Essential Dutch phrases

The city's one-stop counter, where registration, the eID and the driving licence are handled. In Flanders the administrative language is Dutch — unlike Brussels you have no right to be served in French.

The paper slip proving your registration is under way. Not an identity card, but for a few weeks it is your only proof of lawful presence in the country.

The neighbourhood police officer who calls at your address, unannounced, to confirm you really live there. Nothing else moves until that report comes back positive.

The health insurance fund you must choose and join yourself. Membership is compulsory but enrolment is not automatic — nobody signs you up.

A rented student room and the landlady who runs the house. In Leuven the kot is not a corner of the market — it is the market, and the whole city's rental calendar turns on it.

Leuven's own quality label for student housing, awarded after a city inspection and displayed as a QR sticker. The previous green labels stopped being valid on 1 January 2025, so an old sticker on a door means nothing.

The student lease — a separate instrument under the Flemish decree with its own term, its own notice rules and a deposit capped at two months rather than three. Check which one you are signing.

Flanders' compulsory civic integration path — social orientation, Dutch, guidance towards work. Since September 2023 the newcomer part-pays for it, which is not true in Brussels.

A formal student drinking ritual with a president, a codex of songs and elaborate rules about when you may speak. It is a genuine institution here and it is why your street is loud on a Tuesday in November.

'Blimey'. Surprise, admiration or dismay depending entirely on the tone — the most Flemish noise you can make, and one you will pick up within a month.

The little bronze student on the corner of the Rector de Somerplein, pouring knowledge into his own head. Officially the Fons Sapientiae; nobody calls him that.

112 for ambulance or fire, 101 for urgent police, 1733 for the on-call GP in the evenings and at weekends. All free from any phone, and 112 is answered in Dutch, French and English.