OV-chipkaart

There are various cards that allow you to travel anywhere on public transport.

• The new OV-pas

The OV-pas is the new card that replaces the OV-chipkaart on public transport in the Netherlands. Passengers who pay the full fare or travel with an age discount can already use the OV-pas. The great thing about the OV-pas is that you can top up your balance online 24/7, so you no longer need to visit a ticket machine. Find out more.

• Anonymous OV-chipkaart.

The anonymous public transport chip card is not personalised. It is also not possible to add season tickets or age discounts to the card; you travel with the balance that you add to the card yourself at a ticket machine. Read more about the anonymous public transport chip card. The anonymous OV-chipkaart will soon be replaced by the new public transport pass.

• Personal OV-chipkaart

Do you travel frequently by public transport? Then a personal OV-chipkaart is useful for you. You can add various travel products to this OV-chipkaart and take advantage of age discounts. You can also top up the balance automatically. Read more about the personal OV-chipkaart. Before you apply for the OV-chipkaart, first check whether the new OV-pas might be more suitable for you. 

First, you buy an OV-chipkaart. This will cost you €7.50. Did you receive the card? Load the card by putting money on it at a recharge point. Once there is balance on your card, you check in and start your journey!

Are you about to buy an OV-chipkaart? Then check out the new OV-pas first. The OV-pas replaces the OV-chipkaart in public transport in the Netherlands. The great thing about the OV-pas is that you can top up your balance online 24/7, so you no longer need to visit a ticket machine. The OV-pas costs only €6. Find out more.

You can buy an anonymous OV-chipkaart:

• At an NS vending machine
  At shops such as supermarkets, Bruna and Primera. Find a point of sale near you
  At an HTM service shop

The anonymous OV-chipkaart is given to you straight away. So you can start travelling straight away!

You can buy a personal OV-chipkaart:

• Online: www.ov-chipkaart.nl
• By post: collect an application package from an HTM Service Shop.

You will receive a personal OV-chipkaart by post.

You can put money on your OV-chipkaart in 4 ways:

Ticket machines in the trams

All HTM trams have red ticket machines where you can top up the balance on your OV-chipkaart. At these vending machines you pay with coins, bank card or credit card (Visa or Mastercard).

Yellow loading and collection machines

You will find these machines in shops such as supermarkets, Bruna or Primera. You only pay here with your bank card.

NS vending machines

You can recharge your OV-chipkaart with a bank card, credit card or coins at the NS vending machines at train stations. Here you can also buy NS travel products to put on your OV-chipkaart.

HTM service shop

At all HTM service shops you can put money on your OV-chipkaart and buy a monthly season ticket. Here you pay with a bank card, coins or notes or with a credit card.

Want to know where the nearest ticket machine is? Find one nearby.

If you choose automatic balance, there is always enough balance on your OV-chipkaart. As soon as the balance on your OV-chipkaart is too low for the journey you are checking in for, an amount is automatically transferred from your bank account to your OV-chipkaart. You can choose this amount yourself. You can request an automatic balance via ov-chipkaart.nl.

Please note: automatic balance is only possible with a personal OV-chipkaart.

Checking in:

• At the start of your journey, you check in at a card reader on the bus or tram. You do this by holding your OV-chipkaart in front of the pink logo on the card reader.
• Wait until you hear the beep. When you have checked in correctly, you will see the text Incheck OK.
• The card reader checks whether you have enough balance or a valid travel product to travel. The boarding fare of €4 will now be automatically deducted from your balance.

Checking out:

• As soon as you leave the tram or bus, you check out again. Hold your OV-chipkaart in front of the pink logo on the card reader again.
• Wait until you hear 2 beeps. When you have checked out correctly, you will see the text Uitcheck OK.
• The card reader calculates the amount you have to pay for the journey. This amount is automatically offset against the boarding fare of €4. The screen of the card reader shows how expensive the journey was and how much money is left on the OV-chipkaart.

Are you changing to another HTM tram or bus? Then you do not have to pay the basic fare again. As long as the time between checking out on the first bus or tram and checking in on the next bus or tram is less than 35 minutes, you only pay the basic fare once.

Check the OV-chipkaart website.

It is important to have sufficient balance when checking in. Make sure the balance is at least € 0 (i.e. not in the minus). Is the balance too low to check in? Load up your OV-chipkaart and start your journey.

Please note: with the Ooievaarspas and Studenten OV there is no minimum balance.

Both an anonymous and a personal OV-chipkaart cost €7.50. The new OV-pas costs €6.

You can travel as soon as there is credit or a travel product on the card.

With OV-chipkaart, you pay for what you travel: a fixed boarding rate + a fixed rate per kilometre.

Discover our fares.

You can check the balance in 5 ways:

• While checking out

When you check out, you will see the fare and how much balance is left on the card.

• Ticket machines in trams

All HTM trams have ticket machines where you can check your balance. Here you can also put money on the card, collect orders and view card details. Payment is done here with coins, bank cards or credit cards (Visa or Mastercard).

• Yellow loading and withdrawal machines

You can check the current balance on the yellow machines, which you can find in shops such as supermarkets, the Bruna or Primera. Here you can also put money on the card and collect orders from OV-chipkaart.nl. Paying here is done with your bank card.

• NS ticket machines

NS ticket machines can be found at all railway stations. At these machines you check your balance and buy NS travel products. Pay at these machines with your bank card, credit card or coins.

• HTM Service Shops

You can also check your balance at HTM Service Shops. Here you can also put money on your OV-chipkaart, buy a monthly pass or collect orders from OV-chipkaart.nl. Payment is done here with a bank card, coins or notes or with a credit card.

Want to know where the nearest ticket machine is? Then take a look at this map.

• Did you forget to check out? Go to uitcheckgemist.nl
• Are you travelling with a business OV-chipkaart? For a missed check-out, go to the refund form.
•  Please note: this does not apply to an NS Businesscard.
• Is the card reader faulty or did you pay too much? Then go to the refund form. Of course, you can also drop by one of the HTM Service Shops.
• Do you see 'switch' on the card reader when you check out? You may have accidentally checked in again. Check out again. Was an incorrect amount still debited? If so, go to the refund form.
• TIP: Never miss a forgotten check-out again with the Uitcheck gemist alert! You will be notified immediately to request a refund.

• Anonymous OV-chipkaart

Because the anonymous public transport chip card is not personalised, you are not insured against loss or theft. Unfortunately, you will lose the money that was on the public transport chip card. You can buy a new public transport chip card for €7.50. Or switch to the new OV-pas for only €6.

• Personal OV-chipkaart

Don't worry, the products on your OV-chipkaart are insured against loss and theft. You do have to block the OV-chipkaart immediately. You do this by: 

• Calling OV-chipkaart Customer Service (available on 0900 - 0980, closed at the weekend). Your OV-chipkaart will be blocked the next day.
• Submit a blocking request in your account on ov-chipkaart.nl. Your OV-chipkaart is blocked within 24 hours.

Regulation Regio Jaarabonnement

Is there a Regio Jaarabonnement on the lost or stolen OV-chipkaart?

To bridge the time you have to wait for a replacement OV-chipkaart, you can borrow a temporary OV-chipkaart with a season ticket from HTM. You pay a € 25 deposit for this. Go to an HTM service shop for this.

More details

Is your OV-chipkaart no longer working properly? Go to an HTM Service Shop or NS Balie to check what is wrong. The staff will check your card and give advice on what to do next. There are several options:

• Anonymous OV-chipkaart

Is your Anonymous OV-chipkaart broken? You can terminate the card. Don't forget to ask for the balance of your OV-chipkaart back! Do this via the OV-chipkaart website or ask for a form at an HTM Service Shop. If you would like to purchase a new card, please choose the new OV-pas.

• Personal OV-chipkaart

Is your personal OV-chipkaart broken? You can request a new card on theOV-chipkaart website. This will cost you €11. Subscriptions and/or automatic recharging will be transferred to the new OV-chipkaart.

Depending on which products you have on your public transport chip card, the new public transport pass may be a better solution for you.

Both an anonymous and a personal OV-chipkaart are valid for 5 years. Check the expiry date on the OV-chipkaart. After this date you can no longer travel with this OV-chipkaart. Is there still balance on the anonymous OV-chipkaart after this date? Then reclaim the balance. 

• Personal OV-chipkaart

Will your OV-chipkaart expire within 6 weeks? Check the conditions on ov-chipkaart.nl. For a renewed OV-chipkaart you pay € 7.50 via iDEAL. Don't forget to upload a new passport photo. The balance on the old OV-chipkaart will be refunded to your bank account 15 working days after the card expires. Subscriptions and Automatic Recharging will automatically be transferred to the new card. When you check in for the first time with the new card, the card will be automatically recharged immediately.

Depending on which products you have on your public transport chip card, the new public transport pass may be a better solution for you.

• Anonymous OV-chipkaart

You cannot renew an anonymous OV-chipkaart. The expired card is automatically terminated. You can apply for a new public transport chip card, but it is smarter to switch immediately to the new public transport pass that replaces the public transport chip card. Do not forget to ask for the balance remaining on the old card. You can only request the balance via the website, not at an HTM Service Shop. Read more about an expired OV-chipkaart here.

I am sorry that checking in is not working properly! Check whether you are holding your OV-chipkaart in front of the bottom of the card reader. This often solves the error message.