Studentenreisproduct

Also:

• You can load your Studentenreisproduct on your personal OV-chipkaart when you check in and out, even if you're travelling for free
• With a Studentenreisproduct on your OV-chipkaart, you can use all trains in this country and all NS International domestic routes (except Thalys, CityNightLine and Intercity direct, if part of the journey contains Schiphol-Rotterdam vv)
• Outside your free travel times, you travel prepaid and enjoy 40% off your journey
• The Studentreisproduct is not valid on the night networks of any bus, tram or metro operators
• To find out more, visit the Studentenreisproduct help guide (in Dutch)

When can I travel free, at a discount or at full fare?

Weekly season tickets:

• Travel free from 04.00 Monday to 04.00 Saturday, except in summer periods and on public holidays
• Travel free on Good Friday
• Travel prepaid at a discount from 04.00 Saturday to 04.00 Monday

Weekend season tickets:

• Travel free from 12.00 Friday to 04.00 Monday, from 12.00 on the day before Good Friday, the Wednesday before Ascension Day and on Good Friday itself
• Travel free from 04.00 on public holidays holidays until 04.00 the next day
• Travel prepaid at a discount from 04.00 Monday, from 09.00 Tuesday to Thursday and 09.00-12.00 Friday
• Travel at full fare before 09.00 Tuesday to Friday

Travelling prepaid is subject to terms and conditions.
General terms and conditions, travelling prepaid (PDF, 105 kB in Dutch)

Apply for your Studentenreisproduct from the Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs (DUO). You'll need a personal OV-chipkaart.

Two weeks before your student finance comes in, load your Studentenreisproduct on your OV-chipkaart at any NS ticket machine or other OV-chipkaart collection point. If you've already received your student finance, you'll be told about the collection date automatically. Use our address finder to find all the collection points near you.

If you don't have an OV-chipkaart, or if your card is due to run out in the next 8 weeks, then buy a personal OV-chipkaart. You can also buy an OV-chipkaart at the public transport ticket desk. Bring a passport photo with you.
Apply for student travel product.

Long-term student or not studying any more?

If you're not entitled to the Studentenreisproduct any more, and have to surrender it, then NS has a special offer for you. Switch to a free Dal Voordeel season ticket and travel at 40% discount off peak. Or get € 50 off if you choose one of our other advantage season tickets.
Find out more about travelling on a discount (in Dutch).

RailPlus

As a student, you can get a Railplus card for € 15, giving you 25% off many train journeys through Europe.

You can Apply for a RailPlus card online (in Dutch) or at:

• NS International Service Centre (Tel. 030 230 0023);
• NS International counter at Tickets & Service shops;
• NS-service counters at stations.

You put your Studentenreisproduct on an OV-chipkaart. You need at least € 10 starting fare (in Dutch) to travel prepaid outside your free travel times.

Load just enough balance

Previously, you had to increase your balance by € 10; now you can opt to top up your balance to 4, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 or 100 euros at any NS ticket machine.

It’s flexible and convenient. You can top up your OV-chipkaart with as little or as much as you like as long as it covers your needs.

Checking in and out

You must always check in and out, even if you're travelling for free. Hold your card up to the check-in post or gate to check in for your train journey; then repeat the process to check out again when you reach your destination. You need to check in and out with each operator, i.e. if you change to bus, tram or metro. You should check out at an NS card reader before checking in with another operator. If you're travelling abroad, you don't need to check in or out in the Netherlands .

Combined Travel Discount

You can take up to three people with you at a discount of 40% after 09.00 on weekdays and all day at weekends. You can arrange this at ticket machines on stations.

Arrange Samenreiskorting

Changing class

If you want to change the class you travel, on one occasion only or for every time you travel, it is easy to do this at a ticket machine.
Changing class

When is the Studentenreisproduct valid in the summer period and on public holidays?

When are weekly season tickets valid during the summer period?

• Travel prepaid with discount

When are weekend season tickets valid during the summer period?

• Travel free from 12.00 Friday to 04.00 Monday morning
• Travel prepaid with discount from 04.00 Mondays, from 09.00 Tuesdays to Thursdays and 09.00 - 12.00 Fridays.
• Travel at full fare before 09.00 Tuesdays to Fridays.

When are the public holidays in 2015? Find out at Travelling on public holidays and during common holiday periods.

When are weekly season tickets valid on public holidays?

• Travel prepaid with discount from 04.00 on public holidays to 04.00 the next day
• Travel free on Good Friday

When are weekend seasons valid on public holidays?

• Travel free from 04.00 on public holidays to 04.00 the next day and from 12.00 the Thursday before Good Friday and the Wednesday before Ascension Day and on Good Friday itself

When do I need to check in and out?

You must always check in and out with the Studentenreisproduct.

• During your free periods however you will not be charged for your journey. You must still check in and out to ensure that your ticket remains valid.
• During the discount periods, you travel at 40% discount. You still need to check in and out. The system will then calculate the right fare and discount for you. You need to have at least € 10 on your OV-chipkaart to travel during discount periods. The system will charge you € 10 when you check in and the balance of your fare when you check out: so you'll receive a refund on your OV-chipkaart if the fare is less than € 10.
• Travelling at other times, you'll pay the normal fare. Once again, you need to check in and out. You need to have at least € 10 on your OV-chipkaart to travel at other times. The system will charge you € 10 when you check in and the balance of your fare when you check out: so you'll receive a refund on your smart card if the fare is less than € 10.

Travelling on an e-ticket? Then don't check in or out. NS advises using an e-ticket if you're going out of the country.

I forgot to check out. What happens now?

You can check out at your NS destination station up to six hours after you checked in on the same day up to 04.00 . If you realise you didn't check out until later, then call NS Customer service on 030 751 5155. NS customer service is available between 08.00 - 22.00 Mondays through Fridays and between 09.00 - 17.00 on Saturdays. Or put in a claim via Mijn Reishistorie (My travel history) in Mijn NS (in Dutch). For advice on what to do at other operators' stations, we advise you to contact the operator concerned.

What if I forget to take my OV-chipkaart with me?

If you forget to take your OV-chipkaart with you, you'll need to buy a paper ticket at the full fare. You can declare train tickets once a year with the 'Money back on forgotten season tickets' scheme. Send a reclaim form, with the supporting documents required, within one month to NS Customer service, P.O. Box 2025, 3500 HA Utrecht. Download the form or call NS Customer service available 24/7 on 030 751 5155. 

What do I need to do if I travel abroad on my ticket?

• During your free periods, don't check in and out. Buy an international ticket for the part of your journey abroad
• Outside your free periods, don't check in and out. Buy an international ticket for the whole journey

Show your OV-chipkaart and international ticket if the conductor asks you to produce them.

To find out more, or book an international train ticket, go to www.nsinternational.nl