How to NL

This page has been superseded by the Netherlands page in Benelux by train. The information below is not necessarily up to date.

Payment on domestic public transport

The OV-chipkaart can be used in most public transport in European Netherlands. If you have to buy a ticket onboard, most buses accept electronic payment of some sort. On 01-01-2018 cash is meant to be phased-out as a means of payment in most places, but some places are not ready yet, and continue to accept cash payment. Also discussed here are the various monthly and yearly subscriptions.

OV-chipkaart: checking-in and -out

The contactless chip card for public transport in the Netherlands is called the OV-chipkaart. The same system is used throughout the Netherlands. The OV-chipkaart can be used on most public transport in the Netherlands: on all regular trains, light-rail, trams, metros, trolleybuses, most buses, and some ferries. The OV-chipkaart is also used for some other transport purposes, e.g. bicycle storage at some train stations, renting an OV-fiets, opening and locking a Greenwheels vehicle. I have not seen the OV-chipkaart being used for non-transport purposes, e.g. buying things from a vending machine.

Types of OV-chipkaart

There are two types of OV-chipkaarts: disposable ones, and durable ones. A disposable OV-chipkaart, or 'paper OV-chipkaart', comes in the form of a piece of thick paper with a chip inside, and they are issued for short term trips like single tickets, return tickets, hour tickets, or day tickets. They have the ticket details printed on it, and the (printed and digital) ticket details cannot be altered once issued. Disposable OV-chipkaart train tickets for domestic trips usually have a surcharge of €1 per ticket. Other than the railway companies, certain larger chain stores and online-stores are authorised to sell promotional train tickets (search of goedkope treinkaartjes); they typically come in the form of a disposable OV-chipkaart, or as an e-ticket. International train tickets sold in the Netherlands also come in the form of disposable OV-chipkaarts (if it is not an e-ticket).

A durable OV-chipkaart, or 'plastic OV-chipkaart', or just 'OV-chipkaart', is in the form of a pasltic card with a chip in it. It can be topped up with credit (in euros), and can have various travel products (e.g. discount subscriptions, bicycle day tickets, surcharges) loaded into it. A OV-chipkaart normally costs a hefty €7.50 per card (in 2018). This €7.50 is just the purchasing price of the card, and it does not include a deposit (there is no deposit on the card itself). There are two types of durable OV-chipkaarts: anonymous OV-chipkaart, and personal OV-chipkaart. A personal OV-chipkaart has the owner's photo and details on it, and it has certain advantages over anonymous OV-chipkaart, e.g. lower deposit rates when you check-in (see below), the card can be blocked in case of theft or loss. When you purchase subscriptions from public transport providers (with, e.g., NS), it has to be loaded on a durable OV-chipkaart. With NS, you will be provided with a personal OV-chipkaart for free with most year-subscriptions.

OV-chip mobiel, i.e. using a mobile phone as an OV-chipkaart, is still in its infancy. (However, many public transport operators of mobile apps which can produce an e-ticket with a bar-code.)

Checking-in and -out, and transfer

You must check-in at the beginning of your journey, and check-out at the end of your journey, by tapping the card at the card reader. With bus, trams etc. you need to check-in and check-out each time you step-in and out of a vehicle. With metro, there are no gates in between if you change to another metro line.

There are stops like the following, where one part, with higher platforms, receives metro, and another part, with lower platforms, receives trams. (In Amsterdam: south of Amsterdam Zuid where metro 51 and tram 5 overlap, for example; In The Hague: in the east between Den Haag Laan van NOI and Leidschenveen where Rotterdam Metro E and The Hague tram 3 and 4 overlap.) Metros have their OV-chipkaart portals on the platform (or somewhere else), whereas trams have their OV-chipkaart portals inside the vehicle. Do not check-in at the metro portals on the platform, and then run to catch a tram. Remember to check-out and then in again with the correct portals when transferring between these two systems.

With trains, the basic story is that you only need to check-out and -in again if you change to train lines of another company. In reality, it is slightly more complicated than that; see page on domestic rail services. If in doubt, the NS app will tell you whether you have to check-out and check-in again with another comapny when you do an itinerary search.

train_06_open_gates.JPG
Looking from inside the paid area: Alleen toegang voor reizigers naar de NS bus 'Access only for passengers to the NS bus'. In a station with closed gates, you do not need to check-out and -in again if you are changing between a train and a rail-replacement bus of the same company. Otherwise, please check-in/-out at the normal gates.

train_07_rail_bus.JPG
Direction to the NS rail-replacement bus. Also notice the mobile OV-chipkaart reader; you can use this to check-in or -out, if this station is the beginning of the end of your journey.

(However, at Amsterdam Muiderpoort, Amsterdam Zuid, Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA, and Hilversum NS stations, you may have to check-out and -in again to reach different platforms... read carefully about what possible monetary consequencies there are if you have to check-out and -in again there.)

For transfers between two different train companies, their card reader portals can be found side-by-side on the platform, and overstappen 'transfer' is written above them. (If it says overstappen, do not use these if you want to exit a station, as there are probably closed gates at the actual exits of the paid-area.)

train_01_check_in_gate.JPG
Closed gates at Arnhem Centraal: for NS (yellow), and Arriva/Breng (red). (If you get it wrong, you can still 'transfer' inside.) There are wider channels for, e.g., wheelchairs, bicycles. Also featuring an NS staff helping a person stuck inside (foreground in the middle). You can only go through channels with a green arrow.
train_02_check_in_gate_close_up.JPG
The card reader up close. Put the OV-chipkaart, or the barcode of an E-ticket, over the circle. If it is successful, the gates will open. Make sure that you don't place anything (e.g. pram) in the area between the gate and the card reader before checking-in or -out, or else the gate might not open (and you might have still checked-in/-out with your card!)
train_03_overstappen.JPG
Card readers on a platform. If it says overstappen 'transfer', it is meant to be used only for transfer to another company. Do not use these if you are leaving a station, because there could be closed gates at the station hall.
train_03a_overstappen.JPG
Not many stations have trains of more than one company. Arnhem Centraal and some others have two (domestic) companies. (Zutphen has three). If you transfer to another company, use these card-reader poles at the platform: first check-out with the first company, and then check-in with the second company. If you are traveling with an E-ticket, these poles can't read E-tickets, and there is nothing you have to do.
train_04_beep_at_platform.JPG
At a smaller station like Arnhem Velperpoort, there are no gates, and the only check-in/-out facilities are the poles on the platform. If the poles on the platform do not say overstappen above them, then it is OK to use them to check-out of a station.

Very occationally, a train company has to borrow trains from another company to run its services. Check-in and -out with the card-readers of the company that is meant to run that service (i.e. card readers of the borrower, not the lender; if in doubt, ask people around you).

The map of distance pricing units also shows stations that has closed gates. Alternatively, a written list of such stations can be found here. (Some other stations have already installed gates, but are not yet, or not always, closed.)

There is a delay between each time you can check-in and -out. At NS stations, this is 100 seconds. The delay is in place to prevent people from tapping the card twice accidentally, and hence cancelling their check-in/-out. If you are not sure whether you have checked-in or -out (e.g. at places without closed gates), you can try trapping the card at the card reader again within the 100 seconds and see what it says. (Alternatively, you can check the travel history of your OV-chipkaart at a ticket machine.)

Checking-out, and then checking-in again within 35 minutes is considered a transfer, if it is between two train journeys, or between two bus/tram/metro journeys; you do not need to pay another flagfall if it is a transfer. An exception is between the Blauwnet trains and the buses of the Province of Overijssel (both of which extend to a degree beyond the borders of Overijssel); flagfall is not paid again when tranferring between these trains and buses.

If you are catching a train, and there is an announcement which says that there is a train detour or replacement bus, then there is nothing different you have to do with your (durable/disposable) OV-chipkaart; just check-in and -out at the normal locations. Replacement buses often have mobile card readers near them, which you can use if that is the beginning or end of your journey. Train conductors carry hand-held machines, and they can check detour details.

Cost of using the OV-chipkaart

Each time you check-in with a durable OV-chipkaart on credit, a deposit of €4/€10/€20 is deducted from your card (depending on the public transport provider and the type of OV-chipkaart that you have; there are other deposit rates in special cases). You cannot check-in (including checking-in when you transfer) if your card goes under –€4 (negative four euros) after the deposit. There are many methods for preloading the card with credit, e.g. machines at train stations, machines at many supermarkets/convienience stores, online.

When travelling with an OV-chipkaart on credit, beyond a flagfall, fare is calculated by distance units on most train lines, and by actual distance on most other public transport (buses etc. have GPSs that determine exactly where it is going). Certain services have a set-charge, e.g. many night buses.

If you forget to check-out

If you forget to check-out when traveling with a durable OV-chipkaart (e.g. when there are no closed gates):

Checking-in and -out at the same station

If you just want to visit the paid-area behind closed gates (e.g. waving someone goodbye, trainspotting, walking through to the other side of a station, visit shops within the paid-area), you can check-in (provided you have enough credit for the deposit), and then check-out at the same station within 60 minutes; the deposit is immediately refunded to- your OV-chipkaart as you check out.

Samenreiskorting

Train ticket machines no longer sell discounted tickets. So, the deal is that people with NS subscriptions can take along up to three people during off-peak hours, and the companions enjoy 40%-off their train fares (the samenreiskorting). However, these companions must now have their own durable OV-chipkaarts. See here for explanations.

Validity area of OV-chipkaart

The OV-chipkaart is valid on all regular trains, metros, trams, some commuter ferries, and the vast majority of buses in the Netherlands. (Check beforehand if you want to catch a night bus, a buurtbus, or a bus that you have to ring to book.)

In Friesland, the OV-chipkaart is now valid on all the islands except Schiermonnikoog. On Texel, OV-chipkaart is only valid on the fixed bus routes 28 and 828. (See also what Texel says on the use of Student OV-chipkaarts.

Outside of the Netherlands, the only train stations with OV-chipkaart portals are Weener and Leer in Germany on the line east of Groningen. For international trains (except Thalys and Eurostar), the OV-chipkaart can be used on domestic sections within the Netherlands (see the page on domestic rail services). The OV-chipkaart can be used on some local cross-border buses. (You'll have to check the website of the public transport provider involved; the OV-chipkaart usually work on Dutch buses, even if part of your journey is in Germany/Belgium. On the other hand, the OV-chipkaart works on only a few German/Belgian buses.)

Other issues

For more information on the OV-chipkaart, check out their website. Also check out the 'how-to-use-OV-chipkaart-with-us' pages of the individual public transport providers, e.g. NS. If you want to know the costs involved when travelling with an OV-chipkaart to the tenth of a cent, trying checking the websites of the individual public transport providers, or try here.

Other short-term tickets, and related ticketing issues

When buying train tickets between two destinations with more than one reasonable trajectory, especially if one involves non-NS operators, then the NS ticket machine might ask you which trajectory you want to take, tell you how much each costs, and tell you trains of which operators you are allowed to travel on with that ticket. The machine might also give you the option of paying the higher price, and issues you a ticket which allows you to take either trajectory. For example, from the east of the country: a) from Nijmegen to Enschede, the more-expensive option is catching only NS trains and change once in Deventer, while the slightly cheaper option is catching NS to Zutphen, then Blauwnet to Hengelo, and then NS or Blauwnet to Enschede; b) from Arnhem to Dordrecht, the more-expensive option is catching only NS and go via Utrecht/Rotterdam, or via Breda, while the slightly cheaper option is catching Arriva to Tiel, NS to Geldermalsen, and then Arriva to Dordrecht. (Check with the NS journey planner to see which option is quicker.) If the ticket machine or the journey planner does not give you the trajectory that you are thinking of, you can always specify a via-station in the ticket machine/journey planner.

In the Netherlands, you must have a valid train ticket before boarding a train (i.e. you cannot get train tickets onboard a train), or you might have to pay a hefty fine. The chance of encountering a ticket-inspector is quite high. Claiming to be a naïve tourist does not work.

Train tickets issued by NS is valid on NS and all other domestic train operators, i.e. to/from all destinations that you can buy a ticket for at the machine.

With buses and trams, you can get a ticket from the driver, or at a dedicated booth that is available inside some trams. The ticket that you get on a bus/tram is a disposable OV-chipkaart with some public transport providers, or just a piece of paper with other providers. Buying a ticket in a bus/tram is usually more expensive than using a durable OV-chipkaart. Read carefully, or ask someone else, whether transfers to another vehicle is permited with that ticket.

Most buses and trams now accept bank card/credit card/mobile phone payment for ticket sales onboard. Most public transport providers have gotten rid of cash as a form of payment onboard by 01-01-2018. However, some companies are not ready yet and are still accepting cash payment onboard.

There are also various sorts of app-tickets and e-tickets that you can get. With some of them, you have to print them out on a piece of paper. For trains, you can use the barcode on an app-/e-ticket to open closed gates. Otherwise there is nothing you have to do to gain access to trains.

Here are some regional tickets (amongst many others):

Other than using an OV-chipkaart, you can buy a combined train+bus/tram tickets to the following destinations (see more details here).

Children under 12 years old travel very cheaply on trains; see Railrunner, and Kids Vrij. See also tickets for bicycles and larger dogs. See also bicycle carriage rules on domestic trains and international trains.

The usual NS day-ticket is not good-value; you only save less than €1 if you make one full-fare return trip between the absolute extremes of the country. Much better value are the train tickets sold at certain chain stores from time to time. See news on these tickets here or here.

Tickets issued by foreign train companies for travel in the Netherlands continue to be valid.

The strippenkaart, and ordinary paper train tickets, have been phased out.

Long-term subscriptions

For frequent travellers, there is a myriad of monthly or yearly subscriptions that can help lower the cost of using public transport.

Abonnement 'subscription' is the general term. A subset of them is sometimes called the kortingsproduct 'discount product'. With a subscription, you get unrestricted use of, and/or discount for, public transport. You get these special rights on public transport in a particular area, or along a particular trajectory.

You can often tell what the subscription is about just by the name of the subscription:

The following are the subscription pages of the main public transport providers. Subscriptions often work with multiple companies, so you may see the same subscription appearing in the websites of multiple companies.

(See the pages on domestic rail, bus, trams, and metros, and domestic ferries for the operation areas of these companies.)

If you use public transport mostly outside peak hours, and not frequent enough to warrant unlimited-usage subscriptions, then the yearly off-peak discount subscriptions are good-value, even if you stay in the Netherlands for only three months, or perhaps less. (You'll have to do the maths.)

There is also the NS-Buisness Card, which is a monthly post-paid OV-chipkaart. People with a Kamer van Koophandel (Dutch Chamber of Commerce) number can order NS-Buisness Cards for themselves and their employees. On top of being a post-paid card that works on the usual places where an OV-chipkaart can be used, various subscriptions can be loaded to it.


The Netherlands' page in Benelux by train
Back to How to NL