New members of the Netherlands forum, introduce yourselves here - 2018

53177POSTS

8 years ago

Hi all,

Newbie on the Netherlands forum? Dont know how to start?

This thread is for you

We invite you to introduce yourself on this topic, to share with us your expat story if you are already living in the country, or to tell us more on your expat projects in the Netherlands if you are planning to move there.

It will enable us to help you better but above all to wish you a warm welcome.

Welcome on board!

7 members reacted to this post

See also

Working in the Netherlands as a digital nomad - Guide
New members of the Netherlands forum, introduce yourselves here - 2026 - 3 Replies
Looking for new friends in Bergen op Zoom area - 0 Reply
Roermond Expats - 1 Reply
Tunisians in the Netherlands - 19 Replies
anyone from from almelo? - 5 Replies
Filipino Community in the Netherlands - 69 Replies

Mukasa john mutebi Member

1POSTS

8 years ago

Hello,
Iam Mukasa johnmutebi,a Ugandan,
But currently am in Israel, for my internship,
I would like to come to Netherlands in this year,
If possible to be employed from there.

Cynic UK/Netherlands Expert

8115POSTS

8 years ago

Hi Mukasa and welcome to the Forum.

At the top of this page is a link to our Handy Tools section; if you select that, you'll get access to our Expat Guides which have been written to help you plan your journey.

Once you've read those, if you have any further specific questions, please come back to us.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Geopanas Member

1POSTS

8 years ago

Greeting
I am George Panas i come from Greece and i have been in the Netherlands for almost a year now. I am currently working as a waiter in Alkmaar Noord. I am looking for extra work that possibly provides accommodation. I am very experienced in restaurants and food services and a very good team player. Available for morning or evening shifts.

Max.RI Member

2POSTS

8 years ago

Hi I'm Max from Germany, I have been in the Netherlands for the past 5 months for an internship and will start a fulltime job in a hotel in March. Therefore i am looking for an acommodation in or around Amsterdam.

Chris_Hohn Member

1POSTS

8 years ago

Hi everyone. My name is Chris. I'm lucky enough to have dual-citizenship by birth through my mother in the United States and the Netherlands. I guess you could say I'm one of the lucky few that can still claim dual-citizenship in the Netherlands after they changed their laws. Long story short, I just turned 33. I've been working in the investment management field as a portfolio analyst for about 8 years now. 5 of which is with my current firm in New York City. I've reached the point in my life where I want to pursue my dream of actually taking advantage of my EU citizenship and moving to Europe. I think this would benefit me personally as well as professionally.

I have family in Amersfoort so it would be natural for me to move to the Netherlands (at least initially).

I joined this board to network and try and learn how I can pull this off. I figure people have done it before so why reinvent the wheel? It seems like a daunting task, but at the very least I don't have to apply for a work visa.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Cynic UK/Netherlands Expert

8115POSTS

8 years ago

Hi Chris and welcome to the Forum.

If you have a Dutch passport, then it's relatively simple, you'll have no problems with Immigration at Schiphol. When you get to your family in Amersfoort, just go down to the Town Hall (Gemeentehuis) and register (inschrijven) at that address (you have 5 days to do this); when you register, you'll get a BSN number with which you can open a bank account and more importantly, be able to pay taxes (so find a job), register at the doctors and register a car - you can't do any of these without a BSN number. If you already have a Dutch passport, the number will be on there and the Gemeente will use that for registration purposes, so don't forget your passport.

For work, you haven't said if you speak Dutch; assuming you do, then look around the agencies dealing in your specialisation - et voila.

If you don't speak Dutch, then it's not so easy because you're really limiting where you can work and many agencies won't even speak to you. I'd recommend contacting the HR departments of the multi-nationals; you probably already know many of these.

One last word of warning - taxes. As a US citizen, you still have to make an annual declaration to the IRS; shouldn't be a problem as there is a multilateral agreement between the US/NL and you won't be charged twice for income tax. However, 2 points where US citizens get caught out. 1 - You are still liable for US State taxes (if you pay them back in the US). 2 - the multilateral agreement is only applicable to income tax; the NL has a lot of social taxes of which it doesn't apply and they will tax you on all income earned worldwide for the previous period of the tax year, so if you arrive in September 2018, they will charge you in arrears for the period Jan > Sep 2018. The Dutch tax authorities will want copies of all your US payslips, bank statements etc for this period; if you don't have any, then they will estimate. I had a very real shock when they got me. There are also rumours going around (it's already happened in Germany) that all of your investment records from Holland will be reported to the IRS, so the US taxman will be able to assess you for US taxes. You can get out of all of this by renouncing your US citizenship, but that's up to you.

If you have any further specific questions, please come back to us.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

1 member reacted to this post

Chill_work_live Member

11POSTS

8 years ago

My name is Natasha. Born in Amsterdam, Surinameze from origine. Basicly Dutch uhm, uhm. I am a bit preserved as a person. I like to work, have a drink and a chat. Currently back in Amsterdam. I worked a Bucharest for almost a month. I would like to proceed my expat path( need to give it some thought) I am not very internettish but I like this website.

1 member reacted to this post

lily.truong.jfku Member

23POSTS

8 years ago

Hi, my name is Lily. I am a Vietnamese-American and I have dual citizenship--American and Vietnamese. My fiance is American.

We visited the Netherlands last year and really love this country, especially its progressive social, political, environmental and educational policies. I have been working with a Dutch business partner and I would like to establish a business and move to the Netherlands. Our goal is to bring innovative Dutch technologies to Vietnam.

My background is in Human/Leadership Development, Organizational Consulting and my interest is in sustainability development. My fiance's background is in web development. Both of us have worked for a company specializing in cognitive development research and educational research. We think of ourselves as social entrepreneurs and we are passionate about social change.

I would appreciate any advice on registering, starting a business in the Netherlands and migrating to the Netherlands. We are taking to an account manager from INCO Business Group later today about how to register a business in the Netherlands and what type of legal business structure we should consider. As of now, we have not talked to anyone about migrating to the Netherlands yet. But we would really hope we could keep our US citizenship if that is still an option.

I am looking forward to conversing with other members here!

Warmly,

Lily

Cynic UK/Netherlands Expert

8115POSTS

8 years ago

#10

Hi Lily and welcome to the Forum.

Interesting post. At the top of this page is our Handy Tools link, if you select that, you'll get access to our Expat Guides; these contain articles that may help you plan your journey.

With regards to setting up a business in Holland, your first stop should be the Kamer van Koophandel (KvK); this link will take you to their website.

Once you've read our guides and checked out the KvK website, if you have any further specific questions, please come back to us.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

1 member reacted to this post

lily.truong.jfku Member

23POSTS

8 years ago

#11

Thank you, Cynic!

emanuelabianca93 Member

2POSTS

8 years ago

#12

Hey there. My name is Bianca. I'm a 24 year old Romanian girl and I plan on moving to the Netherlands starting this July. I'm currently still in Romania because I want to finish my education, namely a master's degree in Specialized Translations and Terminology, in English and German. My bachelor's degree is on literature and foreign languages, English and German. My Dutch is at the beginner level. I figured out I better start working early on creating some connections and finding out some information on the possible job opportunities I might have. I'm curious if I could find some jobs related to my field of study, or if I need to think of something else, so I will keep searching. If anybody in here has any advice, I'd appreciate it.

Luckily, I will live at my boyfriend's place, so I don't need to worry about that part now.

I am looking forward to getting to know others on this platform!

Warmly,
Bianca

Cynic UK/Netherlands Expert

8115POSTS

8 years ago

#13

Hi Bianca and welcome to the Forum.

You're an EU citizen, so have no immigration issues to contend with. You have somewhere to live when you get to Holland, so that's covered as well.

As for work, depends what you want to do and whether that is regulated in Holland, which perhaps could lead to you needing to get your qualifications authenticated when you get there.

You'll not have much experience behind you, so to build that up, perhaps you should be looking for an internship with one of the multi-nationals in Holland? Start searching the Internet for those who may be interested in your skill-set, then get some letters off to them.

Hope that's helped.

Cynic
Expat Team

1 member reacted to this post

emanuelabianca93 Member

2POSTS

8 years ago

#14

Thank you for that information, Cynic. Have a nice evening!

GuestPoster87 Guest

0POSTS

8 years ago

#15

Hi. My name is Karen I come from Mexico and in June of this year it will be 2 years since I arrived here. I am still trying to adapt and learn the language, but sadly I have been very sick last 3 months. That has led me to experience a lot frustration with the healthcare system here, specially the fact most people here (nurses, even doctors) don't speak good English.

Most of the time I don't know if they understood what I said, few bluntly say they didn't, but a big number of them just pretend they do although it's obvious they didn't. I have heard in Amsterdam is totally different, but sadly I live in Hoorn. Not to mention most people working in the healthcare setting seem to lack empathy. Oh and I have yet to find a decent GP in this city

A very rude awakening indeed. I would like to meet new people on here, hopefully share our experiences.

omilane Member

2POSTS

8 years ago

#16

Hello! I'm Ciro, an Italian Structural Engineer who would like to relocate to the Netherlands. I speack English, Italian and a little bit of French and German.

I am in this forum because I hope to find usefull information on how found a job in the country.

Cynic UK/Netherlands Expert

8115POSTS

8 years ago

#17

MK_Thomson wrote:
Cynic,
Thank you for all the info on taxes. Could you please clarify this:

"2 - the multilateral agreement is only applicable to income tax; the NL has a lot of social taxes of which it doesn't apply and they will tax you on all income earned worldwide for the previous period of the tax year, so if you arrive in September 2018, they will charge you in arrears for the period Jan > Sep 2018."

- "They will tax you on all income" ... do you mean the Dutch department of revenue?
- And do you mean the Dutch dept of revenue will tax us on all income for the social taxes? Or what taxes?

We are figuring 45% income tax for our dual freelancing businesses. We figure we'll have some deductions, but want to budget accordingly.

Many thanks in advance!
MK Thomson

Hi,

Where you pay your personal taxes is wholly decided on where you live. It follows that, in Holland, they (the Belastingdienst) will assess you for personal taxes on all worldwide income for both income and social taxes. There is a double-taxation agreement (DTA) in place between NL/US; income taxes are generally included in any DTA between 2 countries, social taxes are not; so you will pay social taxes in Holland on all your worldwide income.

This link will take you to a webpage that explains it in more detail. They also offer advice on business taxes, which I think could be more relevant to what you're asking. As with all things on the Internet, caveat emptor, I have no experience of using them.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Gdezeeuw New member

5POSTS

8 years ago

#18

Hi,

Just came on this forum by accident. Decided to register, maybe can help out. I am born and raised in the Netherlands. Traveled the whole world and visit many other cultures. Holland is a great country, sometimes a bit hard to understand

1 member reacted to this post

Jade_03 Member

1POSTS

8 years ago

#19

Hi，Im new member here in Netherlands forum.
I am Irene from Philippines but presently working here in Hongkong for almost 6 years.
I join here find some ideas how to legally come to Netherlands.My dutch bf want to sponsor me come in Netherlands.What kind of visa I need & if ever how long I can stay there?Is it possible that we can get married & stay there?I need to take exam?
What are the documents I need?
Thank you
Irene

Zemsadventures Member

16POSTS

8 years ago

#20

Hi Cynic,

Out of curiosity do these taxes apply to US/NL Citizens only or would they also apply to someone with US Citizenship and residency (through DAFT) in NL?

Thanks!
Sarah

Cynic UK/Netherlands Expert

8115POSTS

8 years ago

#21

Hi Sarah,

Social Taxes apply to all those resident in Holland.

You can read the whole treaty at this link. I tried to C&P the bits about taxes, but the document is protected to prevent that.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Bob Sandusky Member

2POSTS

8 years ago

#22

Hi everyone;

I am an American (still living in the US) on the verge of retirement. Over the last 3 years I have visited Europe an number of times and I've come to the conclusion that I'd like to live there for at least several years after I retire.

I have friends in Amsterdam (attending their wedding in Bergen at the end of June) and in Edinburgh. So I figure those are the 2 top places to try out for starters because I like both cities.

I only speak English but I'm hoping to pickup German before I move (but based on my high school and college language courses it may be a forlorn hope).

Right now my needs are more along the lines of researching things like how to find housing, experiences in moving with pets (cats) and buying medical insurance. I don't think I'll have a problem getting a 1 year visa no matter where I go.

So joining Expat is more along the lines of reconnaissance than any actual immediate needs.

Any wisdom will be appreciated.

Thanks to all;

Bob

cliftonc Member

2POSTS

8 years ago

#23

Hello everyone.

I'm an Australian, with a South African wife and two kids (6 and 3) currently living in the UK, but considering taking a job with a dutch company in Utrecht.

We are after advice about two key things: good international primary schools in nice areas with parks etc. in reasonable commuting distance to Utrecht.

Will ask for specific advice soon in the right forums, but thanks in advance for any assistance!

Clifton

Cynic UK/Netherlands Expert

8115POSTS

8 years ago

#24

Hi Bob and welcome to the Forum.

Quick (genuine) question; what visa do you think you will qualify for that will enable you to stay in either Holland or the UK for 12 months?

Cynic
Expat Team

vaishali.rajurkar Member

1POSTS

8 years ago

#25

Hello everyone,

I am a designer and an Indian, moving to the Netherlands (Den Hague) in about a weeks time. I am quite excited to begin this adventure and along with the work, I am looking forward to some weekend trips around the city.

Thank you for this wonderful platform where our tiniest (and stupidest) doubts are heard and answered : )
I am specifically curious about the life in Den Hague and some of the creative nooks and corners in the city.

Once again many thanks!
Cheers,
Vaishali

The Maxican Viking Member

3POSTS

8 years ago

#26

Hi all, My name is Todd Mondragon and I will be arriving somewhere around Alphen aan den Ruijn in August of this year. At least that is the plan.
I will be be coming in on a DAFT treaty (making me yet another daft American living there) and running my IT consulting business.
I spent weeks worth of layovers in Amsterdam a couple of years back and fell head over heels for the people and the city, I then spent some time wandering around the country last year and became even more enamoured with the country and it's culture.
It is said the Dutch are blunt, I never found that to be the case but then again I am a pretty loud, blunt person myself so that may be why I am finding myself more comfortable in a room full of Nederlanders than I am Americans or British.
Can't wait to get there full time and integrate.

manummohandas Member

1POSTS

8 years ago

#27

I relocated to Amsterdam in December 2017, to join my partner who is employed with a company here. I have been exploring the city, and I started biking (I have not since high school I think) a little too. Along with my exploration, I am also looking for job opportunities to restart my career to which I had put a pause in November 2017.

Wwjjd Member

3POSTS

8 years ago

#28

Hi! I'm Kim and my husband is about to be relocated to The Netherlands this summer for at least 2 years. We have an 8 yr old son and 4 yr old daughter. I'll be posting soon about my questions and the post will have more info about our situation. Nice to meet y'all!

MrGvw New member

4POSTS

8 years ago

#29

Hi Guys,

My name is Gerhard I am from Cape Town, South Africa and my partner is a Dutch citizen from Maastricht.

We have decided that we would like to start the process of myself moving to the Netherlands and we are hoping to accomplish this by end of the year, beginning of next year latest.

We are hoping that there might be someone out there that have been recently or is currently in the same situation.

Hope you are having a great day

Regards Gerhard

Cynic UK/Netherlands Expert

8115POSTS

8 years ago

#30

Hi Gerhard and welcome to the Forum.

At the top of the page is a link to our Handy Tools section; this contains Expat Guides that may help you plan your journey.

Once you've read them, if you have any further specific questions, please come back to us.

Hope this helps

Cynic
Expat Team

1 member reacted to this post

Cleoleyenhorst Member

1POSTS

8 years ago

#31

Hi all,
My name is Cleo. My husband and I are looking to movie our family of four abroad for a year or two. The Netherlands is a country we are very interested in. I have dual Canadian/Dutch citizenship and my husband and I both have lots of extended family there so it seems like an easy fit.
We are looking at other countries too and just trying to see what would be the best fit for us.
I would love to find some other families that have experience doing this.

Cynic UK/Netherlands Expert

8115POSTS

8 years ago

#32

Cleoleyenhorst wrote:
Hi all,
My name is Cleo. My husband and I are looking to movie our family of four abroad for a year or two. The Netherlands is a country we are very interested in. I have dual Canadian/Dutch citizenship and my husband and I both have lots of extended family there so it seems like an easy fit.
We are looking at other countries too and just trying to see what would be the best fit for us.
I would love to find some other families that have experience doing this.

Hi Cleo & husband; welcome to the Forum.

At the top of the page is our Handy Tools link; if you select that, you'll get access to our Expat Guides, these may help you in planning your journey.

To answer your specific questions:

Assuming you have Dutch citizenship and passport, then you'll have no problems moving to Holland, your husband will have to apply for a spouse visa; the details of how to do this are displayed on the Dutch Government IND website; this link will take you there.

Both of your children have the right to Dutch nationality by having a Dutch mother; you can apply for a Dutch passport for them and the details of how to do this can also be found on the Dutch Government IND website; this link will take you there,

Once you've read our Guides, if you have any further specific questions, please come back to us.

One last point; some advice that my wife was given on her wedding day (by the Government official who married us); "Geef nooit je Nederlandse paspoort op".

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

mjavi New member

4POSTS

8 years ago

#33

Hi Everyone! Mark here, I am a highly skilled migrant in Ireland and just got an offer to work in The Netherlands.

I'd probably create another thread with all my questions on the offer as I still have a few things I need to know that are not found on articles I find online.

Cynic UK/Netherlands Expert

8115POSTS

8 years ago

#34

Hi Mark and welcome to the Forum.

Please post your questions in a separate thread.

Cynic
Expat Team

Davidsand Member

1POSTS

8 years ago

#35

Hi Mark, it will be a great move for you to go to the Netherlands. It’s a fantastic country to live in. I moved here many years ago, I’m proud to call the Netherlands home now, I love it here. Wish you all the best. Groetjes, David

SkiDEEMarink Member

1POSTS

8 years ago

#36

Hi All,

I've just discovered this site and I really need to do a research about Netherlands.
We are young family currently living in Ireland, everything is grand. The hubs recently got a job offer in in a company in Nijmegen area and we are seriously thinking if we should move there.

My greatest concern is for my 2.5yo little man. Housing, preschool, (future?) primary school, parent and toddler groups, activities for kids. Typical worries of a parent moving to a new country with little people.

Anyone who could give me links for housing/apartment rental, buy and sell apps or sites, or basically any advice/things to remember or consider for a young family that could potentially move to the Netherlands.

Cheers!
Dee

nami10 Member

1POSTS

8 years ago

#37

Hi everyone!!
newbie here and I just recently moved here in the Netherlands last month. Fell in love with the country the first time I visited here last year and now I'm back for good and I am currently living with my boyfriend. Any tips for applying part-time jobs will be highly appreciated. Bedankt

stephanie.cummings82 New member

9POSTS

8 years ago

#38

That's so awesome! I will be visiting in 2 weeks, so maybe we can meet up. I still need to explore but always better with a friend.

Stephanie

ehanmil New member

6POSTS

8 years ago

#39

Hi - I'm new to this forum as of this week! I'm an American living in NYC with a job that may allow me to move out of the city and work remotely - I'm hoping to move to Eindhoven in September with my Irish boyfriend who has been accepted to a Masters program there. I joined the forum to meet people in the Eindhoven area and also to get information on how to reside in the Netherlands with my EU-citizen partner.

Cheers!

Tine02 Member

1POSTS

8 years ago

#40

Dear all,

I moved from Germany to the Netherlands 6 month ago because of work. I really enjoy living here and I am looking forward meeting other expats.

Any tips about how I can improve my dutch are welcome:)

Kind regards,
Christine

Closed