Information for Ukrainian refugees (English)
On this page you will find answers to frequently asked questions by Ukrainian people in the municipality of Dijk en Waard. We will keep this page up to date as much as possible.
Reception and accommodation
There is one municipal reception location: Transferium in Heerhugowaard. In Dijk en Waard we will receive at least 278 people for a minimum of a few months.
More information about support for refugees from Ukraine upon arrival, registration and accommodation in the Netherlands can be found on this page of the central government website(Verwijst naar een externe website).
Yes, you must register with the municipality of Dijk en Waard. You will be registered in the Personal Records Database (BRP) with the address of your stay. A few days after registration you will receive a citizen service number (BSN number) from the municipality.
A citizen service number (BSN) is required to:
- be allowed to work
- open a bank account
- apply for health insurance
- receive living allowance
Make an appointment
Call+31 72 575 55 555(Verwijst naar een telefoonnummer) to make an appointment for registration. The registration takes place at the town hall in Heerhugowaard (Parelhof 1, 1703 EZ Heerhugowaard). Please bring your Ukrainian passport or ID card with you to the appointment.
The municipality will inform the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND) after registration. The IND will start the residence procedure. This may not happen immediately after the registration.
Registration without Ukrainian passport or identity card
- Children of families fled from Ukraine can be registered without proof of identification.
- Adults without passport or identity card need a ‘certificate of identity’ from the Ukrainian embassy in order to register at the municipality.
- People from Ukraine with a different nationality can register with the municipality if they have their identity papers and lawfully resided in Ukraine.
When you are registered with the municipality in the Personal Records Database (BRP), you will receive your BSN number a few days after registration. You can register at the town hall in Heerhugowaard. Call +31 72 575 55 55(Verwijst naar een telefoonnummer) for an appointment.
You will be given a residence endorsement sticker from the Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst (IND). Visit for more information ind.nl(Verwijst naar een externe website), check the paragraph 'Sticker or card (O-document)'.
Work and income
You are entitled to living allowance if you have fled Ukraine and are staying in Dijk en Waard and if you are registered with the municipality. The living allowance is stopped when you have paid work, with the exception of voluntary work.
The living allowance is paid into a Dutch bank account. To receive a living allowance from the municipality, you must open a Dutch bank account. More information and the conditions for opening a bank account can be found on this page.(Verwijst naar een externe website)
To apply for a living allowance you need:
- Identity card (ID card)
- BRP registration (proof of this)
- Bank account (letter from the bank or debit card)
Do you want to apply for a living allowance? Visit Zaffier.nl(Verwijst naar een externe website).
If you have any questions or if you want to report changes, please contact the contact center of Zaffier.
In order to work, you must be registered with the municipality and open a bank account. If you have found a job (or voluntary work), your new employer must register you with the UWV at least 2 working days before you start working.
Register at the municipality
Make an appointment for registration with the municipality via +31 72 575 55 55 if you are not yet registered. After registration you will receive a Citizen Service Number (BSN), which you will need for work and other important matters.
Open a bank account
In order to have your salary paid out, you need a bank account. You can open a bank account at almost all banks in Dijk en Waard. Information about which documents are required for this can be found at www.betaalvereniging.nl/en/ukraine(Verwijst naar een externe website) (Ukrainian).
More information about work and income for refugees from Ukraine can be found on this page of the central government website(Verwijst naar een externe website).
You can apply for an international credential evaluation at IDW. The evaluation indicates the value of your foreign (Ukrainian) diploma and education in the Netherlands. An evaluation costs € 148,83. You can also contact IDW for questions about the evaluation of international diplomas and education.
More information: www.idw.nl/en/(Verwijst naar een externe website) (English)
Education and childcare
Yes, children who have fled Ukraine have a right to education.
Primary education (4-12 years)
Children from 4 to 12 years old can start with language education at primary school De Regenboog in Heerhugowaard. This is a school for newcomers. You can register at De Regenboog:
Email: deregenboog@stichtingflore.nl(Verwijst naar een e-mailadres)
Phone: +31 72 721 08 07(Verwijst naar een telefoonnummer)
Address: Taxuslaan 32, 1702 SC Heerhugowaard
View the website(Verwijst naar een externe website)
Secondary education (12+ years)
Children from 12 years and older can take international language classes. Registration goes through Brigitte Rimann (coordinator language classes) of the Trinitas College:
Brigitte Rimann
Email: b.rimann@trinitascollege.nl(Verwijst naar een e-mailadres)
Phone: +31 72 574 10 21(Verwijst naar een telefoonnummer)
If you have problems with transport to school, please send an email to: leerlingenvervoer@dijkenwaard.nl(Verwijst naar een e-mailadres).
More information about education for refugees from Ukraine can be found on this page of the central government website(Verwijst naar een externe website).
You can participate in Dutch language lessons for free:
- Taalles every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 7.00 pm to 9.30 pm in Transferium.
- Taalcafé every Friday from 10 to 11.30 a.m. in the library in Heerhugowaard: Parelhof 1A in Heerhugowaard, view the website.
- Taalcafé every Wednesday and Friday from 10.00 to 11.30 a.m. in the library in Zuid-Scharwoude: Bosgroet 4 in Zuid-Scharwoude, view the website.
In addition to learning Dutch, the library also offers a free subscription to borrow books, use the computer (1 hour per day) and print credit.
You can also follow a Dutch language course (18+) via the ROC Kop van Noord-Holland. The registration form and information can be found on the ROC website. The municipality will reimburse the course if you are registered with the municipality. Since there is currently a lot of interest in the language course, you will most likely have to wait a few months before you can start.
Children of Ukrainian refugees can go to childcare in Dijk en Waard. More information can be found on the website of Rijksoverheid(Verwijst naar een externe website).
Healthcare
For urgent medical attention: call the emergency number 112(Verwijst naar een telefoonnummer).
At Transferium (reception location)
Residents of Transferium can contact general practitioner Max Caffa in Heerhugowaard (practice Nuevo Care). There are no longer consultation hours in the Transferium. For dental care there is a list of dentists in Transferium.
Outside Transferium
If you do not stay at Transferium, you can contact a local general practitioner in Dijk en Waard.
Medical expenses
If you are registered with a municipality, you can partake in the Medical Care Scheme for Displaced Persons (RMO) from 1 July 2022. This arrangement ensures that your healthcare costs are declared automatically. This applies from 1 July to all working and non-working refugees from Ukraine who are registered with a municipality. This means that you no longer have to take out health insurance yourself. If you are registered with the municipality, you can automatically partake in this scheme. You do not pay a healthcare premium and you do not receive a healthcare allowance. You can find more information about RMO on Rijksoverheid.nl(Verwijst naar een externe website) (in Dutch). If you have already applied for health insurance, the insurer will contact you.
If you have fled Ukraine, the costs for care from the basic package will be reimbursed, such as general practitioner care, contraception and dental care for acute pain complaints and for children up to the age of 18.
More information
- More information about healthcare in the Netherlands can be found on the website Zorgverzekeringslijn(Verwijst naar een externe website) (also in English and Ukrainian).
- Care providers can make use of the national scheme: Medical Care Scheme for Displaced Persons (RMO). More information about RMO can be found on Rijksoverheid.nl(Verwijst naar een externe website) (in Dutch).
- More information about care and support for refugees from Ukraine can be found on Rijksoverheid.nl(Verwijst naar een externe website) (in Dutch)
If you are registered with a municipality, you can partake in the Medical Care Scheme for Displaced Persons (RMO) from 1 July 2022. This arrangement ensures that your healthcare costs are declared automatically. This applies from 1 July to all working and non-working refugees from Ukraine who are registered with a municipality. This means that you no longer have to take out health insurance yourself. If you are registered with the municipality, you can automatically partake in this scheme. You do not pay a healthcare premium and you do not receive a healthcare allowance. You can find more information about RMO on the website Rijksoverheid(Verwijst naar een externe website)(in Dutch). If you have already applied for health insurance, the insurer will contact you.
Public transport
Once you have a safe reception place in the Netherlands, you can no longer travel for free inside the country. You then must buy a ticket for public transport. You can plan a trip at www.9292.nl/en(Verwijst naar een externe website).
More information
All (host families with) Ukrainian refugees in Dijk and Waard can visit the following consultation hours in Transferium, De Vork 16 in Heerhugowaard.
Weekly socio-legal consultation
- RefugeeHelp (Vluchtelingenwerk) holds consultations in Transferium every Thursday from 9 am to 12 pm for socio-legal questions about, for example, residential status, work, living allowance, health and insurance.
- If you have questions about the consultation, please call +316-51 14 92 75(Verwijst naar een telefoonnummer). You can also send a WhatsApp message(Verwijst naar een externe website) or an email to oekraine-dijkenwaard@vluchtelingenwerk.nl(Verwijst naar een e-mailadres).
General consultation (with interpreter)
- Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday in the morning from 11.00 am to 12.00 pm and every Tuesday and Thursday in the evening from 6.00 pm to 7.00 pm in Transferium, there is a consultation hour to ask questions about matters that you want or need to arrange. Transferium's residential counsellors and an interpreter are present during this consultation.
Arrived from Ukraine and in need of help? Contact the WhatsApp helpline of the Red Cross for guidance:
+31 6 48 15 80 53(Verwijst naar een Whatsapp telefoonnummer).
- More information in English(Verwijst naar een externe website) or Ukrainian(Verwijst naar een externe website).
The Ukrainians in the Netherlands Foundation is a non-profit platform established in 2014 that supports the needs of Ukrainians living in the Netherlands and provides humanitarian aid to Ukraine, especially in the occupied territories. More information can be found on the website of the foundation(Verwijst naar een externe website).
Refugees are vulnerable to becoming victims of human trafficking and exploitation. Many people offer help, but unfortunately not everyone can be trusted. Comensha in collaboration with the Red Cross, RefugeeHelp, La Strada International and FairWork made a special flyer for Ukrainian refugees to warn them against exploitation and human trafficking:
English (png, 482 KB)
Ukrainian (png, 488 KB)
Dutch (png, 488 KB)
Pryv.it(Verwijst naar een externe website) is a web application that you can run in your browser. This allows you to speak Ukrainian to your phone and the recipient will hear it translated back into Dutch, and vice versa. Additional advantages: it’s free, nothing needs to be downloaded and privacy is guaranteed because of the anonymity.
Information about pets that came with their owner from Ukraine or Russia and information for people with whom the pet is staying, you will find on the website of the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA)(Verwijst naar een externe website).
Contact
We would like to refer you to the above information, organisations and websites for more information. If you cannot find the answer to your question(s) or if you want to offer help, please send an email to: oekraine@dijkenwaard.nl(Verwijst naar een e-mailadres).