Travel- and Consular Updates, News & Events
Preface by Ambassador Margriet Vonno
On Wednesday August 25, together with ADB-DutchCham we organized another insightful webinar on the current travel situation and the new Covid-19 measures. These sessions are open for all interested Dutch.
I am happy to see a growing number of participants with each new installment. Our next session will be on September 29 from 12pm to 1 PM. You can already register to participate via this link. I promise you we will continue to share as much as possible about our work “behind the scenes” to facilitate travel, both with Singaporean agencies and officials in the Netherlands. There are also discussions at the European level. We see a lot of ‘work in progress’ and we are looking forward to an endemic phase where we have more options that work for our business community and for private trips as well.
-Uncertainty- That word is still on top of my mind. The novelty of the pandemic situation has worn off and yet it still affects us all. I know that this is hard for everyone with many more months of avoiding or postponing your long awaited travel plans. Changes in Covid related data have an immediate impact on our lives.
If I draw from my own experience, talking to the Dutch community in Singapore the verdict is that not one of us is without challenges on the personal front. It is in the new normal that we experience ups and downs. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to support one another and I am thankful to see that we have close bonds in our community. So many of you are reaching out to one another.
The number one objective (‘topprioriteit’) for all of us at the embassy, including myself, is doing everything we can to open up for business and friends & family. The vaccination rate in the Netherlands is relatively high and we hope that with the stabilizing of the number of positive Covid tests we may be able to serve our SHN at our homes in the not too distant future.
I cannot promise anything about outcomes, but I can vouch for our efforts for the Dutch community in Singapore. With the help of our contacts in the Netherlands, we secured that a printout of the notarise.gov.sg version of your vaccination certificate will be recognised and we are working on mutual recognition of certificates for EU-countries and Singapore.
To conclude, I would like to refer to the theme for this year’s Eurovision Song Contest “OpenUp” as I find this most suitable for now. Let us all work together to #OpenUp and I will assure you that the NL Embassy will continue to do its best to achieve a gradual reopening for everyone!
Margriet Vonno
Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Singapore and Brunei
Travel & Vaccination Information – Useful Links
As information is constantly changing, we have created an overview of useful links on our website with information about travelling and vaccinations for everyone’s convenience. We will do our utmost to keep this list of links updated and relevant. Make sure you regularly check the updated information via the links provided to stay up to date.
We had a great turnout at the Consular Affairs Q&A session that we organised together with ADB-DutchCham on August 25. Our next Q&A session is planned for September 29, from 12-1pm. The entire Dutch Community is welcome to join this session. You can already register via this link.
We hope to see you then!
Getting proof of vaccination after being vaccinated outside of The Netherlands
If you are a Dutch citizen, or live in the Netherlands, and if you have been fully vaccinated outside of the EU, you can register your vaccination certificate in the Netherlands.
This is also possible if you have received 1 shot in the Netherlands, and 1 shot outside of the EU.
That way, you can get a proof of vaccination that is valid in the Netherlands and the rest of the European Union.
Follow the instructions on this website (‘I have been fully vaccinated in a country outside the EU’) to register your vaccination certificate in the Netherlands.
DigiD aanvragen vanuit het buitenland [in Dutch]
Woont u in het buitenland of bent u voor langere tijd in het buitenland?
Het is sinds kort mogelijk om vanuit het buitenland DigiD aan te vragen en een activeringscode te ontvangen via een videogesprek met 24/7 Nederland Wereldwijd. U hoeft dan niet naar een DigiD-balie te reizen. Met de activeringscode activeert u uw DigiD.
Voor het ontvangen van uw activeringscode maakt u een afspraak via het online afsprakensysteem.
U ontvangt hierna een e-mailbevestiging van de afspraak met daarin instructies en een link waarmee u de videoverbinding kunt maken.
Voor meer informatie, klik hier.
BSN-nummer [in Dutch]
Hoe kom ik aan een burgerservicenummer (BSN)?
U krijgt een burgerservicenummer (BSN) als u wordt ingeschreven in de Basisregistratie Personen (BRP). Als u buiten Nederland woont, doet u dit in persoon bij een van de 19 gemeenten met een RNI-loket in Nederland.
In een aantal gevallen is het mogelijk om een BSN te krijgen via een andere organisatie, bijvoorbeeld de Sociale Verzekeringsbank of de Belastingdienst.
BSN verkrijgen via een RNI-loket
- Woont u buiten Nederland of komt u korter dan 4 maanden naar Nederland om te studeren of werken? Dan kunt u zich inschrijven in de BRP. Uw gegevens komen dan in de Registratie Niet-ingezetenen (RNI) te staan en u krijgt een BSN. Dit doet u bij een gemeente met een loket voor niet-ingezetenen (RNI-gemeente). Klik hier voor meer informatie.
- Komt u naar Nederland voor een periode langer dan 4 maanden? Schrijf u dan in bij de gemeente waar u gaat wonen. Uw gegevens komen in de Basisregistratie Personen te staan en u krijgt een BSN. Klik hier voor meer informatie.
Join the ADB-DutchCham Startup Community on Slack
The ADBDC Startup Community is very excited to announce the launch of its Slack workspace. The goal is to create an interactive environment where members can connect, network and grow their business. Explore the various channels, share information, ask questions, help other members, and have some fun in the process! If you want to be part of the Singapore Startup world, don’t miss out.
Click here to sign up and join!
Netherlands Innovation Pavilion at TechInnovation 2021
From 28 – 30 September 2021 the 10th edition of Techlnnovation will take place! This year it will be a full digital event running 24hrs. Exhibitors and attendees across all time zones will be able to participate and network with each other virtually. Please join us at the Netherlands Innovation Pavilion to connect with 17 Dutch companies that are looking for connections, partnerships and collaborations to create impact. The companies are active in the areas of artificial intelligence, blockchain, data analytics, high tech, circular economy and alternative proteins and actively looking for partners in Singapore.
If you already want to know more, please send us an email at sin-ia@minbuza.nl
Read more information on the website.
E-Bike manufacturer Coast Cycles expands in the Netherlands
The Singapore-based manufacturer of e-bikes, Coast Cycles, is opening a sales and marketing office in Arnhem, the Netherlands, to expand its European reach. The company already has a distribution hub in Amsterdam.
Coast Cycles designs, develops and produces high-end, fat-tire e-bikes with a distinctive character. With their wide tyres they are also suitable for rough surfaces like dirt roads. Check out their rugged e-bikes here. The company’s mission is to contribute to more sustainable mobility and transportation solutions.
Read the full press release here.
Study in Europe 2021
Study in Europe, Singapore’s leading European higher education fair organised by the EU Delegation to Singapore, takes place on Saturday, 25th September 2021.
The fair aims to connect international students to universities, research opportunities and scholarships offered across Europe. The event will be fully virtual, with webinars and a website showcasing universities in Europe, that will be accessible for potential students throughout the upcoming year.
Multiple Dutch Universities and Universities of Applied Science (HBO) are participating.
The ‘Study in Holland’ team is also organizing two webinars on September 25:
10am: Dealing with the Dutch: culturally, socially and linguistically.
4pm: Living and Studying in the Netherlands
Admission to this higher education fair is FREE, and you can register your interest for the webinars here.
Keep an eye on the website to see the participating universities and universities of applied science.
ADB-DutchCham: Members Night Out BBQ Edition
ADB-DutchCham is pleased to invite all their members for a BBQ dinner at a fellow member‘s dinner table on Friday evening the 10th of September, 2021. It might seem presumptuous to invite you at somebody else’s table, but it’s true! Wine and dine with fellow member(s) at one of your fellow member‘s house. Catch up with friends, meet new members, enjoy drinks and dinner together.
For more information and registration visit our event page.
IMC Camden Clinic appoints Dutch Doctor Karien de Groof
Dr Karien de Groof is a Dutch doctor who graduated from the Erasmus University in Rotterdam in 2009. She worked as a resident in Pediatrics and Internal Medicine and Cardiology in two regional teaching hospitals in Rotterdam. She has worked in in Holland and Switzerland and will be practicing in IMC’s Camden clinic.
Dr Karien speaks Dutch, French and English fluently and is based in IMC’s Camden clinic.
Click here to read her full profile.
