Fit for the Netherlands: Living & Working
Set up your life and work in the Netherlands in the right order — from BRP (gemeente) to Zorgverzekering — with official sources and a date on every step.
Your Readiness Proof
A personal set-up plan for your first months in the Netherlands: registration, ID and tax numbers, health insurance, bank account and job-search basics, with your own document list and appointments.
What this course is — and is not
This course is educational and specific to the Netherlands. It does not give individual residence, immigration, tax or legal advice; for these, contact the competent authority or a qualified adviser. Every lesson shows its official sources and the date it was last reviewed.
Who this is for
- People who have just arrived in the Netherlands
- People preparing a move to the Netherlands
- Employers onboarding international staff in the Netherlands
Better to start elsewhere
- Individual residence or immigration questions — these need the competent authority or a qualified adviser; we link to both
What you will be able to do
- Complete the first administrative steps in the Netherlands in the right order
- Understand health insurance, tax and social security basics
- Open a bank account and read everyday contracts with confidence
- Start a job search with UWV and private job portals
- Handle everyday situations in Dutch
Modules and lessons
1The first 30 days
3 lessons
- BRP (gemeente)
- BSN
- Bank account and phone
2Health and social security
3 lessons
- Zorgverzekering
- DigiD
- Reading a payslip
3Housing and everyday admin
3 lessons
- Rental contracts and deposits
- Utilities and internet
- Letters from authorities
4Work in the Netherlands
3 lessons
- UWV and job portals
- Local CV conventions
- Workplace culture
5Language and community
3 lessons
- Dutch for everyday life
- Where to find free help
- Your 90-day plan
Course author and support
Prepared with advisers who support newcomers in the Netherlands.
Self-paced, with automated checks and a final assessment. A coordinator answers questions by message within three business days.
Your result tracker
Every week your tracker shows what is done, what is next and what your mentor said. Your coordinator checks in if a checkpoint slips.
- Week 1 · CheckpointThe first 30 days
- Week 2 · CheckpointHealth and social security
- Week 2 · CheckpointHousing and everyday admin
- Week 3 · CheckpointWork in the Netherlands
- Week 4 · CheckpointLanguage and community
- Week 4Readiness Proof submitted and reviewed
- After the course+30 days: post-course follow-up
After the course
6 months of access to all materials and updates after you finish, a 30-day check-in from your coordinator and access to the alumni community.
Format and time
Video lessons, readings, exercises, quizzes and a final assessment, at your own pace. 2–3 hours a week.
Requirements
A laptop or desktop computer, a stable internet connection and about 2–3 hours a week.
Certificate
Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment.
This is a MAKE ME FIT certificate with a public verification link. It is not a state qualification or a professional licence.
Netherlands edition. Last reviewed: September 2026 by the MAKE ME FIT editorial team. Sources are linked in each lesson.