Compensation for delays
What are you entitled to?
NS International does everything in its power to ensure that your train will be on time. Unfortunately, some trains do still experience delays. A delay is the difference between the time at which the timetable states a train should arrive at its destination and the time at which it actually arrives. We will give you a refund to compensate you for the inconvenience.
We are busier than usual, it will take us about 8 weeks to respond.
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When will I receive a compensation?
You will be eligible for compensation if the delay you suffered meets on of the following conditions:
- You have a valid ticket/supplement for the delayed train.
- The delay was not known at the start of the journey (i.e. excluding planned maintenance work and planned strikes).
- Your request for compensation, together with the original tickets, is submitted to NS International Customer Service within 3 months of the journey being completed or terminated.
When will I not receive a compensation?
If you do not meet the above conditions, you are not entitled to compensation. This also applies when NS International has announced a longer journey well in advance on Travel updates or NS International app.
Compensation of less than € 4.00 will not be paid. Except for customers with a subscription that gives right to 100% discount for travelling in the Netherlands. Supplements are included in the compensation; booking fees or transaction costs are not.
You will not receive compensation if the delay has been caused, because:
- You planned a trip with too little time to change trains
- You waited on the wrong platform
- You were removed from the train because of your behaviour
- You travelled with other operators, such as Arriva, Veolia, Connexxion and Syntus
- Your delay occurred in the initial trip of your international trip, and this initial trip was not part of the transport contract when you booked your international journey *
*An example is a journey from Utrecht to Rotterdam prior to a Thalys journey from Rotterdam to Paris. This initial trip is not part of the transport contract of travelling with Thalys. This is expressed in a separate Thalys ticket. You were delayed during your initial trip and therefore missed your connection with Thalys and therefore are not entitled to compensation from the Thalys ticket. You may be eligible for compensation for delays for your trip from Utrecht to Rotterdam, see ns.nl.
How much compensation will I receive?
Delay with Thalys
A distinction is made between a delay attributable to the carrier(s) and a delay due to a force majeure situation.
Force majeure applies in the following situations (list not exclusive):
- Collision with a person
- Collision with road traffic at a level crossing
- Train traffic halted by government agencies (police, fire service)
- Activities of customs personnel on board the train
- Extreme weather conditions (storm, flooding, etc.)
In case of force majeure Thalys only offers compensation in cash according to the following criteria:
| How long was the delay? |
Amount of compensation |
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| Less than 60 minutes |
You are not entitled to any compensation |
Content |
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| 60 min.to 119 minutes |
25% of the ticket price |
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| 120 minutes or more |
50% of the ticket price |
Content |
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When a delay is attributable to the carrier(s) the compensation is:
| How long was the delay? |
Amount of compensation |
Header |
Header |
Header |
| Less than 30 minutes |
You are not entitled to any compensation |
Content |
Content |
Content |
| 30 to 59 minutes |
20% of the ticket price one-way trip as Thalys voucher |
Content |
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| 60 to 119 minutes |
50% of the ticket price one-way trip as Thalys vouche or 25% of the ticket price one-way trip in money |
Content |
Content |
Content |
| 120 minutes or more |
100% of the ticket price one-way trip as Thalys voucher or 50% of the ticket price one-way trip in money |
Content |
Content |
Content |
Compensation of less than € 4.00 will not be paid. Except for customers with a subscription that gives right to 100% discount for travelling in the Netherlands. Supplements are included in the compensation; booking fees or transaction costs are not.
Delay with Eurostar
Did you suffer a delay during your journey with Eurostar? Then you can submit your request for compensation directly to Eurostar.
Compensation of less than € 4.00 will not be paid. Except for customers with a subscription that gives right to 100% discount for travelling in the Netherlands. Supplements are included in the compensation; booking fees or transaction costs are not.
Delay with other international train services
Compensation for e.g. ICE International, Intercity Brussels, Intercity Berlin or TGV.
| How long was the delay? |
Amount of compensation |
Header |
Header |
Header |
| Less than 60 minutes |
You are not entitled to any compensation |
Content |
Content |
Content |
| 60 to 119 minutes |
25% of the ticket price (one-way ticket) |
Content |
Content |
Content |
| 120 minutes or more |
50% of the ticket price (one-way ticket) |
Content |
Content |
Content |
Compensation of less than € 4.00 will not be paid. Except for customers with a subscription that gives right to 100% discount for travelling in the Netherlands. Supplements are included in the compensation; booking fees or transaction costs are not.
Delay with Interrail and Eurail
When travelling with an Interrail or Eurail ticket, you can request compensation directly to the Eurail organisation.
Compensation Interrail
Compensation Eurail
NS International voucher
The NS International voucher and the Thalys voucher, issued by the NS International Customer Service, are valid for 12 months and can be used to purchase a ticket at one of the service offices with a NS International counter or via NS International Service Center (030-2300023).
Online use
Also when booking online, it is possible to exchange your voucher. In that case, send the voucher, stating your booking code (DNR) to:
NS International Service Center,
Antwoordnummer 4470,
3500 VE Utrecht.
At a ticket machine
When you purchase an international ticket at an NS ticket machine, you can send both your used tickets and your vouchers together with your bank details to this same address after your journey. Your money will then be deposited into your account.
Frequently asked questions about refunds for delays
Under which circumstances can I get my money back if my train is delayed?
You have a valid ticket for the delayed train. The delay was unknown when the ticket was purchased (and not mentioned in planned engineering works or announced strikes). Your request for compensation must be accompanied by original tickets and submitted to the NS International Customer Service within 3 months after the journey. For more information, please visit our
support page.
After how much delay will I get compensated?
Will I also be reimbursed for the extra costs I made? For my hotel or taxi?
Whether you will be reimbursed for additional costs depends on various factors. It depends, for example, on which train you travelled with and the cause of the delays. You can find more explanation in chapter 9 of the
General Conditions for Rail Passenger Transport.
I received a voucher. How can I redeem it?
You can pay directly using your voucher when you buy your ticket at the NS International desk in the Service Shop. When purchasing your ticket via NSInternational.nl or from Customer Service (by telephone: +31 (0)30 23 000 23), you must first pay for the booking in full. Then send your credit note, stating your booking code (DNR), to NS International Customer Service / Antwoordnummer 4470 / 3500 VE Utrecht. When we receive it, we will deduct your credit from your booking. The value of your voucher will be refunded to the account used to pay for the booking. Please note: we only process NS International vouchers. A voucher from, for example, Thalys or Eurostar cannot be used to pay for your booking.
How long will it take to get my money back?
If you cancelled your ticket before departure via NSInternational.nl or at the Customer Service Desk, it takes about 2 weeks before the amount is credited to your account. However, due to the current workload in settling claims, getting a refund now takes longer than you are accustomed to. Unfortunately, the processing time is 8 weeks at the moment.