Almost everyone here speaks excellent English, so you can absolutely function on day one. But even basic Dutch, greetings, the supermarket, small talk with neighbours, noticeably warms people up and makes you feel less like a visitor and more like a resident.
Do you have to integrate (inburgering)?
Good news for most of our community: highly skilled migrants, EU Blue Card holders, researchers and students are exempt from the compulsory civic-integration (inburgering) obligation during their temporary stay, and their accompanying family usually is too. You can learn Dutch because you want to, not because you're forced to.
It matters later, though
If you go for permanent residence or citizenship, you'll need to pass a language and civic exam. As of 2026 the citizenship language level is still A2, a move to B1 has been discussed but is not yet law. Learning steadily from year one makes that milestone painless.
How to actually learn
- Free/low-cost: Duolingo to start, plus your gemeente's or library's taalcafé (language café) for real conversation.
- Structured: language schools (e.g. via a university's ITV/Talencentrum) or apps like Babbel for grammar.
- Immersion hacks: switch your phone to Dutch, watch Dutch kids' TV, and read the free NS/supermarket flyers, they're weirdly effective vocabulary.
Questions & answers
- Honestly, do I need Dutch to get a job here?
- For international, tech and expat-heavy roles, no, English is genuinely enough, and it's how we started. For local, government, healthcare, teaching or customer-facing jobs, Dutch matters a lot. Even where it isn't required, a bit of Dutch is a real plus in interviews and daily life, and you'll need A2 eventually for permanent residence or citizenship, so starting early pays off.