Moving from Sweden to the Netherlands for Work

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

You need a BSN to live and work in the Netherlands, it's how you pay your taxes, open a bank account, register with a doctor, get medical insurance, register your car - without a BSN, you can't do any of that.

You can register from any address where the landlord permits it; the landlords who don't permit it are normally trying to hide their rental operation from the taxman.

How many people do it is they use something like an Airbnb, or even a hotel address - as long as the owner says it's OK, they're fine; then when you find somewhere permanent, you notify the Council (Gemeente) of your change of address.  When my daughter moved back a few years ago, she went the Airbnb route.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Hi ,

Thanks for the information , I guess I have to start calling up cheap hotels to see if they will allow that if I stay at their hotel or ask whoever i stay at their place (Airbnb) . I read one of your post about accommodation and saw that you went into same platform I went into searching for an apartment.  Were you successful? I heard alot of scams go on so i want to be careful.  How long does it take for the BSN to be issued ... I will be working at the Limburg area. I hope to hear from you. Thanks alot.

Hi again.

BSN - the law says you have to make an appointment to register within 5 days of arriving in the country, but making an appointment may mean a 4-week wait till you get to sit in front of anybody in the Gemeente, so you'll have time to find somewhere.  You're not the first person who is doing what you're planning to do, so your future boss should understand.

When you walk out of the Gemeente, you'll have your BSN number (if you remember to bring a piece of paper and a pen with you and follow what the civil servant is doing on-screen), plus they will send a letter to the address you tell them to confirm your number (and make sure you really live there).

In the letter is stuff about DigiD, which is how you deal with the Gemeente/Government online - saves you a lot of hassle (except it's all in Dutch).

Scammers - be very careful.  Rental accommodation is in very short supply in the Netherlands; if you've read through the Forum at what I've advised others, you'll know to take care and remember that if it is too good to be true, then it probably is a scam.  All the nice houses/apartments have already gone to those who arrived the day before you.  Use friends/colleagues; if someone thinks enough of you to offer you a job, then don't be afraid to reach out to them and ask if they know of anything.

Even job offers can be scams - but they are normally asking for money upfront before you arrive, so people then tend to come on here and ask us, but some still get caught out.

Again, hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Hello

Thank you so so much , I appreciate your help . Regarding my new job is at Nike . I have done all the necessary interviews via skype , I will be one of the Managers at the Nike store in the Roermond outlet . Well I will start up by calling some few hotels and see if it's okay I use their address, or I will try Airbnb. 

Thank u so much

Hi again.

What you've just written does not fill me with confidence that you haven't been scammed somehow.  I would be amazed if Nike is recruiting outside of the Netherlands for a shop managers post in a local store.

You say you're from Sweden; do you have an EU passport?

Cynic
Expat Team

Hi

Yes I am swedish , I have an EU passport , a swedish passport to be precise. On the job with Nike no it's not a scam , yes they do hire outside. I worked for Nike before and it was HR who put in touch with the store at the Roermond outlet . I was suppose to go to france but a language requirement was needed, so I picked the netherlands instead. All they asking for right now is I get my BSN then they can get my contract done .

Then I wish you the best of luck in your journey; if you have any further specific questions then please come back to us.

Thank you very much I appreciate your help and I will definitely will be coming back. Thanks

Hello ,

Hope you doing well . I got a question and I want to be sure before I proceed.  Do I need an employment contract before I can rent a room.  I don't have a BSN yet , that means I can't get a work contract . So me not having a work contract will that be a problem for me renting a room .

Thanks

Hi again.

There is no regulatory reason for anybody to ask for a job contract, however, some private landlords may ask for it as proof that you are going to be able to pay the rent.  Certainly, Hotels and Airbnb don't ask for a job contract.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Thanks for responding when I called the municipal to ask what do I need and the lady on the other side of the phone I needed to bring in my rental agreement and passport . I asked her how can I use an Airbnb since I am just new in the country , she said Airbnb can't give me a rental contract that I need to find a place of my own or buy a property.so I am completely lost now , I found a place but luckily for me I detected it was a scam, almost paid close to 1,000 Euro. So please if you can help me, or direct to me the person your daughter stayed at their place using the Airbnb I will appreciate it. Also is it a must I register at the municipal where I plan to live or just any municipal.

Thanks

People do register from temporary addresses; it's impossible to long-term rent anything without a BSN, so how does she think people arrive to work in the Netherlands?  People have come on here and told us they did it.  The important thing is the house permits it (the Gemeente will know that from their own records) and that the house/apartment owner permits it.

My daughter used an Airbnb in Enschede; the guy that owned the house was an oil-rig worker, so she potentially had the house for up to the 3-months he was away, in the event, she was done in 2 weeks; it is a must that you do have to live in the region where you register.  She doesn't remember the details, it was a few years back now, but she tells me that she used the Airbnb documentation plus a letter from the owner that she could register there.

Scammers are very real - we had a guy come on here who told us he was scammed on the doorstep of his supposedly new apartment; the guy met him in the car park outside, they signed a fictitious contract, handed over the cash for the keys; when he tried the keys they didn't fit and somebody opened the front door - the current owner/inhabitant!

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team