Amsterdam Information

The practical basics for a trip to Amsterdam: entry rules, money, phones, plugs, emergency numbers and the small local habits that trip people up. Some of this has changed a lot since this page was first written. Pay phones are gone, cash is fading, and the EU now registers non-EU visitors at the border.

Entry rules and visas

The Netherlands is in the Schengen area. Citizens of the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Mexico and many other countries can visit without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, counted across all Schengen countries together. The EU keeps the official list of who needs a visa, and the Dutch government explains how to apply on Netherlands Worldwide.

The list this page used to carry was badly out of date. Several countries on it, like Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic and Poland, have since joined the EU, and Bolivian citizens do need a Schengen visa. Check the current list rather than relying on memory.

Two newer things to know:

• EES: Since April 2026 the EU's Entry/Exit System has replaced passport stamps for non-EU visitors. The first time you cross, you'll give fingerprints and a photo at the border, which can slow the passport line.
• ETIAS: The planned online travel authorization for visa-free visitors was still not required as of September 2026. Check before you travel, because it will be once it launches.

Our Amsterdam visa page has more detail.

Money, cards and ATMs

The Netherlands uses the euro. The notes are the same across the eurozone, while each country puts its own design on one side of the coins, and all of them are good everywhere.

This page used to tell you to carry cash because bars and coffeeshops wouldn't take cards. That's flipped. Card and phone payments are now the norm in shops, bars, restaurants and on public transport, and plenty of places are card-only. Look for signs saying pinnen only or geen contant geld (no cash). It's still smart to carry a little cash for market stalls and the odd small place that prefers it.

A few tips:

• Contactless Visa and Mastercard cards work almost everywhere. American Express is less widely accepted.
• Tell your bank you're traveling, so it doesn't block your card for unusual activity.
• ATMs are called geldautomaten. The big Dutch banks share one network, Geldmaat, and there are fewer machines than you might expect, so don't wait until you're down to your last euro. The keypads have no letters, so know your PIN in numbers.
• If a card machine or ATM offers to charge you in your home currency, say no and pay in euros. The conversion rate it offers is almost always worse.

Written numbers swap commas and points compared with US and UK usage, so five euros thirty is €5,30 and two thousand four hundred euros is €2.400.

Tipping and taxes

Service is included in Dutch prices, and staff are paid a proper wage, so tipping is modest. Rounding up or adding 5-10% in a restaurant for good service is plenty. Our tipping in Amsterdam page goes into more detail.

Hotel bills carry two extras worth knowing about: Amsterdam's tourist tax of 12.5% of the overnight price, and Dutch VAT on hotel stays, which rose from 9% to 21% on 1 January 2026. Check whether a quoted room price includes them.

Phones and mobile data

The public pay phones this page used to describe are gone. KPN, the Dutch phone company, announced in 2011 that it would stop running them, and you won't find phone cards at newsagents anymore.

• EU phones: EU roaming rules mean you use your home allowance at no extra charge.
• Non-EU phones: check your carrier's international plan, or buy a travel eSIM or a Dutch prepaid SIM. Phone shops in the center sell prepaid SIMs.
• Wi-Fi is free in nearly every hotel, hostel and cafe.

The country code is 31, and Amsterdam numbers start with 020. From abroad, drop the leading 0: dial +31 20 and then the number. From the US that's 011 31 20. Within the Netherlands, dial the number as written. To call the US from the Netherlands, dial 00 1 and then the area code and number.

Emergency and useful numbers

• 112: police, fire and ambulance in an emergency. Free from any phone.
• 0900-8844: the police non-emergency line, for reporting a theft or something that isn't urgent. This number used to be listed here as a medical line. It isn't one.
• 088 00 30 600: the Amsterdam GP out-of-hours service, for urgent medical problems that can't wait but aren't 112 emergencies. It runs weeknights from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. and around the clock on weekends and public holidays.

For minor problems during the day, a pharmacy (apotheek) is a good first stop. Bring your travel insurance details, since visitors may have to pay upfront and claim it back.

Plugs and electricity

The Netherlands runs on 230 volts at 50 Hz, with the standard European round two-pin plugs (types C and F). Phone, laptop and camera chargers almost all handle 100-240V, so you only need a cheap plug adapter. Check the label on anything else, especially hair dryers and straighteners from North America, which may need a voltage converter too. Adapters are easy to find in Amsterdam if you forget one.

Time zone and dates

The Netherlands is on Central European Time, one hour ahead of GMT, and two hours ahead in summer. Clocks go forward on the last Sunday in March and back on the last Sunday in October.

Dates are written day first, so 03/05/27 is 3 May 2027, not 5 March. The Netherlands uses the metric system and Celsius. See our Amsterdam weather page for what to expect by season.

Language

Dutch is the language, and written Dutch looks a bit like German. The good news is that nearly everyone you'll meet in Amsterdam speaks excellent English. In much of Europe it's polite to ask whether someone speaks English before you launch in. In Amsterdam, asking can come across as slightly insulting, since most Dutch people are proud of how well they speak it. Learning a few words still goes down well, and our top 10 Dutch phrases are a good start.

The Netherlands vs. Holland

Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands, although the government and parliament sit in The Hague. The country's official name is the Netherlands. Holland technically means only the two provinces of North Holland and South Holland, out of 12, where most of the big cities are. The Dutch government itself has moved to using "the Netherlands" in its international promotion, but plenty of Dutch people still say Holland, and nobody will misunderstand you if you do.

The XXX on everything

You'll see three white X's on a black stripe all over town, on bollards, buildings and souvenirs. They're the three St. Andrew's crosses from the city's coat of arms, which probably come from the arms of the Persijn family, lords of Amstelledamme in the late 13th century. The black stripe is usually read as the River Amstel. The city motto, Heldhaftig, Vastberaden, Barmhartig (valiant, steadfast, compassionate), was added by Queen Wilhelmina in 1947 to honor the city's resistance during World War II (source).

Yes, the XXX also gets played for laughs given the city's sex industry. We cover both meanings in Amsterdam XXX, and the Netherlands flag page explains why the national flag has no orange in it.

Getting around

Trams, buses, metro and ferries in Amsterdam are run by GVB, and trains by NS. You tap in and out with a contactless bank card, your phone or an OV-chipkaart, and you must tap out too or you'll be charged extra. The free ferries across the IJ behind Centraal Station don't need a ticket. See Amsterdam public transportation explained for passes and fares.

Planning a bigger trip

If Amsterdam is one stop on a longer journey, AirTreks, BootsnAll's sister company, has put together multi-stop and round-the-world tickets since 1987. One of its sample routes pairs Amsterdam with Dublin: