News item | 05-04-2022 | 12:32
The Netherlands Worldwide website has been completely renewed and has been live for a few days. The site has a layout that is completely based on the needs of citizens who are abroad, want to go there or come to the Netherlands. The new site has been stripped of all frills and offers information that visitors need to purchase products and services from the Dutch government.
The Netherlands Worldwide is part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but on the renewed website visitors will find more than just BZ products and services: people can go to Nederlandwereldwijd.nl for information about about 60 government services from 12 implementing organisations.
And if you still can’t figure it out, you can also call, email or whatsapp with information officers from the Netherlands Worldwide.
Everything in 1 place
‘The website is a new step towards the ultimate goal of the Netherlands Worldwide,’ says Henk van der Vegt, deputy director of Consular Affairs and Visa Policy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to Van der Vegt, in the future, the Netherlands Worldwide must offer more and more options in addition to (central) government-wide information to actually purchase services.
Whether it concerns applying for a new passport, replacing a driver’s license, applying for a visa, or arranging an old-age pension: Dutch people who are abroad or want to go there and people who want to come to the Netherlands. , should be able to arrange all their affairs with the Dutch government in one place.’
Project Foreign Office
The renewal of Nederlandwereldwijd.nl is the result of an assignment given to the previous cabinet. Under the name Project Loket Buitenland, BZ works with 12 government organizations on the Netherlands Worldwide: one central entrance where citizens can arrange their government affairs if they (go to) live, work or study abroad, or want to return to the Netherlands.
Visitor
To help the visitor even better, Nederlandwereldwijd.nl makes a clear distinction between information for people who know what to do and people who don’t. The first group offers the site the chance to settle their affairs as quickly as possible. The second group receives an explanation, guidance or background information.
Soon also for residents in the Netherlands?
The website was developed by BZ in close collaboration with General Affairs. The technology of the Netherlands worldwide is based on the prototype 1Government developed by AZ: a digital entrance that citizens/customers can use as a starting point for their customer journey.
The website is therefore built in such a way that it is very easy to expand as a facility for everyone, including people in the Netherlands itself.
English version
For the time being, only the new Dutch-language version of the Netherlands has gone live worldwide. The English-language version of the Netherlands worldwide will follow in the second quarter of this year.