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Maandag 09:00 - 17:00 Dinsdag 09:00 - 17:00 Woensdag 09:00 - 17:00 Donderdag 09:00 - 17:00

International Welcome Center North - IWCN

Startpagina
Nederland
Groningen
International Welcome Center North - IWCN

Bellen Routebeschrijving Website

IWCN is a one-stop-shop for international communities in Groningen, Friesland, and Drenthe.

The International Welcome Center North (IWCN) is a one-stop shop for international people living in Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe. We offer services in three areas: government formalities (residence permits and municipal registration); information (practical information and referrals to reliable service providers); and events (a chance to start building a social and/or business network during events). All of this happens at one location, and we are open Monday through Thursday from 9:30 to 16:30.

04/11/2026

𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐚𝐭 𝐍𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰 - which activities will you take part in? 🇳🇱🏃‍➡️💬🎲

Praat Nederlands Day is a day full of fun activities in simple Dutch to encourage all language learners to practice in real, everyday situations. We have joined forces with many local organizations and initiatives to create a range of activities you can choose from. All events are free to attend but require a sign-up. Everyone is welcome to join, no matter your language level!

You can browse our full programme for all three Northern provinces (Friesland, Groningen & Drenthe) and learn more about the initiative on our website: https://iwcn.nl/blog/praat-nederlands-day-2026/

or sign up directly for activities: https://iwcn.nl/events/

Praat Nederlands Day is a joint initiative of international welcome centers around the Netherlands to promote local opportunities and resources for Dutch language learning and integration support.

01/11/2026

𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐮𝐩: It’s almost time for the first Monday of the new month, so don’t be alarmed if you hear air raid sirens or receive an NL alert on your phone at 12:00 on this day! It’s just a test to see if the alarm system works correctly.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭?
If the air raid sirens go off on the first Monday of the month at 12:00 (noon) and last for about 1 minute and 26 seconds, you know it is a test. Air sirens will not be tested outside these days or on public holidays.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝?
To see that the warning infrastructure is functioning correctly and to let citizens know what the sirens sound like.

29/10/2026

You might know that the Netherlands is a monarchy, but what do you know about its history? Would you like to learn how the royals got associated with the colour orange? Why one king got ‘Gorilla’ as his nickname? Why one queen got buried in her wedding dress? And would you like to hear the Netherlands’ own Rasputin story, from the 1950s? Come to the next history lecture and find out about these and other colourful characters from the Royal Family of the Netherlands!

📆 18 November
🕒 17:00
📍 Groningen
🔗 Sign up: https://iwcn.nl/events/dutch-history-culture-the-royal-family-181126/

21/10/2026

𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐖𝐂𝐍 𝐰𝐞𝐛𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞.

We’re tuning in to let you all know that our website is offline for the time being. Our website is built with PHP and we’ve taken this safety precaution to prevent any attempts at unauthorised access. We want to confirm that this is purely a preventative measure on our part. You can still contact us as normal by phone +31 (0) 50 367 7197 or by email [email protected] during our usual opening hours.

We apologize for the inconvenience and hope that our website will be back online as soon as the bug has been fixed! Better safe than sorry, right?

20/10/2026

Are you new to Friesland and the Netherlands or still adjusting to life, work, language, or culture here? Finding Your Feet in Friesland is a small-group reflection session for internationals living in the Netherlands who want to pause, reflect, and connect with others navigating life in a new country.

These sessions are fully in English and focus on human connection, reflection, and shared experiences rather than formal coaching or therapy. Through this event, our host Bruno offers you space to find inspiration, rediscover motivation, and gain a clearer sense of direction as you navigate this new chapter of your life. Through open conversations and shared experiences, you can also build new connections with others who understand the challenges and opportunities of starting fresh in a new country.

📆 7 November
🕒 13:30
📍 Heerenveen
🔗 Sign-up: https://iwcn.nl/events/finding-your-feet-in-friesland-heerenveen-071126/

15/10/2026

Save the date: 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐚𝐭 𝐍𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝟐𝟔 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔!

Learning Dutch is about more than 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢 - it's about feeling at home, making connections, and becoming part of your local community.

On 𝟐𝟔 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔, international welcome centres across the Netherlands are joining forces for 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐚𝐭 𝐍𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐲, a national initiative encouraging internationals to practice Dutch in welcoming, everyday environments.

Whether you're just learning your first 𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯 or already having conversations, Praat Nederlands Day is for everyone who wants to build confidence speaking Dutch. Employers, local residents and organisations are also invited to take part by creating 𝘨𝘦𝘻𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘨 opportunities for internationals to practise.

📍 Join us in Friesland, Drenthe and Groningen
🗓️ 26 November 2026
🔗 More information and full programme will follow soon!

Together with Leiden International Centre, The Hague International Centre, Rotterdam International Center, IN Amsterdam, Utrecht International Center, Holland Expat Centre Zuid, International Welcome Center North, and Zeeland International Center, we're making Dutch practice more accessible across the Netherlands.

Durf jij een dag Nederlands te praten? Can you speak Dutch for a day?

13/10/2026

Looking for volunteer opportunities in the North? We might have something for you! ⬇️

We’re currently looking for both FietsFriend and Walking Club volunteers.

𝐅𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐬𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫
🚲 Knows a thing or two about bikes and biking, and wants to share their knowledge and tips with internationals learning to bike
🚲 Is available to help out with FietsFriend workshops, fun biking excursions and one-on-one lessons a couple times a year
🚲 Speaks English and gets along with people from different backgrounds

𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛 𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫
🚶 Likes to spend time outdoors and connecting with others
🚶 Is available to plan fun walking routes and help lead our Sunday walks every once in a while
🚶 Speaks English and gets along with people from different backgrounds

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮?
💙 You get to become part of our awesome volunteer community
💙 You get to enjoy our fun volunteer outings
💙 Gain valuable experience working with an international community!
💙 Us and our wonderful volunteers will help you get up to speed

Interested? We would like to hear more about you! Send a short introduction of yourself to 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬@𝐢𝐰𝐜𝐧.𝐧𝐥

Got any questions? You can send them to the same email address

09/10/2026

Understanding the Dutch education system and finding the right school for your child in the Netherlands can be quite a challenge.

How does this complex education system actually work? What is the difference between primary school and secondary school, and how do the different levels work within a secondary school? What is the difference between regular schools, special education forms such as Montessori, and international schools? Can you attend a Dutch school if you don’t speak Dutch yet? And what about enrollment and waiting lists?

If questions like these have been on your mind lately, we highly recommend you to attend our upcoming free webinar about navigating the Dutch education system. During this session you will learn about the ins and outs of how Dutch education works and hear about international schools in the area.

📆 3 November
🕒 19:00
📍 Online
🔗 Sign up: https://iwcn.nl/events/free/navigating-the-dutch-education-systeml-iwcn-webinar/

06/10/2026

Would you like to learn more about Dutch History & Culture? 🤔🇳🇱

Join us on October 28 as we explore the Dutch historical canon, a chronological list of the most important events and people in Dutch history, as compiled by the Ministry of Education. In this lecture, we will use the most recent canon to take you through the rich history of the Netherlands, as well as the choices made by the Ministry to include some and exclude other events. From the Hanseatic League and Erasmus of Rotterdam to Vincent van Gogh and the Second World War, you can expect a wide variety of highlights from the history of this peculiar country.

📆 28 October
🕒 17:00
📍 Groningen
🔗 Sign up: https://iwcn.nl/events/dutch-history-culture-the-dutch-canon-281026/

03/10/2026

🎃𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐏𝐘 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐒, 𝐏𝐔𝐌𝐏𝐊𝐈𝐍 𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐄🎃
October is here, which means that we've officially entered autumn season. As the leaves start to change colours and pumpkins find their places next to doorsteps, the Netherlands is slowly settling into the cosier half of the year. Or, depending who you ask, it could be officially time to dig out your raincoat, charge your bike lights and start debating whether 12 degrees Celsius is actually "cold". No matter what you might think about the upcoming season, one thing is for sure: there is plenty to look forward to.

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Adres

Gedempte Zuiderdiep 98
Groningen
9711HL

Openingstijden

Maandag	09:00 - 17:00
Dinsdag	09:00 - 17:00
Woensdag	09:00 - 17:00
Donderdag	09:00 - 17:00

Telefoon

+31503677197

Website

https://iwcn.nl/

Meldingen

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