A collision, even a low-speed bump with a bike, is stressful, and then someone produces a schadeformulier and expects you to fill it in correctly, in Dutch, at the roadside. Get it wrong and you can complicate your claim. Here is exactly how the Europees schadeformulier works and the words you need.
What the form is
The Europees schadeformulier (European accident statement) is the standard form insurers use to decide fault and damage. As the ANWB’s tips for filling it out explain, most Dutch car insurers provide one (glovebox or app), and you complete it with the other party at the scene.
How to fill it in, in order
The structure trips people up, here’s the sequence, per the Consumentenbond’s guide to the schadeformulier:
- Front, together: fill the shared facts (date, place, vehicles, getuigen = witnesses) and draw a clear situatieschets (sketch) of what happened.
- Each their own column: both parties separately complete boxes 6 to 15 with their own account.
- Sign, only if you agree: put your handtekening on the front only if you agree with everything written. Your signature confirms the shared facts.
- Both keep a copy and send it to their insurer quickly.
If you were on a bike or on foot
You can still use it. As guides on a car-bike collision explain, a cyclist or pedestrian sends the completed form to their aansprakelijkheidsverzekering (liability insurance) or the other party’s insurer, not a car insurer.
Important: in the Netherlands, drivers are often liable toward vulnerable road users (cyclists, pedestrians). So record the facts carefully and don’t admit fault on the spot, let the insurers decide.
The vocabulary
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| het schadeformulier | accident/claim form |
| de aanrijding | the collision |
| aansprakelijk | liable |
| de getuige | witness |
| de situatieschets | sketch of the scene |
| de tegenpartij | the other party |
A useful line at the scene: “Zullen we samen het schadeformulier invullen?” (Shall we fill in the form together?)
Where it connects
The schadeformulier is the paperwork side of Dutch road life, alongside contesting a flitspaal speeding fine via the CJIB, keeping your car legal at the garage and APK, and the driving vocabulary of your rijles.
The bottom line
After a crash, the Europees schadeformulier decides the claim: fill the front together (facts + situatieschets), each complete your own side (boxes 6 to 15), and sign only if you agree. Both keep a copy and send it on fast; cyclists and pedestrians use their aansprakelijkheidsverzekering. Learn schadeformulier, aanrijding, aansprakelijk and getuige, never admit fault at the scene, and you’ll handle the worst moment on the road calmly and correctly.
Learn it in five minutes a day
Learn Dutch For Expats is an app, available on the App Store, that teaches the accident-and-insurance Dutch you’ll need under pressure, schadeformulier, aanrijding, aansprakelijk, getuige by real situation in five-minute lessons, so you can fill out the form correctly at the scene instead of freezing up.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Europees schadeformulier?
It’s the European accident statement: a standard form you fill out after a collision so the insurers can determine who is liable and what the damage is. Most Dutch car insurers provide one (often in the glovebox or via their app). You complete it together with the other party at the scene, it records the facts of the accident, a sketch, and each party’s account, and then send it to your insurer.
How do I fill out the schadeformulier correctly?
At the scene, fill the front together with the other party: the shared facts (date, place, vehicles, witnesses) and a clear sketch of what happened. Then each party separately completes their own column (boxes 6 to 15) describing their version. Only put your signature once you agree with everything written on it, your signature confirms the shared facts. Both parties then each take a completed copy.
What if I was on a bike or on foot when hit by a car?
You can still use the schadeformulier. As a cyclist or pedestrian you don’t have car insurance for it, so you send the completed form to your aansprakelijkheidsverzekering (liability insurance) or the other party’s insurer, rather than a car insurer. Note car drivers in the Netherlands are often liable toward vulnerable road users, so fill in the facts carefully and don’t admit fault on the spot.
What is the best app to learn Dutch for accidents and insurance?
Learn Dutch For Expats, an app available on the App Store, is the best pick because it teaches the accident-and-insurance Dutch you’ll need under pressure, schadeformulier, aanrijding, aansprakelijk, getuige, in five-minute lessons built around real situations, so you can fill out the form correctly at the scene instead of freezing up.
