New members of the Netherlands forum, introduce yourselves here - 2021

Hello all wonderful People,
First of all please accept my gratitude for making this extremely helpful and informative portal. 
My Name is Puneet Verma, I am currently residing in India and will be relocating to Rotterdam in Nov. I will be Joining Visa Inc(Token Id)  as a software developer in Rotterdam.

I  have a keen interest in writing, reading especially history, philosophy and exploring new places/cultures.

I am searching flat for me and my wife to live in,  preferably furnished in Rotterdam with a budget of not more than €1200.

I prefer areas that have Indian restaurants and Indian stores in the vicinity but not limited to this.

Any Leads are highly appreciated.

Apart from the above request, any suggestions which might ease out my relocation/stay a bit easier are more than welcome.

Please let me know in case I can provide any info, More than happy to help.

Best,
Puneet Verma

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

Long-distance home finding is always problematic, not helped by scammers who will try and rent you something that either doesn't exist, or is not their home to rent.  Then you add to that you've paid a 6-month rental deposit, your kids are attending a local school etc, unless you know it's the house of your dreams, you're taking a risk that you don't necessarily need to take.

My advice would be to use something like an AirBnb for the first couple of months.  Then when you are all settled in, you can start the search for your home.

This link will take you to a Google search for Indian Restaurants and Stores; apart from the fact that I lived in the East of the Netherlands, I have no idea if they are good, bad, or indifferent; while I love Indian food, I wouldn't even attempt to recommend them to someone who knows them better than I.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Hello fellow expats!

I'm Valeriy, I'm a Belarusian who lives in Lithuania (Blue card) and plans to move to the Netherlands.

Dear all,
My name is Davide and I am from Italy, I joined this network to understand how to move my family in Netherlands. I am going to join a new European job but next step is understand how my wife may be employed with her work experience.
Nice to meet you all

Davide

db75 wrote:

Dear all,
My name is Davide and I am from Italy, I joined this network to understand how to move my family in Netherlands. I am going to join a new European job but next step is understand how my wife may be employed with her work experience.
Nice to meet you all

Davide

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

Assuming you are all EU citizens, you have the right to live and work anywhere in the EU.  Your only obligation on arrival is to register with the local council (Gemeente); when you do this you will get your burgerservicenummer (BSN) and DigiD; the former is to enable you to open a bank account, pay your taxes, register with a doctor, obtain Health Insurance etc; the latter is how you communicate with the Dutch Government (it's an online system).  You are meant to contact the Gemeente within 5 days of arrival, to make an appointment to go and see them and register.  Not having your BSN straight away does not stop you from working, but your employer will know about this kind of thing.

With regards to your wife, she will be able to work if she is able to find work.  It's important that any qualifications you may use in your professional lives are accepted in the Netherlands, so it's worthwhile checking now and getting any work done that's needed for the future.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Hi
I am Martine and i am in Nederland since few months. I'am from Cameroon and i wish to work in Nederland and to make integration but, its not easy for me because i still not speak Dutch.
Actually, i need help to found something to do to not be a charge.
Thanks

mirabedjimbi wrote:

Hi
I am Martine and i am in Nederland since few months. I'am from Cameroon and i wish to work in Nederland and to make integration but, its not easy for me because i still not speak Dutch.
Actually, i need help to found something to do to not be a charge.
Thanks

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

Go to YouTube and search for "Naar Nederland"; the entire course is there, free.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Thanks

Hi everyone,

I'm Sophie, from the UK.

My partner and I are both British Nationals that had plans to move to the Netherlands  in early 2020, however the pandemic put a stop to that and we have had to put our plans on hold for a couple of years. Hoping to move next year, but we've now to Brexit issues to contend with! So frustrating because we love the Netherlands so much.

I've been learning Dutch slowly on and off for a few years, my partner more recently so.

Will definitely have a few questions on the forum around Navigating moving here as a third country national and some self employment stuff.

Look forward to chatting to you all!

Hello all!

Great to join this forum
I am Lakshmi from Bangalore, India. Me and my family will be moving to the Netherlands by the end of Nov 2021.
Hoping to interact with all the awesome people in this forum.

Have a great day!

Thanks,
Lakshmi

Hello Lakshmi,

Welcome to Expat.com

Thanks for dropping in to say hi on this thread.

To make your move a successful one, feel free to exchange notes with or seek advice from our members by starting new threads on the Netherlands forum.

All the best,

Diksha
Expat.com team

Hi
I am one father from Serbia, try to find best details about The Netherlands, for my son, studying in Utrecht
Best regards to all of you,
Miroslav

Am Azubuike chiemeka Emmanuel, strong and passionate about Agriculture and farming for sustainable development and growth. Iam ready to relocate to work in farms in netherlands, am from Nigeria.

Hi there ,

From SA potentially moving to Netherlands in very near future . Have few questions hopefully you guys can provide insight.

Can anyone assist with typical salary for various professions and cost of living?

What type of medical cover should one get and the costs?

Is it better to sell personal items furniture vs shipping it to Netherlands and rent furnished place?

Rental apartments in Hague what is good areas and pricing of 2,3 bedroom pet friendly for dogs?

We will be moving with our dogs any advice on the travel logistics arrangements would be appreciated?

Thanks

Lima21 wrote:

Hi there ,

From SA potentially moving to Netherlands in very near future . Have few questions hopefully you guys can provide insight.

Can anyone assist with typical salary for various professions and cost of living?

What type of medical cover should one get and the costs?

Is it better to sell personal items furniture vs shipping it to Netherlands and rent furnished place?

Rental apartments in Hague what is good areas and pricing of 2,3 bedroom pet friendly for dogs?

We will be moving with our dogs any advice on the travel logistics arrangements would be appreciated?

Thanks

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

To answer your questions:

There is a website with all sorts of information; it's called Numbeo and this link will take you straight to it; you just set it up for the Location (i.e. Den Haag) and it gives you a whole lot of information.

Salaries -  You've told us nothing about what you do, what qualifications you have etc; so use Google and LinkedIn to get an idea of salaries for people in your industry/skill set.  If you work in a regulated profession (medicine, engineer, sciences), then you will need to have your qualifications/diplomas validated; this link will take you to the Dutch Government website which tells you the hows and wheres.

Medical Cover - it's compulsory in the Netherlands.  The Dutch government has a website (link) and there is a Q&A page (in English) (link)

Furnishings - I would sell everything except my valuable items and buy 2nd hand to get myself settled.

Rental accommodation - is always in short supply and because of this very expensive, particularly in places like Den Haag.  Use Numbeo to do a comparison with other Dutch cities.  I recommend people to check the Pararius website (link); there are other similar organisations that you can find via Google.

Dogs will be an issue.  In general, landlords don't like dogs; nothing personal but they tend to leave their mark where they live, we as dog owners don't smell it, but other people do and it causes issues.  That's not saying you can't do it, but you will almost certainly have to leave them in SA until you find somewhere to live that's dog friendly, then ship them to you.  Most airlines will ship pets, but almost certainly you will have to cage them for the trip and they will go in the cargo hold.  Nothing wrong with that (except our own personal feelings).

You haven't asked about visas, but assuming none of you has an EU passport, you will need them.  The Dutch government department (IND) that deals with it have a website, this link will take you to the main page, from which you can work your way around.  If you want to contact the IND, they have a contact section (link is at the top right corner of their webpage).

You asked about the 30% tax ruling in another post.  It's not automatic, you have to be recruited from outside the Netherlands and there are specific rules related to that.  The Dutch Government department (Belastingdienst) has a section of their website that deals with it, this link will take you straight there.  It will probably answer all your questions.

Lastly, learn Dutch, you probably speak Afrikaans which while similar to Dutch, you will find it much easier to find work if you speak Dutch.  This Forum has many tales of your fellow countryman who have really struggled and in some cases had to go home because of this simple thing.

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

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Hello, I'm Phindile Faith Ndlovu. I have a PhD in horticulture sciences. I would like to work in the Netherlands as Agric research scientist. My heritage country is South Africa. I have experience in utilizing non destructive technology such as near infrared spectroscopy and developing models to predict product quality. I love agricultural research.

I Have arrived from Virginia US and so far i have no problem at all without any Dutch language experience. I am glad almost everyone speaks English here.

I am Bingi  arrived as a Biomedical Scientist working in Netherlands. I am loving the country already very peaceful and almost everyone is kind and willing to help. I am looking for a great Golf course near Utrecht where i can unwind and relax after work and possibly develop a network of expat friends

Hi my Name is mehrdad and I’m German citizen and i just moved to Netherlands last month, trying to bring my non eu partner (un married) living in Germany to Netherlands with me and want us to get registered partnership, do i need a certificate of no impediment in order to register our partnership? Or just my civil status and single certificate are enough? As it is a requirement for marriage to get a certificate of no impediment  which we are not ready for so we want to register partnership together which is i guess a bit easy and quick as compared to marriage if I’m not wrong. Thanks

Hello.
As i said before, my name is Alex and i'm actually living in Portugal. I've bemm a Dj for 16 years. I've worked also with some companies, here in Portugal, in the organisation of events such as summer festivals and parties, in general at clubs and stuff.
I've discovered this site randomly to be honest and i would like to know a little more about what and how is you hiring process is and in what countries, cause i've chosen Netherlands because i've always wanted to live there, but if you have jobs here in Portugal or in other places i would like to know more about.
Thanks for you reply. I'll be waiiting for a new one asap.
Greetings

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

As an EU citizen, you have the right to live and work anywhere in the EU, so the Netherlands falls in that category.  Whether you can get any work as a DJ, I don't know - the first question you need to address is do you speak Dutch?

If you don't, that would be my first recommendation, then use the Internet to see if any of the organisations that may use your skills is taking on staff at the moment.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Hello there I'm Dennis 70 years young married to a 40 something filipina and we have an 11 year old boy.

We are looking to move to Friesland next year, maybe to live in Grou and educate our son in Leeuwarden.

My son and I have dutch passports from my father but have never learnt dutch sadly. It is one of my intentions is to have my son understand his dutch side and get a good education at the same time.
We looked at the north country as a less crowded alternative to the big cities.

I am a bit worried about integration and whether my wife can find some filipina friends in the area.

Both my wife and I have been vaccinated but I am very reluctant to vaccinate my son and wonder whether you think the dutch will make vaccinating children mandatory?

Any advice would be much appreciated and thank you for hosting this useful site.

Stay safe

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

Just a comment about where you are intending to live.  It's in Friesland, up there they speak a funny kind of Dutch (called Fries).  Personally, I wouldn't choose that as a launching point in order to integrate into Dutch society, perhaps a bit further away to the south or east may be more suitable.

As to COVID vaccinations; judging from the current press reports coming out of the EU lands, I think it's fair to say that they are looking at more compulsory vaccination, not less.  So, perhaps if you don't want that, you should think again, or consider what your issue is and whether it's still extant.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Thanks for your comments. So if you had your druthers where would you suggest. We need to be near an International School to begin with?
I thought the dutch were freedom loving to choose. And mandatory youth vaccinations does not seem to fit that criteria!
Cheers

diner2018 wrote:

Thanks for your comments. So if you had your druthers where would you suggest. We need to be near an International School to begin with?
I thought the dutch were freedom loving to choose. And mandatory youth vaccinations does not seem to fit that criteria!
Cheers

A moot point
According to the government site you won't be able to travel there unless you are fully vaccinated

https://www.government.nl/topics/corona … accination

Thanks Fred we are but not my 11 year old and I hoe they don't force children to get vaxxed. It's totally insane!

I gather it starts at 12 years of age but that needs checking

At the moment but Pfizer is developing a vaccine of babies would you believe!

Please be aware - Any posts with covid misinformation will be removed.

If you post a story - post a link to a reputable medical site to show its validity

https://www.ibtimes.com/pfizer-covid-19 … ay-3190392

diner2018 wrote:

https://www.ibtimes.com/pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-babies-could-be-available-september-trials-underway-3190392

This is excellent news - I hope it comes out quickly.
How many children have Tetanus, Polio, MMR, and other standard vaccinations saved? One more to the list of life saving, and misery saving, inoculations.

When did you hear of a breakthrough infection in any of those childhood vaccines? I never did!

diner2018 wrote:

When did you hear of a breakthrough infection in any of those childhood vaccines? I never did!

There are quite a lot. This excellent piece explains the issues.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science- … 180978408/

Fred wrote:

diner2018 wrote:

Thanks for your comments. So if you had your druthers where would you suggest. We need to be near an International School to begin with?
I thought the dutch were freedom loving to choose. And mandatory youth vaccinations does not seem to fit that criteria!
Cheers

A moot point
According to the government site you won't be able to travel there unless you are fully vaccinated

https://www.government.nl/topics/corona … accination

Anywhere but Friesland.  In general, the further east you live, the more available and affordable accommodation is.  There is a webpage run by Numbeo (link), this will help you identify which.

International schools - very expensive.  I hope you've done your research about costs.  Just in case you're considering homeschooling - it's not permitted in the Netherlands, the law doesn't permit it.

Freedom-loving.  That made me smile.  That's the kind of comment I often hear from someone who went to Holland on holiday and thought the fact he could buy a joint in the local cafe is indicative of how life is in the Netherlands, when nothing could be further from the truth.

Covid has exposed the world for what it is; you have 95% of the world who are doing all they can to get us through this, then the other 5% who are hoping they can find somewhere to hide; which is pretty much what you expect.  Just to summarise, if you want to enjoy "freedom", stay where you are, you have a constitution to protect you.  In Europe, they have the EU, which seems to be determined to ride rough-shod over everything.

Hi Valeriy,

Have you made it to the Netherlands yet? Hope you and all of yours are well.

Jim

I am not sure why you have such a hardon for Friesland did you live there before?
Where are you living now?
My cousin says although Fries became an official language a few years ago every one speaks normal dutch and normal dutch is used in the school system.
Your handle is apropos!

diner2018 wrote:

I am not sure why you have such a hardon for Friesland did you live there before?
Where are you living now?
My cousin says although Fries became an official language a few years ago every one speaks normal dutch and normal dutch is used in the school system.
Your handle is apropos!

I lived in Holland for many years; I speak and write Dutch; my children all went to school in the Netherlands, 2 went on to University and the 3rd is a chartered engineer.  I'm now retired and have returned to the UK with my Dutch wife; my close family until recently lived in the Netherlands, my extended family all live there; now having established that I may know a little bit about what I'm talking about, perhaps we can move on.

You're asking about the integration of your son; Friesland is probably the worse possible choice (in my opinion).  Not only does he (like you and his mother) not speak any Dutch, neither do any of you speak Fries.  You haven't asked, but he is approaching the key stage of the Dutch Education year where he will be streamed for his future education and whether he goes into vocational MBO or into higher education - university.  His ability to speak and read Dutch is a key component of this process.  That said, I think the Netherlands is a great place to live, the only reason we aren't there now is Covid happened when I retired which made the logistics impossible and we needed to make key financial decisions for pensions and investments - so, yes to Holland just look further east or south where your son will learn a useful 2nd language (German or French).

You mentioned the Dutch Government policy on Covid vaccinations - the Government website tells you the current situation and this link will take you straight there.

Cynic wrote:

You're asking about the integration of your son; Friesland is probably the worse possible choice (in my opinion).  Not only does he (like you and his mother) not speak any Dutch, neither do any of you speak Fries.  .

Blikstiender! No language abilities will make life hard work,
However, there may be international schools

diner2018 wrote:

When did you hear of a breakthrough infection in any of those childhood vaccines? I never did!

Only just seen this.  Mumps has increased by 400% (link) since the very stupid doctor chose to spout the lies and misinformation that eventually got him struck off the Medical Register.  Mumps is now at its highest level in 10 years.

Fred wrote:

Cynic wrote:

You're asking about the integration of your son; Friesland is probably the worse possible choice (in my opinion).  Not only does he (like you and his mother) not speak any Dutch, neither do any of you speak Fries.  .

Blikstiender! No language abilities will make life hard work,
However, there may be international schools

International schools are very expensive, up to 23k euro p/year according to a quick Google check.

A relatively new part of the Dutch Education system is bi-lingual schools, at these schools, part of the curriculum is in English, but you still need to learn/speak Dutch - another limiting factor is they are not everywhere, so where you live will play a part.  In the meantime, the clock is still running.