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May 2018 / Newsletter #42

Netherlands King's Day 2018 Sydney

Amid plenty of tulips, ‘Zaanse huisjes’, bitterballen and an orange carpet to welcome all guests, King's Day in Sydney was once again a great success. Close to 700 guests celebrated His Majesty King Willem-Alexander’s 51st birthday, and the traditional ‘Leve de Koning! Hoera! Hoera! Hoera!’ was called out almost loud enough to bridge the 16,500 km distance from ‘Down Under’ to the Netherlands.

During the VIP reception prior to the party Australian officials, Dutch-Australian business relations and other distinguished guests were treated to a Q&A by Jacco Verhaeren, the famous Dutch swim coach who currently coaches the Australian Olympic swimming team. He is known for coaching Pieter van den Hoogenband, Inge de Bruijn, and Ranomi Kromowidjojo to multiple Olympic gold medals. Guests were eager to take the opportunity to ask Jacco questions about his experiences in both countries.

The Q&A was a great fit with the overall theme of the evening, ‘Healthy Living, Happy Celebrations’. In that light, Consul General Frank van Beuningen held a speech about Dutch expertise in healthcare, healthy food production and sports. Afterwards, a lucky door prize of Dutch owned sunscreen brand Surf Life Saving Sunscreen [https://www.facebook.com/SurfLifeSavingSunscreen/?fref=mentions] – very fitting in Australia - was handed out by Wout Brama, a Dutch soccer player who currently plays for the Central Coast Mariners, north of Sydney.

It was wonderful to see the city of Sydney turn orange once again, and we’d like to thank our sponsors and everyone for coming!

King's Day Canberra

The embassy organised the annual King’s Day reception at the ambassador’s residence.

Representatives of various Australian departments and authorities, the diplomatic corps and members of the Dutch community were invited to celebrate the birthday of King Willem-Alexander.

Our guests enjoyed the traditional Dutch drinks and snacks, such as bitterballen.

The Dutch and the Australian anthems were sung by Dutch soprano Maartje Sevenster, who was accompanied by violinist Lauren Davis. Maartje sings with the Canberra Choral Society [https://www.facebook.com/Canberra-Choral-Society-113185605403957/?fref=mentions] and Lauren is a member of the Canberra Symphony Orchestra [https://www.facebook.com/canberrasymphonyorchestra/?fref=mentions] and the leader of the Riverina Chamber Orchestra.

In her speech, Ambassador Erica Schouten made 3 birthday wishes. Her first wish was that it would be King’s Day every day! The second wish was for a Free Trade Agreement between the EU and Australia. The ambassador’s third wish was for closer economic cooperation between the Netherlands and Australia. The key word here is innovation. The ambassador announced the upcoming arrival to Australia of Dutchman Wiebe Wakker who is travelling from the Netherlands to Australia in his electric car, promoting green mobility. You can follow his journey here: Plug Me In [https://www.facebook.com/PlugMeIn/?fref=mentions].

Luckily, the weather was on our side and we had the pleasure of approximately 250 guests joining in on the 'gezelligheid'. Thank you all for coming. We hope you had a wonderful afternoon!

The five-yearly Honorary Consuls conference

The Dutch Honorary Consuls (HCs) in Australia and Papua New Guinea travelled to the Netherlands to attend the five-yearly HC conference in The Hague. They were welcomed by the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs who all acknowledged the HCs’ efforts for the Kingdom and expressed their sincere appreciation for their endeavours.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Stef Blok, said he is grateful for the local expertise and the network the consuls bring with them and how they strengthen the work of our professional diplomats.

Out of the 288 Dutch Honorary Consuls around the world, coming from the 140 diplomatic missions of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 230 in total were present at the conference.

The HCs were also welcomed by His Royal Highness King Willem-Alexander during a reception at the palace.

Over the course of the week, the HCs visited the Ministry in The Hague, the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven and Strijp-S; Eindhoven’s Creative & cultural centre.

For more information about the Honorary Consul network in Australia click 'Read More'.

Read More [https://www.netherlandsworldwide.nl/countries/australia/about-us/who-are-we/consulates-in-australia] Why we Cycle charity screening Sydney

Cycling is a way of life in the Netherlands. In fact, there are more bikes than people. The 17 million Dutch own 18 million bicycles, most of which are made in the Netherlands. That is why we would love to see the whole world as a bike friendly place.

If you ever wondered why exactly Dutch people love cycling so much, the new documentary 'Why We Cycle' offers you a chance to get a glance of our cycle culture. The film explores the impact cycling has on the Netherlands, and what other countries can learn from it. The film was made especially for international audiences, by Dutch cycling professor at University of Amsterdam / Universiteit van Amsterdam [https://www.facebook.com/UniversityofAmsterdam/?fref=mentions] Marco te Brömmelstroet who worked together with film makers Gertjan Hulster and Arne Gielen, and radio maker Jeroen Dirks.

The screening will take place on May the 16th at Event Cinemas (on George Street), Sydney. Tickets are AUD$15 and all proceeds will go to the charity organisation World Bicycle Relief [https://www.facebook.com/worldbicyclerelief/?fref=mentions], who mobilise people through the power of bicycles. For tickets, please click the button below.

Tickets Screening Sydney [https://www.eventbrite.com/e/why-we-cycle-sydney-supporting-world-bicycle-relief-tickets-44473940754] My Giraffe at the Children's International Film Festival Melbourne

During the Children's international Film Festival (CHIFF) in Melbourne (April 27th - 6th of May) the movie My Giraffe will be shown, inspired by one of Holland’s most beloved nursery rhymes ' Dikkertje Dap [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvZM4VHyPEA]',

Patterson is a small boy with a big best friend: Raf the giraffe. They were born on the same day, live next door to each other, and are inseparable. When they reach school age, they are both very excited. However, they soon find out that animals aren’t allowed to come to school. Patterson gradually learns to enjoy school and even makes a new friend. But Raf feels left out. That’s when Patterson comes up with a brilliant plan to bring his giraffe to school and enjoy the company of both his best friends!

My Giraffe is an imaginative story about value and flux in an unusual friendship.

You can find the program [http://www.chiff.com.au/UserContent/c9c1a788-efc7-429e-b97a-d7cd6f3eb7a1/Documents/Chiff_2018_Program_Digital.pdf] here or visit their website with the button below.

Website CHIFF [http://www.chiff.com.au/] University Exchange Fair

The Netherlands Consulate-General represented multiple Dutch universities at the exchange fairs of University of New South Wales ( UNSW [https://www.facebook.com/unsw/?fref=mentions]) in Sydney and Queensland University of Technology ( QUT [https://www.facebook.com/QUTBrisbane/?fref=mentions]) in Brisbane. The fairs are part of the annual so-called Exchange Fair Circuit in Australia. Every year worldwide exchange fairs are held to give students the opportunity to study abroad.

All students that we spoke to were very enthusiastic about studying in the Netherlands. Not only in the big cities, but also at universities such as in Maastricht and Delft.

Did you miss the chance to speak to us, but are you still interested in studying in the Netherlands, click the button below for more information!

Study in Holland [http://www.studyinholland.nl] New Opening Hours Consulate-General

Opening hours as per 1 May 2018

To be better able to process the increased amount of passport applications the Consulate General has changed its opening hours as follows:

- Monday, Friday: 9am – 12pm

- Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday: 8am – 1pm

With this change the consulate maintains the same amount of opening hours as before. Early birds travelling from interstate will be better served with earlier opening hours.

First passport application – birth certificate essential per 1 May 2018

When applying for a passport for the first time it is essential to hand in a birth certificate (not older than 1 year) with an apostille stamp. If the required document is not present, consular staff are not allowed to take in the application.

An apostille stamp must not have been issued more than 6 months ago and must be placed on the original document and not on photocopies. An apostille stamp is obtainable from the Australian Passport Office/Authentication Station in your state’s capital.

Preparing for your passport application

1. Applications are by appointment only. Book an appointment using our website: [https://www.vfsvisaonline.com/Netherlands-Global-Online-Appointment_Zone1/AppScheduling/AppWelcome.aspx?P=wClNiU4hmfBtBSfTMP3wVn00rGAUYRxphZxioDYfEy0]=

2. Please check what documents you have to bring to your passport application on https://www.netherlandsworldwide.nl/living-working/passport-and-identity-card/applying-for-a-passport [https://www.nederlandwereldwijd.nl/documenten/publicaties/2018/01/01/checklist-documenten-bij-aanvraag-paspoort-of-id-kaart-in-het-buitenland]

Make sure to bring copies of all original documents. All foreign documents must be legalized/authenticated by the appropriate authorities. Australian documents (e.g. birth certificates, marriage certificates) must be authenticated by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs with a so called ‘apostille stamp’. Apostille stamps are obtainable from the Australian Passport Office, authentication station in your state’s capital.

3. Bring correct passport photos. In general passport photos used for Australian passports are too big to use for your application for a Dutch passport. Please check the website: [https://www.netherlandsworldwide.nl/living-working/passport-and-identity-card/photo-for-a-passport-or-identity-card/australia]

Travel tip

In case you lose your passport it is always handy to have a hard or soft copy of the passport at hand e.g. on your phone or sending a copy to a friend or family member you can trust.

Dutch and Australian nationality?

If you are not in a position to visit the Netherlands Consulate-General in Sydney to renew your passport, you can apply for a Dutch Nationality Certificate. This might be especially interesting for people who also have Australian nationality and want to maintain their Dutch nationality.

A Dutch Nationality Certificate is not a travel document and can’t be used as such. Please be aware that if you hold Australian nationality you have to travel out and back into Australia on your Australian passport. The Dutch Nationality Certificate is valid for 10 years. You can apply for such a Certificate by sending the following documents to the Netherlands Consulate-General (P.O. Box 261, Bondi Junction NSW 1355):

- Legalised copy of your Dutch passport;

- Proof of legal residence in Australia, e.g. recent letter of the Australian Immigration Department or a legalised copy of your Australian passport;

- A copy of an official document containing your name and address, e.g. electricity bill, bank statement; and

- Payment of 46AUD (subject to exchange rates) by providing us with a credit card authorisation form.

If you are a minor or if this is the first application after becoming an Australian citizen, further documents are needed. Please click on the read more button to check our website for more information.

Please check your passport

Our consular staff in Sydney are experiencing an enormous amount of phone calls and emails from people who realise that their passport is about to expire and they can’t travel on it anymore.

Please be aware that if you are travelling through or via most Asian countries your passport needs to be valid for at least 6 months after leaving the country. A lot of Asian countries (as well as New Zealand) do not accept handwritten emergency passports so the only solution is to apply for a new passport using the emergency fast track option. It will then take about 10 working days to issue a passport (not including the time needed by Australia Post to get the passport to you).

Therefore please check your passport and book an appointment to avoid disappointment. Please click on the read more button below to visit our website for more information.

Read more [https://www.nederlandwereldwijd.nl/wonen-werken/paspoort-en-id-kaart/paspoort-aanvragen/paspoort-verlengen-meerderjarige-in-het-buitenland/australie]

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