How we write our guides

Who prepares them

Ruta NL is an independent project run on a personal basis. There is no editorial team and no external professional legal review.

We use artificial intelligence tools to support the preparation of content. We check regulatory information and relevant data against the official sources cited, review texts before publishing them and correct any mistakes we find.

How we choose topics

Based on the most common questions of people moving to or living in the Netherlands: paperwork, work, housing, money and daily life. We prioritise what most affects your pocket, your rights and your safety.

Which sources we use

• Official sources first: Rijksoverheid, the Tax Administration, the Benefits Agency, the IND, municipalities and bodies such as WorkinNL, RDW, Eurostat or the OECD.
• To explain how a private service works (a classifieds website or a supermarket, for example), its own website, cited as such.
• Never a blog or forum as the only source for a legal requirement.
• Every guide lists its sources at the end, with links.

Facts, advice and assessments

• Facts: requirements, deadlines and amounts, always with their source.
• Practical advice: what is worth doing or checking, without presenting it as a rule.
• Assessments: when something cannot be measured, we say so (“assessment”).
• Examples: if they use made-up figures, the example says so.

Information that changes, and dates

• Amounts and deadlines carry their year or date (the minimum wage, for example, changes on 1 January and 1 July).
• “Sources checked on…” is the day that guide's sources were reviewed.
• When a page's content changes, its update date changes; a design change does not count.
• We keep a list of information that goes out of date and when to review it.
• Before publishing, automatic checks review the links, that the Spanish and English versions have the same figures and that summaries add nothing that is not in the guide.

Limits

The guides are general information: they do not replace the official source and are not legal, employment, tax or immigration advice. Your case may have exceptions; for important decisions, ask the competent body or a professional.

Advertising

Editorial content is not for sale. If there is ever advertising or a partnership, it will be labelled and kept separate, and it will not change what we publish. Today there is none. More in About Ruta NL.

Mistakes and outdated information

If you spot a mistake, write to us via Contact with the page and, if you can, the official source. We review it, correct it if needed and the page shows the new date. You can also help us improve.