Relevant links for expatriates

The following websites offer an English version. Some of them also provide useful information in French or German:

Maastricht

• Maastricht Region: Welcome to the Maastricht Region, “to work, to live, to love”. Maastricht Region Branding Foundation
• my Mtricht.com: International Maastricht Region Network
• Maastricht Municipality
• Maastricht Convention Bureau: foundation formed by several organisations in Maastricht and surroundings providing services as planner of meetings, incentives, conventions and events
• Green guide Maastricht: environmental information for the people of Maastricht compiled by the University Environment Platform Maastricht
• Jules & You: company in Maastricht dedicated to establishing an all-encompassing, easily accessible network of customized services catering the needs of students from the moment they decide to study in Maastricht, to the point they are ready to leave the University as young professionals.

Culture

• Maastricht Net: comprehensive agenda of cultural events in Maastricht, including a section in English. Maastricht Net also offers a weekly newsletter in English: Highlights of the week (via email subscription)
• Pecha Kucha Night Maastricht is an open night for architects, interior designers, graphical designers, game designers, artists, fashion designers, inventors, creative students or anyone else with ideas the world needs to know about. Presentations are – preferably – in English.
• Maastricht Debates: Debating in a creative setting on issues of international and European cooperation, development and globalisation
• TEFAF: Maastricht’s internationally renowned art and antiques fair
• Studium Generale: programme of lectures and cultural activities organised by the University of Maastricht. Some activities are also organised for English speakers.
• Film theatre Lumiere
• The history of Maastricht: a personal site featuring many photographs and illustrations of the history of Maastricht
• Traiectum ad Mosam: history of Roman Maastricht
• Zicht op Maastricht: the digital biography of Maastricht, a fascinating site with audio/video material about the history of Maastricht. Highly recommended! (available in Dutch, English, French and German)
• Circulo Cervantes: association for people sharing a common interest for the Spanish language and culture, and the history of Spain and Latin America
• Alliance Française Maastricht: French cultural centre offering French language courses
• Dante Alighieri Maastricht: Italian cultural centre offering Italian language courses

Tourism

• Maastricht Tourist Office
• South Limburg Tourist Office
• Cultour Euregio: free bi-annual cultural magazine in Dutch, French and German offering a comprehensive programme of activities in the Euregio Meuse-Rhine (also available in pdf.format)
• Maastricht 360 degrees: panoramic views of Maastricht
• Welcome to Holland: Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions
• Tourism in Belgian Limburg
• South Limburg tourist guide in English: tourist guide in PDF format

Work

• Expat Guide Holland: information for working and living in the South East of the Netherlands
• Maastricht’s Chamber of Commerce
• Centre for Work and Income
• www.eures-emr.org: information in Dutch, French and German about cross-border work
• Cross-Border Workers: information portal for cross border commuters
• Banenrijklimburg: job vacancies for higher educated staff in Limburg
• Undutchables: Undutchables Recruitment Agency is located in Amsterdam, Amstelveen, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht and Eindhoven and specializes in helping match well-educated, highly experienced international personnel to all levels of office job vacancies within international companies. The Eindhoven office serves the Maastricht area.

Limburg

• Province of Limburg
• Limburg Development Company Liof

Meuse-Rhine Euroregion

• Meuse-Rhine Journal: a biweekly e-mail newsletter covering business and leisure in the Meuse-Rhine euroregion
• Mahl Magazine: an English language cityguide featuring cultural and recreational activities in the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion
• Interreg in the Meuse-Rhine euroregion: European Commission initiative promoting cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation
• Euregio Meuse-Rhine
• Heartbeat of Life Sciences in Europe: cross-border organisation formed by universities and regional development agencies in the Meuse Rhine Triangle for the promotion of Life Sciences in the region

Expatriates

• International Women’s Club South Limburg: a non-profit organisation with more than 200 members in the Maastricht area
• Maastricht International Playgroup: an English-speaking, non-profit group of expatriate and Dutch parents, carers, and parents to be
• Knowledge Centre for International Staff: Maastricht University’s welcome desk for international employees
• International community South Limburg: virtual group on social networking website Facebook, aiming at bringing together and informing the professional international community in Maastricht and surroundings
• Lions Maastricht Mondial: club for expatriate executives and professionals
• Expatica Netherlands: daily news and extensive information for expatriates in the Netherlands
• Expat Focus: global relocation advice for expatriates covering visas, residency, overseas employment, buying property abroad, international schools, offshore finance and more
• Access Netherlands: a non-profit organisation providing information and services to newcomers in the Netherlands
• Newcomers’ club: Newcomers and Mothers clubs in the Netherlands
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs: extensive information about the Netherlands
• Virtual library for foreign nationals: information site in Dutch, English, French, Turkish, Russian and Spanish about Dutch society
• Virtual information desks for immigrants and foreign nationals in The Hague and Amsterdam: excellent government web portal, with information (texts and short video clips) about all aspects of life in the Netherlands. Available in Dutch, English, Turkish and Arabic. All texts are also in spoken form.
• Settlink: practical website built for internationals who are relocating to the SouthEast of the Netherlands (funded by BrainPort Eindhoven)
• Brainport Eindhoven: information for expats living in Eindhoven
• Eindhoven expats: keeping expats connected in Eindhoven
• Expats in Nijmegen: information for expats living in Nijmegen
• Expat Centre Amsterdam: information for expats living in Amsterdam
• The Outpost Network: information for expats living in The Hague, Amsterdam and Assen
• Expats in Tilburg: information for expats working at Tilburg University
• Expat Interviews: interviews with expatriates all over the world, including in the Netherlands
• MovetotheNetherlands: Travel & Relocation Guide for expats
• How to survive Holland: humourous website offering “practical lessons in speaking Dutch, doing Dutch and eating Dutch in order to become Dutch”.
• Family Matters magazine: bi-monthly for English speaking parents and families living in the Netherlands. First three issues free of charge.
• I am Expat: an expat site covering the local needs of expatriates living in the Netherlands. Free and quick access to career opportunities, accommodation tips, education hints, nightlife suggestions and more.
• InterNations: international social networking service for expats and global minds worldwide. In the Netherlands InterNations has two communities in Amsterdam and The Hague.

News in English

• Dutch News: Dutch news in English
• Netherlands Information Service: English news from ANP, the official Dutch press agency (subscription)
• Dutch government news
• Dutch news from Expatica Netherlands
• Dutch World Service news: Radio Netherlands International
• NRC International: English-language section of the NRC.nl, the website of Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad, aiming to serve an international audience with news, analysis and comment from NRC Handelsblad.

Expat TV

• TV West International: weekly television program by RTV West including culture, sports, interviews, lifestyle, entertainment and practical advice about city life in The Netherlands and aimed at internationally oriented people and their families.
• Expats in Holland: English spoken videos and practical information for expatriates who are living or are planning to live in the Netherlands
• XM News: English daily news show, in partnership with ANP news agency. Free 2 week trial.
• Stuvi TV Maastricht: weekly news, interviews, reviews of cultural events and lectures, with a special focus on student life in Maastricht

The Netherlands

• History of the Netherlands: a summarised history of the Netherlands, published by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Dutch Statistics Office
• Immigration and Naturalisation Service: information for foreign nationals in the Netherlands
• Memory of the Netherlands: extensive digital collection of illustrations, photographs, texts, film and audio fragments from a large variety of Dutch cultural institutions.
• Language in the Netherlands: interesting site about the various regional languages in the Netherlands, including a page about Limburgish
• NUFFIC: Netherlands organisation for international cooperation in higher education
• Study in Holland: website for international students in the Netherlands
• Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU)
• Association of Universities of Professional Education (HBO-raad)

Other interesting sites, in Dutch only

• Maastricht Moet Je Horen: audio interviews of local residents about a variety of subjects (mostly in Dutch, but some of the interviews are also in English)
• Maastricht Coolbegin: internet portal
• Maastricht Uitburo: cultural agenda
• The Agenda
• Limburgs Uitburo
• Liever Limburgs: video clips (in Dutch) presenting touristic attractions in Dutch and Belgian Limburg

Note from the editor: Link suggestions are welcome. Please contact the editor to add an entry.