WILLEMSTAD – A new online tool has been launched to help students from the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands transition more smoothly to life and study in the European Netherlands. 

Each year, over 1,600 Caribbean students travel to the Netherlands to pursue higher education. The newly launched digital platform, available at rijksoverheid.nl/caribischestudenten, provides students and their parents with practical information on rights, responsibilities, and important arrangements such as DigiD applications, student financing, and health insurance. 

The tool also includes English-language support and is part of a broader government effort to improve preparation and guidance for Caribbean students. This initiative follows recommendations made by the Dutch National Ombudsman, who has repeatedly highlighted the challenges Caribbean students face when relocating to the Netherlands. 

Additional measures to support this group include the automatic allocation of a BSN (citizen service number) and the development of preparatory educational programs in Aruba, Sint Maarten, and Sint Eustatius. 

The creation of the tool was a collaborative effort between several Dutch ministries and organizations, including the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW), the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK), DUO (the Education Executive Agency), the Social Insurance Bank (SVB), and the Strategic Education Alliance. 

The government expects this digital resource to assist hundreds of students each year in achieving a successful academic start in the Netherlands.