via Email, Teams or Phone. Teachers usually provide their email addresses to students during the first lesson, so do take down their email addresses when given. Additionally, you can find email addresses of Wittenborg staff in your Outlook address book. You can also find the teachers/staff by typing their names in Teams and you can directly communicate with them.

If you are unsure, you can always contact front desk for help at frontdesk@wittenborg.eu.

All students are required to use their Wittenborg student email with S#@student.wittenborg.eu for any official communication. 

Note:

In relation to the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) it is essential that students only send university-related material and emails through the official student email account (@student.wittenborg.eu).

Source: The EEG Part 4 - Practical Information Guide

The cost of living as a student in the Netherlands is estimated to be around €800 to €1,100 per month according to the Study in NL website, an initiative by Nuffic.

These main costs include:

• Accommodation
• Food
• Transport

Tuition fees do not form part of living costs.

Apeldoorn versus Amsterdam

Experience has shown that students living and studying in Apeldoorn tend to spend less than those in Amsterdam, where cost of living is higher. This amount is needed to cover daily expenses, meals, accommodation costs, insurance, study books, etc. This estimate does not include tuition fees and unforeseen costs and should be used as a general indication of the costs of living. How much money you will actually need depends on your lifestyle. The costs for housing, for example, may differ considerably. Also, if you plan to travel during your stay, you will obviously need more money.

You can access and go through all the details including curriculum plan and timeline in the HBA EEG Part 3.

NOTE:

You can access the EEG in the online area after signing in with your student account.

You can visit https://www.dentalclinics.nl/dentist/ and register yourself. Once you have registered on their website, you will receive a confirmation email and then you can mention your preferred dates for making an appointment with the dentist.

DigiD (short for Digital Identification) is a form of online ID that allows you to access many services and government websites in the Netherlands. It is like a digital version of your passport. The DigiD consists of a username and password that are linked to your personal citizen service number (BSN) which you have to apply for via your local municipality. You need your DigiD to do your administration online in the Netherlands. This includes doing your taxes, applying for benefits and allowances, and many other necessary transactions.

How to apply for a DigiD?

You can apply for the DigiD for free on the DigiD website https://www.digid.nl/en/. You need to have your BSN. After filling in the application, you will receive an SMS code on your mobile phone. This is to verify your mobile number. Then you will receive another code via email. This is to verify your email address. Finally, you will receive a letter by post with the final activation code. This is to verify your registered home address and also to ensure security of your final activation code. Use the code to activate your DigiD within 20 days. Activate your DigiD via the DigiD activation webpage https://digid.nl/en/inloggen.

Remember that your DigiD grants access to many aspects of your life online, so you should take care to keep it secret and also not to lose it. If you forget your DigiD username or password, you can visit the DigiD contact page for help https://www.digid.nl/en/contact/

Students who are living in Apeldoorn and seeking a doctor's appointment need to first send an email to frontdesk@wittenborg.eu.

If you live in any other city, then you need to contact the clinic (Huisarts) nearest to your postal code and arrange the appointment by yourself. 

You will be requested to fill in a password encrypted form and send it to the Front Desk. 

Please remember to mention the following details in your form:

• Your last name and initials
• Your date of birth
• BSN number
• Address and Postcode
• Telephone number and email address
• Insurance policy number
• The symptoms you have been experiencing and for how long

For emergency appointments, please go to https://www.wittenborg-online.com/mod/glossary/showentry.php?eid=486  for further instructions.

Note: We will share only your limited and relevant personal information with the General Practitioner in accordance with their requirements for making an appointment.

In the event of you having objections to sharing of your personal information, you can choose to call any General Practitioner and make an appointment on your own.

If you live in Amsterdam, you need to register with a home doctor (GP) as soon as you are settled and make an appointment by yourself when you need medical help. 

Yes, tap water in the whole of the Netherlands is safe to drink. Not only will you save money by not buying bottled water, but you can also help towards keeping the environment clean by reducing plastic waste.

While the Education Department office is open daily for short questions, for consultations please make an appointment by email to education@wittenborg.eu and you will receive a confirmation within 3 working days.

Contacting Lecturers

All lecturers can be contacted through their Wittenborg email generally by putting their firstnames.lastname@wittenborg.eu

The Education and Examination Guide (EEG) is the first thing you need to read before you start your classes. The EEG consists of all the crucial information you need for your studies, including handbooks on work placement, graduation assignment, academic writing, etc. 

EEGs are available for each study programme and can be found in the online Moodle area (https://www.wittenborg-online.com).

If students have questions about a section in the EEG, they can contact their process tutor to guide them. Process tutors will be allocated by Wittenborg and during the Introduction Week, students will be informed on how to contact their process tutor, to make an appointment.

Before students arrive at Wittenborg, we recommend reading a few sections of the EEG to get an impression of the education system at our university. The following sections are recommended:

• Part 2: Education Guide
• Part 3: Programme curriculum- Specialisation-related curriculum
• Part 4: Practical information guide- Grading system in the Netherlands, Attendance & exams – important notice