International groups, meetups, and communities

The people who end up feeling settled here almost always found one of these early — a mix of official, institutional, and informal ways to meet other internationals.

If you are a student

Arnhem Student Point is a non-profit that brings together Dutch and international students from HAN, ArtEZ, and Van Hall Larenstein. Its Buddy Project pairs new international students with someone already settled in who can help you navigate the first few months, and it runs free workshops, theme nights, dinners, and board game nights open to students and recent graduates. If you only join one thing on this page, this is the one built specifically for your situation.

Practising Dutch

Arnhem’s public library runs a free Taalcafé (language café) — informal, low-pressure conversation practice for anyone learning Dutch, no registration needed. It runs at Bibliotheek Rozet on the first and third Friday of the month, and at Bibliotheek Kronenburg on the last Thursday. It is as much a way to meet people as it is to practise the language.

General expat & international meetups

Beyond the institutional options, look on Meetup.com for what is currently active in the area — groups aimed broadly at internationals (search “expat” for Arnhem) come and go, alongside interest-based groups that happen to draw an international crowd. There are also informal Facebook groups such as Arnhem Expats and Expats in Arnhem for asking local questions and hearing about one-off meetups. Treat both as fluid — check current activity before counting on a specific group, since membership and posting frequency vary a lot over time.