Essential Apps for Americans New to the Netherlands
- Darien Wilson
- May 14
- 4 min read
Updated: May 15
If you're an immigrant who just moved to the Netherlands, apps can make your new life abroad much smoother. Here are a few apps that have been essential to my life as an American living in the Netherlands, along with cultural translations for Americans so you'll understand why you'll need them.
112NL (Emergency services) The Dutch equivalent of 911 is 112. This app not only calls emergency services but also shares your exact location (something you might struggle to think of in an emergency), provides step-by-step instructions, and can translate if needed (though most operators speak English).
9292 public transit planner. Essential for navigating public transport across the Netherlands. While the NS app is great for trains, 9292 helps plan trips combining trains, buses, trams, and metros.
AT5 for Dutch news in English.
Berichtenbox is your digital mailbox for mail from the Dutch government. It will update faster than paper post.
Buienradar weather app. The weather in the coastal Netherlands can change in moments. Buienradar helps you know whether or not to pack a raincoat for the next few hours, with seemingly better accuracy than other weather apps. (You don't want to end up like me, and sit in wet jeans for hours.)
EasyPark. With EasyPark, I am able to pay for parking with my phone for almost every paid parking spot in the country. I start the app when I pull into the parking spot, and it stays on my screen to remind me to stop the timer when I pull away. So much easier than walking around trying to find a pay station.
GAD waste collection calendar. This app is local to me, but many municipalities have an app to help you keep track of the complicated schedule for recycling and trash pick-up.
Google translate is an app you will use all day, every day at first, unless you happen to already speak Dutch. Tip: download Dutch so it works even when you're offline.
Grocery store apps. The apps from Albert Heijn, Jumbo, and Lidl have discounts, let you scan your items, add things to your list by scanning them, order online, and more.
HogeNood helps you find public restrooms in the Netherlands.
Ikea is wildly popular in the Netherlands, and their handy app helps you plan your trip and even scan your items in the store.
Klarna (formerly StoCard) is a handy way to store all those customer loyalty cards in one place.
Marktplaats Similar to Craigslist, Marktplaats is a website and app to buy and sell secondhand items.
MyDHL will let you track packages and alert you about deliveries sent via DHL, which many mail order companies in the Netherlands use.
NS is the main train company in the Netherlands. With the NS app, you can plan your trip, purchase tickets, receive notifications about your trip, and more.
PostNL is the Dutch postal service, and this official postal app is handy for purchasing postage and tracking your mail. You can also use it to specify how you'd like your packages delivered - at the door, with a neighbor, etc.
Q-Park helps you find and pay for Q-park parking lots.
Schiphol. The Schiphol app is a fantastic app to keep track of flights at Amsterdam Schiphol airport. It will advise you on how busy the airport is, alert you of flight changes, and tell you your gate. Invaluable whether you are traveling or you're picking someone up at the airport.
Tikkie for peer-to-peer payments. Like Venmo, but funds are transferred directly from bank to bank. You’ll know you’re integrated when someone sends you a Tikkie for less than one euro.
Too Good To Go Fight food waste by buying suplus food from local businesses at a discount. This can be a fun way to try new foods without too much of a commitment.
Vinted is a popular marketplace to buy and sell secondhand clothing.
Have I overlooked your favorite app? Let me know in the comments, and I'll update my post!
Notes: this post is not sponsored by any of these companies; these are apps I've personally used, or they were recommended by other Americans in the Netherlands.
As an iPhone user, I've shared generic links when I could find them, or links to the Apple store if a generic link was unavailable. If these links don't work for you, you should have no problem finding these apps for other operating systems.
Good to Know
When you move abroad, you will likely need to switch the app store on your phone to your new country. I can only speak to this as an Apple user, but for me, switching stores meant that my old subscriptions were no longer valid. Bummer.
Planning a Move to the Netherlands?
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