Working in Netherlands Living in Belgium

There are a lot of people who live in Belgium and work in Holland (and vice-versa); that's not a problem because they are all EU citizens who have the right to do so.

I think what they're saying is that the Dutch Government cannot issue a residence permit to allow anybody to live anywhere but in Holland and as your work visa is also a residence permit, it can only be granted if you live in Holland.

Terneuzen is practically on the border with Belgium; what's the problem?

The problem is they are USA citizens and my gut feeling tells me that her husband is going to work for Dow???
They are probably getting sponsored by this company and apparently they don't cover any expenses if they live in Belgium, even when it's very close.

My question to you is why you want to live in Belgium while Zeeuws-Vlaanderen has so much to offer too. And don't forget about the commute every single day.

Yes, to clairfy we are US citizens and would be sponsored by Dow. The reason we are looking to live in Belgium is because we would like to be close to the international schools.

We are not opposed to living near Terneuzen, but I am not familiar with any nearby international schools. Even if we lived by the border and drove into Belgium for school, that would be a 30-45 commute without traffic.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

There is an International school in Terneuzen; I have no idea of how good or bad it is or even if it's suitable.  This link will take you to the school website.

Another idea is that I suspect your husband will not be the first English speaking employee with kids needing an education in English, perhaps the HR department of his new employee can assist?

Thanks! I checked out that website a while back and couldn't get anyone to contact us back, so probably not a good sign.

We haven't received all the details from their mobility team so I'm sure they can offer some assistance. However, we have heard of another family that just moved there and chose to go to the Antwerp International School and they found a house that is close to the border.

Because it was a holiday two weeks ago ???
I think you should try again. The school is located where my sisters went to school.

How do you suppose get your children to Antwerp? By a school bus, public transportation or driving them yourself?
Traffic from and to Antwerp can be a nightmare. But that is totally up to you.

I am wonder in which place they found a house. And yes, I am very curious 

We've tried to contact the International School in Terneuzen several times and no response. I'll try again, but we've had timely response with other international schools so I'm not sure what the issue is.

We haven't figured out the transportation issue. That is why I'm trying to understand other options because of the commute and traffic. If we had to live in the Netherlands and drive into Antwerp, that would be over 2 hours in the car each day to drop off and pick up.

I don't know the other couple personally but I'm hoping to find out what area they chose to live in as well.

The Netherlands and Belgium have made agreements on levy tax. To avoid both countries levy tax live in nearby your job area. Thanks.

You can check this at the Belgian embassy / Consulate in the US - or they will be able to guide you to the correct govt. dept. in Belgium. Its called the Immigratie en Naturalizatiedienst in the Netherlands, so probably something similar in Belgium. You need to ask them if Belgium can grant a residence permit for non-EU citizen working in the Netherlands. The company contract should be sufficient proof of work. Also maybe good to check if he can get the '30% tax cut ruling' in the Netherlands - if thats still a thing.

Hi All ,

Good day!
This is Althaf currently living and working in Qatar. I wish to come to Netherlands as I've explored the job opportunities in Procurement, logistics and sales and so on which is more. I'm considering some websites for  applying for jobs in Netherlands, but am not getting response even though i have 7 years of UAE experience  . I'm aware that full-time employment in Netherlands needs a work permit and a work permit needs a job offer at first, so is it a good idea to visit on a tourist visa or applying any independent visa from Qatar, work on casual jobs and look for jobs there as employers usually prefer onshore candidates or might it be a fast process for applying from overseas.  Your suggestions please? Will be grateful.....

Best Regards
Althaf