Within a day of being in the Netherlands, Romane Fleury (17) from Indonesia had her passport and wallet stolen. The result: no identity card, a lot of hassle and a mysterious phone call about a possible link between her name and drugs and money laundering.

While her arrival in Nijmegen ‘was a lot of fun’ and she likes the city, Romane Fleury – who comes from Indonesia, but carries the French nationality – looks back on these past few weeks with mixed feelings. While the student Comparative European History visited her sister in Delft during her first few hours in the Netherlands, her private documents were stolen from her sister’s car.

Panic when retrieving keys

Only when Fleury went to retrieve the keys to her room a day later in Nijmegen, she realized she had lost her wallet, when she was asked to identify herself. ‘Initially I didn’t worry because I thought I’d left my things with my sister. There were no signs of a break-in in the morning: the thieves probably rolled a window down without leaving a trace.’ Only when someone tried to withdraw 600 euros from her bank account in Amsterdam a few hours later, the panic started to hit.

Luckily, their attempt was without success, since because of Fleury’s age her father must give permission for large amounts to be withdrawn from her bank account. However, her father urged her not to go to the police. He was afraid his daughter would be in trouble and that her parents would have to come to the Netherlands from Indonesia to get everything fixed.

In retrospect, Fleury would have done things different. ‘After two and a half weeks I got a call from an unknown number, saying my name and phone number was linked to drugs and money laundering,’ Fleury says. ‘To this day I have no idea how much of that was true, but it really scared me.’

Getting help from the police, university and embassy

That was the last straw to take action. The French ambassy and university are involved immediately. While the embassy has their doubts about the phone call being legit, they urge Fleury to go to the police. Fleury: ‘Luckily, making the police report went without any problems. From that moment I could apply for a new identity card.’

But the student still finds the situation difficult. For example, during the introduction week she had to get tested to get a QR-code (proof you have no corona), but that was hard without an identity card. Applying for citizenship in Nijmegen was also complicated. ‘And applying for a new passport is out of the question, since I am underage,’ states Fleury. ‘My parents would have to be there with me. That’s why I am only getting an identity card now. I’ll get a new passport when I turn 18.’

‘Don’t wait as long as I have’

With her story, Fleury wants to warn other international students at Radboud University who might experience similar issues. ‘If I was more informed about the procedure, I would have been able to resolve my problem better and quicker. Don’t wait as long as I have, but go to the police as soon as possible when your identity card is stolen. Also, ask the university for help: they are very helpful with situations like this. And don’t let the stress control your life. It’s a lot of hassle, but everything will be okay in the end.’