That varies per job and employer. If your employer has arranged your living accommodation, then he will often arrange your transport. We call this ‘woon-werkverkeer’ (commuting). You will be transported by minibus or coach. If you live close to your workplace, you can often walk to work. Or your employer may lend you a bike. If you have to arrange your own travel, you can go by public transport; for example by train, bus, tram or metro. You can also use your own car. Sometimes, you can get your travel expenses reimbursed.

Sometimes your employer arranges transport to your work, either by minibus or by coach. Then you travel to work with your colleagues. You are picked up and dropped off close to your home. You are not obliged to make use of this transport. You can also go to work by another transport method. Discuss it with your employer. You will then travel independently.

Sometimes your employer arranges transport to your work. If you have to work longer hours, you have to work overtime. This might mean that you cannot use the transport provided. The same might apply if you do not have fixed working hours. Discuss with your employer how you can get home in that case; by public transport, for example.

That is decided by your employer. In some cases, your employer may lend you a bike. Sometimes your employer gives you an allowance to buy a bike. This is often arranged in the sector you are working in, to which a collective labour agreement applies, called a ‘cao’. The cao sets out the agreements between employers and employees in your sector. So this agreement does not apply to everyone.

That is very unfortunate. On the day of the accident, you can take leave to go to hospital, for example. We call this ‘calamiteitenverlof’ (emergency leave). It is only applicable in very exceptional personal or unexpected circumstances, for which you need to take time off. You must report this leave to your employer. Your salary will continue to be paid. Different agreements may also apply to this. They are included in your collective labour agreement (cao), which sets out the agreements between employers and employees in your sector. 

Sometimes your employer arranges your transport. He is not allowed to deduct transport costs if you are earning the minimum wage. The only deductions an employer can make from the minimum wage, under strict conditions, are the costs of health insurance and housing.

If you are earning more than the minimum wage, your employer is allowed to deduct transport costs.

Do you travel to work independently, for example, by car, bike or public transport? Whether your travel costs are reimbursed depends on the sector you are working in. Each sector has its own agreements for this between employers and employees. Sometimes, a minimum distance applies to agreements about the reimbursement of travel costs. Or your employer might arrange an ‘ov-chipkaart’ (public transport card) for you. These agreements do not apply to everyone.

If your employer asks you to pick up colleagues and take them to work in a company minibus or car, then this counts as working hours for you. You must get paid for it. It does not count as working hours for your colleagues, so they will not be paid for it.

You make arrangements with your employer about transport between your home and work. If you have new accommodation but your job remains the same, then the transport arrangements that you agreed upon with your employer will still apply. If the employment agency arranges new accommodation for you or if you get another job, then it is advisable to make new arrangements about transport between home and work.

If you come to the Netherlands from your homeland with your own motor vehicle (car/van/motor bike), your motor vehicle has a foreign number plate.

You are allowed to drive it in the Netherlands but there are obligations:

• The motor vehicle must have a valid/active registration, in accordance with the regulations of the transport authority in the country issuing the number plate.
• An active liability insurance for motor vehicles
• A valid periodical  vehicle inspection for motor vehicles and/or trailers

If you are living and working temporarily in the Netherlands and using your own car or motorbike here, take a look at the rules for taxation of vehicles with a foreign registration number on the website of the Belastingdienst (Tax and Customs Administration). The information is in Dutch, English and Polish. Then you can see whether you are obliged to pay tax on your vehicle in the Netherlands. If your vehicle has a foreign registration number, it is sometimes necessary to change it to a Dutch registration number. This is the case, for example, if the vehicle is registered in your name and you have been registered for longer than 185 days in the Personal Records Database (BRP), in the Netherlands.

In the Netherlands, vehicles may not pose a danger to traffic safety. When a vehicle is registered, the technical condition of the car or motorbike is checked by the Netherlands Vehicle Authority (RDW). If a vehicle does not meet the technical requirements, then the RDW may decide to declare the issued registration certificate invalid. The car or vehicle must then pass a motor vehicle test before being registered again.