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Traveling on an international train

You can travel on international trains in the Netherlands with a valid ticket, with the exception of Thalys and Eurostar trains. A supplement may be required for some trains.


Which trains require a supplement?

Intercity Berlin

Travellers need only a valid ticket to travel on the route Amsterdam Centraal – Hengelo. No supplement is necessary.

Intercity Brussels

  • Travellers on the route Schiphol Airport - Rotterdam Centraal must have a valid ticket and an Intercity direct supplement.
  • You can download the Intercity direct supplement to your OV-chipkaart at the Supplement pole at the departure platform.
  • Travellers with an international ticket need not purchase a supplement.

ICE International

  • If you have an OV-chipkaart with a valid NS season ticket, (such as a Student Travel Product, Dal Vrij, Altijd Voordeel etc.), then no supplement is necessary inside the Netherlands.
  • If you have an OV-chipkaart without a valid NS season ticket, then you must purchase an ICE supplement for the route Amsterdam Centraal - Arnhem Centraal een Toeslag ICE.
  • You can purchase and download the ICE supplement at an NS Ticket Machine.

International travel with an OV-chipkaart

You can book a single ticket for your entire journey from the departure station in the Netherlands to your destination abroad.

If you are entitled to free travel or a 40% discount on the domestic leg of the route, please communicate that fact when booking the ticket. You will then receive either 40% or 100% discount on your international ticket.

Remember to bring along your NS season ticket in addition to your ticket, as you must be able to show both when asked by the conductor.

An NS season ticket is not valid for the Thalys or Eurostar trains.

Opening gates with an international ticket for the entire journey

Most international tickets feature a QR code you can use to open the gates with a barcode reader.

Please note! Not all gates are equipped with a barcode reader. Some only have an OV-chipkaart reader.

  • Stations with access gates have at least one wider gate equipped with an integrated barcode- and OV-chipkaart reader.
  • At stations served by international trains, all gates are equipped with an integrated barcode- and OV-chipkaart reader.

This gate is indicated by a 'scan ticket' icon on the right door of the gate, and the illuminated surface to the right of the gate.

If you are travelling with an international ticket on a single-use chipkaart, you can open the gate by checking in with the chipkaart. This will automatically validate the ticket.

If the gate does not open, go to the Information Pole near the gates and press the blue button. This will contact an NS assistant who can help you. You can also approach a service assistant if one is on duty at the station.

Checking in and out

If you have booked an international journey from the departure station for an international train, and you plan on travelling with a domestic train to reach that station, then you must check in and out with your OV-chipkaart for the domestic leg of the journey. You can then continue from the international train's departure station with your international train ticket. We recommend that you book a single ticket for the entire journey. This way, you do not need to check in and out along the way.