Dutch OV-chipkaart application

The OV-chipkaart is a ticket based on payment continuity for public transport in the Netherlands. With an OV-chipkaart, you will no longer need to think about having different tickets for metro and train journeys: it’s designed to be universal and practical. With the OV system, you can travel on trains, trams, buses, and metros with a single ticket. Learn below how to get one!

Table of contents

• Netherlands OV-chipkaart rules
• OV-chipkaart for students
• OV-chipkaart for children and over-65s
• Personal VS anonymous OV-chipkaart
• OV-chipkaart cost
• How to apply for a personal OV-chipkaart
• OV-chipkaart photo requirements

Netherlands OV-chipkaart rules

Here are the general rules for using the OV-chipkaart:

1. Make sure your card is loaded before you start your public transport journey. You can top it up with money that will be deducted as you use it to pay for your fare, or you can load it with a travel product, such as a season ticket for commuting or a discount ticket for offpeak travel;
2. Check in with your card on your journey. Hold your card against the screen on a gate or designated card reader. Your card will first be checked to ensure you have a valid travel product or sufficient credit for the journey you’re about to take. If you do, then the gate will open, or the card reader will beep to confirm. If you do not: get back to step one! ;
3. Check out as you get off your journey by tapping against the screen on a gate or card reader.

OV-chipkaart for students

Students can use the student OV-chipkaart to travel for free or with a discount. Students need to get their travel products for this. As establishing your eligibility as a student requires you to confirm your identity, you will need a personal OV-chipkaart, to which you will load the student travel product.

You can apply for a personal OV-chipkaart on DUO for just € 7.50. Here are the steps to apply for the students' travel product:

1. Apply for student finance (which automatically applies to you for the student travel product as well);
2. Wait for the studentenreisproduct.nl welcome email;
3. Link your student travel product to your personal OV-chipkaart;
4. Go to a pick-up device and get your travel product.

OV-chipkaart for children and over-65s

This card also gives a discount and only works on personal cards. Here are the details of the discount, based on age and the public transport:

• 3 years and younger: free on all transport types;
• 4-11 years:
  • Railway: free with Kids Vrij from NS, Railrunner program available;
  • 34% discount on credit for other transports.
• 65 or older
  • Railway: only with a discount product;
  • 34% discount on credit for other vehicles.

Personal VS anonymous OV-chipkaart

With the personal card, you can load different passes or travel products onto it at the same time. You can also use an age or student discount, which requires specific personal eligibility only the personal card allows.

You can also use automatic reloading by linking it to your bank account, in which case a confirmed identity is a must for security purposes.

These features are unavailable with the anonymous card.

The anonymous card is not attached to a person, so passes (travel products) cannot be loaded onto the card. However, this means that an anonymous cards can be used by more than one person, but not at the same time. This may be useful to share within a family or a group of friends.

OV-chipkaart cost

The base price for an OV-chipkaart is € 7,50. However, public transport companies hold the right to decide the fees they charge passengers.

Replacement cards cost just as much as a new card, and the same policy for pricing among companies applies.

How to apply for a personal OV-chipkaart

You can simply apply online by filling out your personal details, uploading a photo, and paying the fee on the official platform here. You will need:

• A digital application photo that satisfies parameters as explained below;
• The e-commerce payment system iDEAL;
• PayPal (for people with an address in Belgium, Germany or Luxembourg).

OV-chipkaart photo requirements

Make sure your photo fulfills these parameters:

• It must be a photo of the cardholder who will travel with the card;
• The photograph must have been taken recently and represent how you currently look;
• File size: maximum 5 MB;
• The picture can both be black and white or colour;
• The whole face (chin, mouth, nose, eyes, and eyebrows) must be visible, even if you are wearing something on your head;
• The head must fill as much of the available space as possible;
• The photograph must be in focus and must not be too light or too dark. The face must be identifiable.

Here is an example:

If you want to use the benefit of the personal OV-chipkaart, make sure the photo you use to apply satisfies the requirements. This photo identifies you during application and uses on your journeys.

Visafoto has been helping people worldwide get their photos for documents and passports done so that they fulfil all the requirements. Visafoto knows all the photo requirements you need, and that’s why your resulting photo is guaranteed to be accepted.

Just take a picture of yourself with the correct dress code and pose for a passport portrait, then upload it to our tool below. It will take care of the rest.

Take an image with a smartphone or camera against any background, upload it here, and instantly get a professional photo for your visa, passport, or ID.

You will have two types of photos: a digital one for electronic applications and another one suitable for printing.