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Former DUO study financing recipients can receive relaxed repayments

The island of Sint Maarten, is home to about 1000 former students who followed a degree programme in the Netherlands and received student finance from DUO (Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs or Education Executive Agency, previously called IB-Groep). Many of these former students are insufficiently aware of how they can repay their debts, and as a result they may be faced with bailiff procedures.

 

In order to tackle the debt problem, the Minister of Education, Culture and Science in the Netherlands has decided that debtors on Sint Maarten may qualify for a one-off, personal relaxed repayment scheme. Debtors are required to provide DUO with their up-to-date address details for the duration of their debt repayment. Unfortunately, DUO does not have correct address details for all its debtors living on Sint Maarten, and the relaxed repayment scheme therefore cannot be offered to these people.

 

The Minister recently decided to give these debtors the chance to submit their current address details to DUO by 1 May 2016 at the latest in order to qualify for a personal repayment scheme. Any debtors who fail to meet this submission deadline will not qualify for the scheme.

 

If you are unsure whether DUO has your current address details, please send an e-mail to antillen@duo.nl to make sure you qualify for this one-off personal offer and avoid any bailiff’s fees. The e-mail must contain at least your:

  • First name and surname
  • Date of birth
  • Address
  • telephone number

 

DUO also conducts address checks itself among ‘missing’ debtors on Sint Maarten, using all the means that it has at its disposal. Any debtors who are found after 1 May 2016 will not qualify for a personal repayment plan.

More information about the personal relaxed repayment plan can be found on the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/studieschuldantillen

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