Travelling and paying with your payment card or OV-pas

What do we use your data for?

When you check in and check out with your payment card or OV-pas, the carrier you are travelling with and Translink process data to check whether you may travel, to record your ticket, to compose your journey, to calculate the fare for your journey and to handle payment. You cannot travel with a payment card or OV-pas without these data and must use another ticket.

When you check in and check out we process technical card data, and the date, time and location of the check-in or check-out. The technical card data are pseudonymised immediately after check-in. This means your card receives a unique technical number so carriers and Translink can process the journey without the data being directly traceable to your card or to you. Linking can sometimes be possible, for example if you contact Customer Service, use an account or attach a personal product.

Who is responsible?

The carriers and Translink are jointly responsible for processing the personal data needed to travel with your payment card or OV-pas. They have agreed among themselves who is responsible for which tasks. Other parties are involved for specific parts, such as your bank and Fiserv for payments with a payment card, a Betaaldienstverlener for account-based travel with the OV-pas, a product seller when you use an OV product such as a kortingsabonnement or surcharge, and service providers for production, delivery or technical support.

Travelling with a payment card

When you travel with a payment card, Translink checks whether the card is suitable for public transport and not blocked. Translink calculates the fare for your journey after you check out. Payment is handled via Fiserv and your bank. Journeys on the same travel day are usually bundled and sent to your bank later unless an interim threshold amount is reached. Your bank statement shows a unique payment reference starting with “NLOV”. That reference, together with the debited amount, may be needed for service enquiries. Do not share these details unnecessarily because they could reveal your journeys to others.

Travelling with the OV-pas

Translink issues the OV-pas. You can use it on stored value or, if you have a separate agreement, on account via a Betaaldienstverlener. When you buy via OVpay or ovpay.nl, Translink may process your name and delivery address to send the card; these delivery details are kept temporarily. If you buy an OV-pas from a physical retailer, Translink does not know who bought it. Translink will still process the journeys and balance of that card but cannot identify the user without additional information.

For stored-value travel Translink maintains the balance and balance changes. The fare for your journey is debited from the balance after check-out. You can load, request a refund of, or set up automatic top-up for your balance. For account-based travel the Betaaldienstverlener bills you afterwards and informs you directly about how your personal data are processed.

Accounts, service and travel history

You can create an account and link one or more cards via the OVpay app, ovpay.nl or a carrier’s app/website. This lets you view your travel history, payments, balance, payment status, outstanding amounts or blocks. In the OVpay environment you can view journeys made with your cards across public transport for up to 18 months. An account with a carrier only shows journeys with that carrier.

Service enquiries about a payment card usually require the payment reference and the associated amount. For enquiries about the OV-pas the card number and verification code are needed. Customer Service staff only access the data necessary to answer your question. For enquiries about journeys with multiple carriers, carriers and Translink may exchange limited data so you can be helped through a single point of contact.

Checks, blocks and automated decisions

At every check-in there is an automatic check to see whether your card may be used. A card or the travel function may be blocked if the card is registered as stolen or lost, if a payment fails, if there is insufficient balance, if there is an outstanding debt or if conditions for a persoonsgebonden product or kortingsprofiel are not met.

A temporary block is usually lifted automatically after payment of an outstanding amount or after topping up the balance. Some blocks, such as for a stolen OV-pas or a payment card blocked by the bank, cannot be lifted by carriers or Translink.

During an inspection in public transport you hold your payment card or OV-pas to the BOA’s or staff member’s control device to verify that you have a valid ticket. If necessary and you give permission, the staff member can temporarily view the last ten OV transactions made with the same card, up to a maximum of 62 days back. These details are shown on the control device only briefly and then disappear automatically.

Personal products and discounts

If you use a persoonsgebonden product or kortingsprofiel, such as an age discount or an abonnement, additional data may be required. Examples are your name, date of birth and sometimes a passport-style photo. These details are used to check whether you are entitled to the product or discount and to apply it during travel and inspections. If you do not want to provide these details, you cannot use that product or profile.

Retention periods and security

We do not keep data longer than necessary for the purpose for which they are processed. Travel transaction data are in many cases retained for up to 18 months. Data needed only for immediate control or service are kept for shorter periods, for example up to 24 hours or only for as long as the service is provided. Longer statutory retention periods may apply for financial administration. Translink and the carriers take technical and organisational measures to protect your data. Technical payment card data are also subject to security standards for payment card information.

Who are the data shared with?

Data are shared only as far as necessary for travel, payment, service, control, security and legal obligations. For payment with a payment card Translink shares technical data and the payment reference with Fiserv and your bank. For the OV-pas data may be shared with parties needed for production, delivery or support. Carriers and Translink may also be required to provide data to competent authorities, for example under laws and regulations.

What can you do yourself?

Hold your card close to the card reader and do not present your whole wallet so that another card is not read by accident. Keep the card number and verification code of your OV-pas safe; without these details you may not be able to block the card if it is lost or stolen. Share your payment reference, bank details, card number or verification code only when necessary for service. If you have questions about the processing of your personal data or want to exercise your privacy rights, contact the carrier, Translink or OVpay.

All information about travelling and paying with the payment card or OV-pas

The nine Dutch public transport operators (“Vervoerders”) and Translink jointly offer two new ways to travel on public transport. These allow you to obtain a Vervoerbewijs by checking in and out with your payment card or your OV-pas. This privacy statement uses the term Pas when referring to both the payment card and the OV-pas. For the payment card we work with a number of payment service providers. Those providers link a public transport travel function in the Netherlands to your payment card. You pay for your journeys from the bank account linked to your payment card.

^{¹ Arriva, Connexxion, EBS, GVB, HTM, Keolis, NS, Qbuzz and RET. See ovpay.nl for the most up-to-date list.
² Maestro, Mastercard, VPAY and VISA. See ovpay.nl for the most up-to-date list.}

With the OV-pas you pay for journeys from the balance on the OV-pas or you pay afterwards if you travel on account. The OV-pas is issued by Translink, who also manage the balance. If you have questions about the OV-pas, for example about how it works, how to obtain one or your balance, please contact Translink. For queries about journeys made, contact the Vervoerder you travelled with or Translink.

Conditions

When you travel by checking in and out with your Pas, you and NS enter into a transport agreement to which the AVR-NS apply and, in some cases, the General terms NS International. When using a payment card the ‘OVpay Terms for checking in/out with your payment card and credit card’ apply, and when using the OV-pas the ‘General Terms OV-pas’ apply. Product terms also apply when you use a product or discount profile. If you travel on the Intercity Direct the Intercity Direct Product Terms also apply. If you travel on account, terms for that service apply and you enter into an agreement with your Betaaldienstverlener for that service.

Processing your journey and payment details is necessary when checking in and out with your Pas. This enables you to travel and pay with your Pas on NS public transport. NS and Translink can also provide service to you. If you do not want NS and Translink to have these required journey and payment details, you cannot travel and pay with your Pas and will need to use another Vervoerbewijs.

Processes have been designed with privacy by design in mind. This means Translink and the Vervoerders have set up the system to protect your privacy as a traveller as effectively as possible.

The terms capitalised below have the definitions given in the glossary at the end of this privacy statement.

Pseudonymisation and re-identification

Immediately after you check in the unique identification number (“PAN”) of your Pas is pseudonymised. This means each Pas receives its own unique number. This unique number is used for purposes such as travelling, payment, service, inspection and summary reports.

Translink operates a central administration system where it records Vervoerbewijzen for Vervoerders, calculates the ritprijs and keeps track of the total amount you travelled that day. The system assigns unique identification numbers to your Pas for each Vervoerder. This means Vervoerders do not have insight into journeys you made with other Vervoerders.

Betaaldienstverleners see only the journeys they invoice to you and only when they are allowed to set the price charged (that is, when they may differ from the price a Vervoerder charges for the same journey when travelling on balance). Where the Betaaldienstverlener must charge the same price as the Vervoerder, the Betaaldienstverlener does not see journey details but only the name of the Vervoerder, the date and the ritprijs.

Pseudonymised data cannot be linked to your Pas data without additional information. Pseudonymisation is a measure to reduce risks for you as a traveller when processing your Persoonsgegevens. Vervoerders and Translink have agreed measures to minimise the risk of re-identification; for example, Vervoerders in principle cannot view a traveller’s travel history with another Vervoerder. A pseudonym can sometimes be linked to a person if there is a valid reason, for example if the traveller identifies themselves to the vervoerder.

The Vervoerders and Translink have agreed measures to minimise the risk of re-identification.

Which personal data do we use?

How does travelling and paying with the payment card and OV-pas work?

A. Obtaining an OV-pas (balance)

You can obtain a physical OV-pas via the OVpay app and www.ovpay.nl (from November 2025). You can also get one from various Vervoerders via their websites, service desks and/or ticket machines. NS does not sell standalone OV-passen; NS issues them only together with an NS-abonnement. When you order an OV-pas it receives a unique number in Translink’s central administration system. This is needed to track the balance and to settle journeys against the OV-pas balance. The balance changes when someone travels with the OV-pas or when funds are added to or removed from the account.

For a physical OV-pas Translink needs a name and delivery address so it can send the card to you. These Persoonsgegevens for delivery are kept for 30 days so Translink can produce and send you a replacement OV-pas if something goes wrong during production or shipping.

You can also buy a physical OV-pas (and top up balance) at some national retailers, namely Primera and from Q4 2026 also Albert Heijn. Payment there can be by cash or payment card. Translink does not process Persoonsgegevens when the OV-pas is bought in this way. Translink and NS therefore do not know who bought the OV-pas. Translink and NS can see which journeys were made with such an OV-pas, but not who the person or people were who made those journeys.

Loading, managing and refunding balance on the OV-pas

Via the OVpay app and www.ovpay.nl you can load up to €150 onto the OV-pas. You can also check your balance there. You can top up via various Vervoerders through their websites and service desks. Topping up at the retailers mentioned is only possible if the OV-pas was purchased there (and thus has a barcode).

If your OV-pas is lost, stolen or defective, report this via the OVpay app or OVpay customer service. Translink needs the OV-pas details to do this, specifically the pasnummer and the verification code. These are printed on your OV-pas, one on the front and the other on the back. The OV-pas will then be blocked and can no longer be used for travelling. If you no longer have the pasnummer and verification code, you cannot block the OV-pas.

If you request a new OV-pas from your OVpay account or a user account at a vervoerder, the balance is automatically linked to the new OV-pas. This does not apply if you order a replacement OV-pas without an account (for example via a retailer). An expired OV-pas is automatically blocked and can no longer be used to travel.

Automatic top-up OV-pas

With automatic top-up the balance of a specific OV‑pas is replenished automatically. You enter into an agreement with Translink to do this. You instruct them to top up the OV‑pas by the agreed amount. This top-up happens automatically once when activated. After that it happens when:

• You check in with the OV-pas at a Vervoerder and the balance is too low to cover the minimum required amount for that Vervoerder;
• The balance is too low to pay the ritprijs after you travelled with that OV-pas with a Vervoerder;
• The balance is €10 or less.

Automatic top-up can only be requested and activated via an OVpay account in the OVpay app and on the OVpay website. It cannot be requested via other channels such as via a Vervoerder or Betaaldienstverlener.

The person who enters into the automatic top-up agreement may be the OV‑pas user but does not have to be. You can also set up the agreement for a family member. The agreement always applies to one specific OV‑pas.

Travelling on account with the OV-pas

Travelling on account means paying afterwards for journeys you make with the OV-pas. You enter into a separate agreement with a Betaaldienstverlener for this. The agreement sets out the payment terms, such as when you must pay and which payment method is used (for example direct debit or periodic transfer).

The Betaaldienstverlener pays the costs for each journey you make on account to the Vervoerder. The Betaaldienstverlener settles this with you afterwards. The amount the Betaaldienstverlener charges you may differ from the ritprijs the Vervoerder would charge for the same journey when travelling on balance. You are therefore a customer of the Betaaldienstverlener.

Failure to meet the Betaaldienstverlener’s (payment) terms may result in travelling on account with the OV-pas being (temporarily) blocked. You can still travel on balance provided the OV-pas has sufficient balance to travel with Vervoerders.

The Betaaldienstverlener is responsible for the data it receives from Translink and vervoerders. It informs you itself about how it handles your persoonsgegevens; this is therefore not covered by this privacy statement. These data usually cannot be linked to you by the vervoerder and Translink. If you buy a product from a vervoerder or create an account in Translink’s OVpay app or a vervoerder’s app, however, it may be possible to link them.

Product linked to the OV-pas or not

A physical OV-pas can in principle be used to travel by anyone who has the card. You can also link a Persoonsgebonden product to the OV-pas, for example an age discount for bus, tram and metro or a free-travel product (such as an abonnement). If you link one or more Persoonsgebonden products to an OV-pas then
only the person named on the Persoonsgebonden product may travel with it.

When ordering via the OVpay app or OVpay.nl you can have an identifier printed on the physical OV-pas. This can be your name or something like ‘family pass’ or ‘pass two’. This makes the card identifiable for you but does not make it personal. Someone else may therefore also use the OV-pas, provided no Persoonsgebonden product or Kortingsprofiel is linked to it. Adding an identifier is not possible for OV-passen bought at a retailer. OV-passen ordered together with an NS-abonnement will have your name printed by NS; in that case you cannot choose the identifier yourself.

Persoonsgebonden product and Kortingsprofiel

Persoonsgebonden products and Kortingsprofielen are possible on both a payment card and an OV-pas. Options vary by product and by Vervoerder. To use such a product or profile you must first create a personal profile via the OVpay app or website or via a Vervoerder. Depending on the product or profile you may need to provide your email, name, date of birth and/or a passport-style photo.

Student travel product on an OV-pas

The student travel product will become available on an OV-pas for more students in the coming quarters. If you do not yet have an OV-pas you must obtain one first. You must also create a personal profile giving your email, name and date of birth. You can then request the student travel product. RSR_⁴ will check its records to confirm your entitlement. It will also check with Translink, which manages the personal profile, whether the profile matches the data held by RSR. If so, RSR links the student travel product to your OV-pas.

B. OV-pas data protection

The OV-pas is not linked to you as a person by default. This means that anyone who holds a physical OV-pas can use it to travel, provided no Persoonsgebonden product or Kortingsprofiel is linked to the OV-pas.

Because the OV-pas is not normally tied to a single person, someone who has your OV-pas could also use certain services. For example, they could view journeys made, request a refund of balance, report loss or theft of the OV-pas, or correct a missed check-out via the OVpay app, ovpay.nl or a Vervoerder’s website or app.

If you want to prevent someone else using these services for your OV-pas without your permission you can activate extra data protection. Do this by linking the OV-pas with the pasnummer and verification code to your OVpay account. The extra data protection is then automatically activated. You can also activate this protection without an OVpay account via ovpay.nl or via a Vervoerder offering this option.

To create an OVpay account you need an email address and password. When linking the OV-pas you receive an email at the address you provided. After you confirm that email the OV-pas is linked to your account. An OV-pas can only be linked to one OVpay account at a time. To link the OV-pas to another OVpay account you must first unlink it from the current account. You can, however, link an OV-pas at the same time to an OVpay account and to one or more Vervoerder accounts.

If you do not activate extra data protection you can still use services via ovpay.nl. You can also visit ticket machines and service desks of various Vervoerders.

^{₄ Regisseur Studenten Reisrecht (RSR) is the organisation responsible for the digital administration and management of the student travel product (the studenten-ov). If you, as a student, applied for your student travel product via DUO, RSR will link it to your OV-pas.}

C. Travelling

First time travelling with your payment card

The first time you check in with your payment card an automatic check takes place to determine whether a public transport travel function in the Netherlands is linked to your payment card. This also happens if you have not travelled with that payment card for 14 days and then check in again.

Translink also checks with your Bank whether your card or account is blocked. If it is, we block the travel function of your payment card and you cannot travel with it. This is a decision by the Bank. The Vervoerders and Translink cannot change the block.

Travelling with your payment card and OV-pas

When you check in with your Pas the kaartlezer reads the Technische gegevens. We check whether this Pas can be used to travel and communicate this back to you via the kaartlezer. A payment card can be declined, for example, if the card issuer does not allow travel on public transport in the Netherlands. Offering your Pas to a kaartlezer is called a “tap”.

If your Pas is valid for travel, checking in and out sends Persoonsgegevens from the kaartlezer of the Vervoerder you travel with to Translink. Alongside the Technische gegevens these include the date, time and the stop or station where you checked in or out. Translink records all check-ins and check-outs and reconstructs journeys to determine the ritprijs. Your journey is assembled and the ritprijs calculated using these details and, where applicable, additional data from Persoonsgebonden products and Kortingsprofielen. Make sure you always offer your Pas to the kaartlezer on its own and not, for example, while it is in a wallet. This prevents accidentally checking in or out with another card and possibly paying too much for your journey.

Validity checks for payment card or OV-pas

Every time you check in with your payment card or OV-pas a number of automatic checks take place. For the OV-pas we check whether the OV-pas balance is sufficient to travel on public transport. The minimum required balance can differ per Vervoerder and is set by the Vervoerder.

• Each time you check in with your payment card or OV-pas we also automatically check the signal lists to see whether the Pas is blocked. These lists are maintained by Translink and distributed to Vervoerders. Translink adds a Pas to these lists if
• it appears that the Pas used on public transport is on a signal list of the Bank (payment card) or Translink and Vervoerders (OV-pas), for example because it is registered as stolen or missing;
• a settlement for public transport use with the Pas has not taken place, for example because your bank account had insufficient funds or the OV-pas had insufficient balance;
• multiple settlements for a payment card linked to the same bank account have not taken place;
• it is apparent you are using a Persoonsgebonden product or Kortingsprofiel and you do not meet the applicable conditions;
• it appears that the bank that issued your payment card is not accepted for use on public transport.

Park and Ride (P&R)

At many locations you can park at a P&R car park and continue your journey by public transport. Increasingly, at these locations you can present the Pas you travelled with (such as OV-pas or payment card) at the payment terminal when paying for parking. The P&R provider will then ask Translink to check in its systems whether you travelled on public transport and whether you are entitled to a discount on the parking fee. This discount depends on location and agreements between the P&R provider and the municipality. Always check in advance whether your chosen P&R location offers a discount when using the OV-pas and/or payment card. Journeys made with a payment card do not qualify for discounts at NS P&R car parks.

Translink never shares your journey details with the P&R provider. It only indicates whether the discount may be applied. The P&R provider then applies the discount and charges you for parking.

D. Payment

Paying with your payment card

When you check in and out with your payment card Translink calculates the ritprijs for the journeys you make. Translink works with the payment institution Fiserv (formerly EMS, now Fiserv Ltd. www.fiserv.com) and your Bank to process payment for your journeys. During the night after the Reisdag on which you travelled, the total amount due for all journeys made on that Reisdag is submitted in one payment request via Fiserv to your Bank. Translink provides the Technische gegevens and the Betalingskenmerk to Fiserv and your Bank to process payment.

During the Reisdag Translink may already charge you if the total amount of due ritprijzen exceeds a threshold set by Vervoerders. The due ritprijzen are then debited directly from your bank account. After a successful payment, any further journeys you make are charged at the end of the Reisdag, unless the threshold is reached again in the meantime.

After a successful payment you can see the debited amount on your (digital) bank statement and you receive a Betalingskenmerk. This code is unique for each payment and is preceded by the letters “NLOV”. You can view your bank statement by logging into your secure banking environment.

Because certain services can be accessed using the Betalingskenmerk together with the corresponding amount (in €), sharing that Betalingskenmerk and amount with another person or organisation would allow them to gain insight into the journeys you made.

Paying with your OV-pas

When you check in and out with the OV-pas Translink calculates the ritprijs for the journeys you make. Translink also handles payment for journeys paid from balance. After check-out the cost of the journey is debited directly from the balance linked to your OV-pas. After a successful payment you can immediately see the debited amount in the OVpay app and on www.ovpay.nl, provided you have linked your OV-pas to a personal account there. This is also possible at NS with a Mijn NS account on ns.nl or in the NS App, but only for journeys you made with NS. For travelling on account you pay periodically to the Betaaldienstverlener as described above.

If you travel on account you can find your journeys and their prices in your account with that Betaaldienstverlener. You can also view all your journeys in the OVpay app or on www.ovpay.nl. Vervoerders only show journeys you made with them. Note: if your Betaaldienstverlener is permitted to charge different fares than a Vervoerder’s normal balance tariff, you will not see a price for those journeys in the OVpay app, website or at the Vervoerder.

An unsuccessful payment

If payment fails with your Pas, for example because the balance is too low, Translink blocks the OV-pas or the travel function linked to the payment card. You cannot travel with the Pas until the outstanding amount has been paid and/or the minimum balance required to travel with an OV-pas has been met.

Paying an outstanding amount for the payment card

Repeated payment requests are made over a period of 62 calendar days to debit the outstanding amount from your bank account. If payment succeeds the block is lifted. During and after this period you can also pay the outstanding amount yourself by:

• presenting your payment card at a Vervoerder’s kaartlezer (at the station, stop or in the vehicle). Translink and Fiserv will then send a payment request to your Bank. This can be attempted once per day;
• paying the outstanding amount in the OVpay app, provided your payment card is linked to a personal account there. Translink and Fiserv will then send a payment request to your Bank.

In all cases, if the payment succeeds you can travel again with your payment card after about 15 minutes.

Paying an outstanding amount for the OV-pas

You can top up balance via OVpay or a Vervoerder. You can also top up at national retailers if you bought your OV-pas there. Any outstanding amounts will be offset against the top-up. Ensure you always have the minimum required balance on your OV-pas for the relevant Vervoerder. After successfully adding sufficient balance you can check in again with your OV-pas after about 15 minutes.

Blocking of the travel function

You can check whether the travel function of a Pas is blocked by presenting your Pas to a Vervoerder’s kaartlezer and watching the display message or by contacting OVpay customer service. While the travel function of the Pas is blocked you can, of course, use another Vervoerbewijs to travel on public transport.

E. Summary reports

All Vervoerders receive daily summary reports from Translink so they can check the accuracy of their transactions and payments, detect and correct errors, and safeguard the integrity of the public transport system. These reports cover transactions (such as check-in, check-out or failed taps), journeys (check-in combined with a check-out) and payments within the domain of the respective Vervoerder. Translink also ensures each Vervoerder receives daily payment for journeys made with your Pas.

F. Service

We understand you may have questions about a journey, charges you were billed for, or a missed check-in or check-out. You may also want an overview of journeys you made in recent periods. You can request (parts of) your journeys in one of the following ways (the OVpay app has its own privacy statement, which you can find in the OVpay app and on the OVpay website under privacy):

• In the NS App or via NS customer service (for all Passen); or
• At the NS ticket machine or service desk (only for OV-pas); or
• Via the OVpay website, OVpay app and OVpay customer service (for all Passen).

To help you personally via customer service, for a payment card you need the Betalingskenmerk together with the corresponding amount shown on your bank statement. We do not know your card number and cannot search by IBAN. For the OV-pas you need the pasnummer and volgnummer. These are printed on the OV-pas.

App and website

Within both the NS App and the OVpay app you can link one or more Passen. To do this you first create an account using your email address and a password in the app.

There are several ways to link a Pas.

Payment card

1. In the NS app and OVpay app you can link a payment card using the Betalingskenmerk and corresponding amount. This can only be done within 31 days after you travelled and a payment was made.
2. Another way to link your payment card in the OVpay app is to enter the PAN and expiry date of your payment card in the account and then travel with that card.
3. In the OVpay app you can also link your payment card by entering the IBAN and card sequence number of your payment card in the online account and then travelling with that card within 60 days. You cannot link an OV-pas this way.

OV-pas

1. In the NS app or OVpay app you can add an OV-pas by choosing “add OV-pas” and then entering the pasnummer and volgnummer. These numbers are printed on your OV-pas, each on a different side.
2. In the OVpay app you can also order a new physical OV-pas, which will then be added automatically to your account.

By linking an OV-pas in your OVpay account you prevent someone else (for example if you lost your OV-pas) from linking the OV-pas and accessing your journeys and the balance on the card. If you order a new NS-abonnement together with an OV-pas a Mijn NS account will be created for you and your OV-pas will be linked to it automatically. You must activate this Mijn NS account yourself.

Services via app and website

In your online account you can, among other things, view your check-ins and check-outs, the ritprijs for journeys and payments, the payment status and any block on your Pas. You can also correct a missed check-in or check-out and, only in your OVpay account, pay any outstanding debt.

In the OVpay app you can view the travel history of journeys made with your Passen across the whole public transport network for the last 18 months. In a Vervoerder’s account environment (web or app) you can only see journeys made with your Passen with that Vervoerder, also for the last 18 months. If you travel on account you can view your entire travel history for the last 18 months in your Betaaldienstverlener’s account environment, insofar as those journeys are invoiced by the Betaaldienstverlener.

In the OVpay app you can also create an age profile to use age discounts on bus, tram and metro when you are eligible.

In the NS App and OVpay app you can also set up notifications for check-ins and check-outs, and the OVpay app also offers notifications for outstanding amounts.

You can report a lost, found, stolen or defective OV-pas via the OVpay app or OV customer service. Report a lost or stolen payment card to your Bank.

If you experienced a delay on an NS journey while travelling with a Pas and are eligible for compensation under the ‘Geld terug bij vertraging’ scheme, you can submit a restitutie request via the web form on ns.nl, providing the Betalingskenmerk and corresponding amount (for payment card) or the requested OV-pas details (for OV-pas).

Customer Service

Questions about travelling with a Pas can be directed to NS customer service or OVpay customer service. Customer service staff do not have access to your payment card (bank account) details. The OVpay customer service does have access to your OV-pas details including balance changes to assist you. A staff member will always ask explicitly for your details when these are necessary to answer your questions.

For questions about a missed check-in or check-out contact OVpay customer service.

Our service staff only access the data necessary to answer your questions.

G. Inspection

Everyone using public transport must have a valid Vervoerbewijs. When you check in with your Pas your Vervoerbewijs is digitally linked to that Pas in Translink’s records. NS staff regularly check passengers in vehicles and at stations to ensure they have a valid Vervoerbewijs. This also includes checking the validity of any Persoonsgebonden product and Kortingsprofiel. If an NS staff member checks your Vervoerbewijs, you must hold your Pas against the card reader on the inspector’s device.

To provide service or goodwill an NS member of staff will ask your explicit consent. The staff member can then view the last ten uses of your Pas on their device (for up to 62 days back). These details are shown on the device for up to five minutes or disappear when another Pas is presented to the kaartlezer.

If you use a Persoonsgebonden product or Kortingsprofiel this will be visible to the NS staff member during inspection. The product or profile is only visible if it applies to the journey you are making. In all other cases the NS staff member does not see these details.

If you travel with an OV-pas on balance but no valid Vervoerbewijs is active at that moment (for example because you have not checked in or out), the staff member may give you a warning. This is registered on the pas and stored in encrypted form for 60 days. The warning is only visible during scanning of the pas at Vervoerbewijs control.

If you use a Persoonsgebonden product or Kortingsprofiel you are not entitled to while travelling, the NS staff member can mark it. If the seller of your Persoonsgebonden product or the provider of your Kortingsprofiel then blocks it, you can no longer use it. You can correct your details in the OVpay app, via OVpay customer service or the customer service of the Vervoerder you travelled with. After correction you can use the product or profile again, provided you meet the applicable conditions.

An NS staff member can, on behalf of Translink, confiscate and/or block an OV-pas if it has been reported lost or stolen; if you try to travel with an OV-pas whose validity has expired; or if there is suspicion of fraud or misuse of the OV-pas or products linked to the OV-pas.

Legal basis for processing

Checking in and out with the Pas at NS is done to be able to charge the ritprijs. The legal basis for processing Persoonsgegevens is the performance of a contract. This concerns the transport agreement to which the AVR-NS apply and the ‘OVpay Terms for checking in/out with your payment card and credit card’ or the ‘General Terms OV-pas’, depending on which payment method you use. Additional (product) terms apply if you use a product or profile.

The legal basis for setting notifications for check-ins and check-outs and for outstanding amounts in the NS App and OVpay app is your consent.

Translink and all Vervoerders have a legitimate interest in maintaining signal lists of Passen. Translink distributes these to each Vervoerder so they can check on check-in and check-out whether you can and may travel with that Pas on public transport (see also B/ travelling/ Validity checks for payment card or OV-pas).

Automated decision-making

Decisions are made automatically in two cases.

1. An outstanding ritprijs
   
   As a traveller you must always pay the due ritprijs. If your payment cannot be processed the travel function of the Pas is automatically blocked. You can still check out for a journey but cannot check in for a new journey. You can object to this automated decision that has blocked your Pas. Do this via OVpay customer service. They will assess why your Pas was blocked and will unblock it if appropriate.
2. A payment card blocked by a Bank
   
   If a payment card used on public transport is listed by a Bank as stolen or missing, or for any other reason the Bank has blocked the card, the travel function of the payment card is automatically blocked. For the payment card this is part of the card’s terms of use as agreed with your Bank.
   
   Vervoerders and Translink cannot change this block. Please contact your Bank with questions.
3. An OV-pas blocked by Translink (temporary)
   
   If an OV-pas has been reported to Translink as stolen or lost, if you have insufficient balance to travel with the relevant Vervoerder, or for any other reason Translink has blocked the card, it will be blocked automatically. This is also stated in the general terms for use of the OV-pas. After topping up your balance or reporting the card as found you can travel again with the OV-pas. A stolen OV-pas is permanently blocked.

Who are the Controllers? What do we use your personal data for?

Your Persoonsgegevens are processed by NS (“NS”) and Translink. NS, the other Vervoerders and Translink are joint controllers for processing Persoonsgegevens in relation to travelling with your payment card. The mutual arrangements are set out in a cooperation agreement between the Vervoerders and Translink. The joint responsibility for processing covers the following processes and associated Persoonsgegevens:

Tapping (check-in and check-out)

Legal basis: performance of a contract

• Purpose: Status check of the payment card and validation of the tap.
• Personal data: Technische gegevens of the card (PAN, PAN sequence number and expiry date); tap data.
• Retention periods: Maximum 24 hours.

Processing taps (transaction processing)

Legal basis: performance of a contract.

• Purpose:
  • Processing of taps.
  • Classifying taps: tap-in/ tap-out/ tapping to settle outstanding debt.
  • Assembling journeys based on check-in/check-out (reistransactiegegevens); determining the ritprijs; preparing reistransactiegegevens/settling outstanding tap debt.
  • Splitting journeys and creating synthetic partial journeys per OV company so partial journeys can be assigned to the correct OV company and the ritprijs can be determined
• Personal data: Technische gegevens of the card (PAN, PAN sequence number and expiry date); pseudonymisation tokens; reistransactiegegevens.
• Retention periods: 18 months.

Managing balance and balance changes on the OV-pas

Legal basis: performance of a contract.

• Purpose: settling against the balance on an OV-pas of: journeys made and corrected; amounts deposited and withdrawn
• Personal data: pseudonymisation tokens, balance amount, balance changes
• Retention periods: five years (balance amount) after the end of the OV-pas validity

Managing and applying signal lists

Legal basis: legitimate interest: insufficient OV-pas balance; outstanding debt with other Vervoerder(s); e.g. stolen/lost Pas;

Legal basis: performance of a contract: outstanding debt with Vervoerder

• Purpose: management by Translink and application by Vervoerders of signal lists to deny access to public transport to: stolen and lost Passen; Passen with outstanding debt; OV-passen with insufficient balance for the relevant mode.
• Personal data: pseudonymisation tokens; reason for being on the list.
• Retention: This list is updated every 2 minutes.

Central traveller support (self service) without or with a service account

Legal basis: performance of a contract

• Purpose:
  • Making journey and payment transactions and outstanding debt visible via the OVpay website and OVpay app;
  • Facilitating the process for correcting a missed check-out via the OVpay website, OVpay app or OVpay customer service;
  • Purchasing a persoonsgebonden (discount) product and applying it when travelling with the Pas.
• Personal data: Betalingskenmerk; payment transaction data; outstanding debt; reistransactiegegevens; pseudonymisation tokens; name or name, date of birth and/or passport-style photo.
• Retention periods: Until service has been provided; no data remain on the website and in the OVpay app. Two months after the expiry of the last active Persoonsgebonden product or Kortingsprofiel.

Decentralised traveller support (self service) with a service account at OV company

Legal basis: performance of a contract

• Purpose: Making visible via the OV company’s website/app for those involved:
  • journey transactions and payment transactions with the relevant OV company (transactions in the past 18 months);
  • outstanding debt and the underlying transactions (possibly) with other OV companies.
• Personal data: Betalingskenmerk; payment transaction data; outstanding debt; reistransactiegegevens.
• Retention periods: Until service has been provided; no data remain on the website/in the app

Inspection/check of valid Vervoerbewijs

Legal basis: performance of a contract

• Purpose:
  • Based on check-in/check-out with your Pas, check whether a traveller has a valid electronic Vervoerbewijs during use of public transport; and, where applicable, check the validity of the applicable kortingsprofiel and/or Persoonsgebonden product;
  • If there is no valid check-in or check-out, checking the last ten transactions in public transport with the same payment card to determine the OV company’s follow-up action.
• Personal data: Technische gegevens of the payment card (PAN, PAN sequence number and expiry date); pseudonymisation tokens; reistransactiegegevens; product data; name, date of birth and/or passport-style photo.
• Retention periods: Data are automatically deleted once the inspection device receives the response whether the payment card was in/out tapped and five minutes have passed or another Pas is presented for inspection or when the inspection (app) is closed.

Mobile service to traveller

Legal basis: legitimate interest of the vervoerder

• Purpose: An inspector can, in response to a traveller’s request, scan the payment card to provide information about the last ten journey transactions in public transport with the same Pas (still in development, as of July 2022)
• Personal data: Technische gegevens of the card (PAN, PAN sequence number and expiry date); pseudonymisation tokens; reistransactiegegevens.
• Retention periods: Data are automatically deleted once the inspection device receives the response whether the payment card was in/out tapped and five minutes have passed or another Pas is presented for inspection or when the inspection (app) is closed.

Compiling and providing reports on travel transaction processing

Legal basis: Legitimate interest of Translink; legitimate interests of Vervoerders and legal obligation of Vervoerders

• Purpose: Safeguard the integrity of the public transport system (for example transaction validation); enable administration of transport agreements, settlement of transactions and financial administration and accountability.
• Personal data: reistransactiegegevens (such as check-in/check-out; date/time; place; mode of transport; journeys and prices per journey); pseudonymisation tokens.
• Retention periods: 18 months (legitimate interest); seven years (legal obligation).

Who do we share data with?

NS, the other Vervoerders and Translink use services of Verwerkers, and we always make written agreements with external parties (such as IT suppliers) that process Persoonsgegevens on our behalf. This is done by concluding a so-called “processor agreement”, in which we agree, among other things, on the protection of your Persoonsgegevens and the use of the Persoonsgegevens.

Translink uses the services of Fiserv to process payment with your Bank. Translink provides Fiserv with the Technische gegevens and the Betalingskenmerk. Fiserv processes these data in the capacity of Verwerkingsverantwoordelijke.

Translink uses the services of iProov to take the passport-style photo in the OVpay app. iProov processes these data as a Verwerker. Translink uses Thales for issuing and producing the physical OV-pas. Thales processes these data as a Verwerker. Translink shares your name and delivery address with PostNL so they can deliver the OV-pas you ordered. PostNL processes these data as a Verwerkingsverantwoordelijke.

Vervoerders and Translink may also be required by law to disclose your data to third parties, for example in response to a law enforcement request.

Security of Personal Data

NS, the other Vervoerders and Translink protect your Persoonsgegevens, for example against unauthorised access, loss and theft. All parties have policies to ensure paying with the Pas on public transport is set up with an appropriate standard level of security.

Vervoerders and Translink use PCI DSS to protect Technische gegevens. This is an international security standard aimed at protecting payment card data and preventing misuse of card data and related harm. Vervoerders and Translink take appropriate technical and organisational measures to secure systems, processes and (personal) data.

Your Technische gegevens are only processed in pseudonymised form in NS card readers and in Translink’s central administration system.

Contact point for questions or exercising your rights regarding travelling with a payment card

If you have questions about the processing of your Persoonsgegevens related to travelling with a Pas, contact the points of contact at NS and Translink.

NS and Translink can usually only answer specific questions by using the identifiers of your Pas. If you created an account in the OVpay app, linked your Pas to that account and provided your details, Translink can also assist using those details. Before you are given access to your journeys with a Pas you must provide the Betalingskenmerk and corresponding amount.

For general questions about travelling with a Pas contact OVpay customer service on 0900-1433 (standard call charges) or via the contact form at OVpay contact form.

For specific questions about NS services contact NS Klantenservice via one of the listed contact channels, preferably by chat so you can also send screenshots and be assisted more easily.

If you want more information about how NS or Translink handle your Persoonsgegevens you can contact the data protection officer of either organisation:

• For NS: fg@ns.nl
• For Translink: fg@translink.nl

Exercising your rights

If you want to make use of the exercising your rights, you can notify NS, contact Translink Customer Service or the data protection officer of Translink; see the contact details above.

Definitions

• App: a mobile application developed and offered by a Vervoerder individually or by Vervoerders and Translink jointly (under the name OVpay), enabling a traveller with a payment card to create and consult an online account, link the payment card, easily view reistransacties and payments and submit service requests. The app’s own terms of use apply to using an App.
• AVR-NS: the transport conditions of NS (the General Conditions for the carriage of passengers and hand luggage by Nederlandse Spoorwegen).
• AV-S: the general terms and conditions for city and regional transport (the general conditions for carriage of passengers by public city and regional transport (bus, tram, lightrail, metro) and regional rail by the following vervoerders: Arriva, Connexion, EBS, GVB, HTM, Keolis, Qbuzz and RET).
• Bank: a financial company that offers payment services and holds the bank account linked to the payment card of the traveller used on public transport. This also includes a credit card company or other regulated financial entity that provides payment services and has issued the payment card.
• Betaaldienstverlener: a party that enables you to travel on account with the OV-pas. Travelling on account means you can pay afterwards for journeys made with the OV-pas, for example by direct debit or periodic transfer.
• Payment card: a contactless payment card or credit card (physical or digital) issued by a financial company that you can use to access and pay for public transport by checking in and out at the designated kaartlezer at the station, stop or in the vehicle.
• Betalingskenmerk: a code consisting of a combination of fourteen letters and digits in total, unique to each payment for journeys made with a payment card. The code is always preceded by the letters NLOV and is linked to the amount debited from your bank account when paying with a payment card.
• Joint controller: When two or more Verwerkingsverantwoordelijken jointly determine the purposes and means of processing, they are Joint controllers as defined in the GDPR.
• Kortingsprofiel: the profile that Translink and the vervoerder you travel with can read to inspect and check whether you are entitled to a discount. In the Kortingsprofiel you provide your name or date of birth and possibly a passport-style photo.
• OV-pas: a contactless card issued by Translink that you can use to access and pay for public transport by checking in and out at the designated kaartlezer at the station, stop or in the vehicle.
• Pas: the payment card or OV-pas
• Persoonsgebonden product: a product is Persoonsgebonden if the specific terms of that product determine this. Persoonsgebonden means only the person in whose name the product is registered may travel with it and with the OV-pas linked to it.
• Personal data: all information about an identified or identifiable natural person as defined in the GDPR.
• Pseudonymisation: the processing of Persoonsgegevens so that the data can no longer be attributed to a traveller without additional information, provided that the additional information is kept separately and technical and organisational measures are in place to ensure the Persoonsgegevens cannot be linked to an identified or identifiable traveller as defined in the GDPR.
• Reisdag: the period beginning at 00:00 and ending the following day at 03:05.
• Technische gegevens: these technical data consist of the numbers of the payment card, namely the PAN, the PAN sequence number and the expiry date of the card. The PAN is a unique card identification number. The PAN sequence number is stored in the chip of the payment card and is not visible.
• Translink: the organisation that registers Vervoerbewijzen, calculates ritprijzen, manages balances, collects and settles payments on behalf of Vervoerders and provides service to travellers. Trans Link Systems B.V. is registered and based in Amersfoort.
• Vervoerbewijs: a proof that grants access to and provides payment for use of a Vervoerder’s transport by electronic registration of the journey or part of it at Translink.
• Vervoerder(s): the Dutch public transport companies listed on the website OVpay.nl.
• Processing: an operation or set of operations performed on Persoonsgegevens or a set of Persoonsgegevens, whether or not carried out by automated means as defined in the GDPR.
• Processor: a natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body that processes Persoonsgegevens on behalf of the Verwerkingsverantwoordelijke as defined in the GDPR.
• Controller: a natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body that, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of processing Persoonsgegevens as defined in the GDPR.