THE NETHERLANDS DIARIES COLUMN

Immigrating to The Netherlands

And what it all means

Looking back at my experience: 12th of February 2024

Never in my life did I see myself immigrating to another country. I’m really bad with paperwork so I knew I would mess it all up. So far, I haven’t. But, The Netherlands is a tricky place to navigate as a new arrival so let me help you out.

My roots

First of all — I’m from New Zealand, so I can only talk about my experience, I think these points will still be helpful for everyone, but the initial screening process may be different.

1. The visa is the cheapest I could find, it was 70.00 euros to apply for a one year stay. You need to fill in all your personal details, have a passport that won’t be expiring anytime soon, and you needed to have at least 2,500 euros in your bank. This was all proven through screenshots and emails, then accepted within a week.

When I was looking into various visas, sitting on the couch in my apartment with the sun streaming in, I was picking which one was the most appropriate for my unique situation — the situation was that I had already bought my flight, and only had two months before I left. Most visas need six months and physical appointments before you can claim it.

Don’t be like me, be prepared!

1. There are so many types of visas you can apply for, and I’m still super confused by what they all mean. I have a one year working holiday visa/residence permit. I am allowed to work “incidentally” and for no more than twelve months for the same employer. There are different types. You get a visa to be an Au Pair, seasonal worker, a work visa, a highly-skilled immigrant visa (if you work in IT). There are a lot to choose from so have a look — the immigration website https://ind.nl/en/residence-permits is super helpful with all the information they provide. And you can get a visa from within the country if you prefer to “try before you buy.”

There have been so many discussions in vegan cafe’s over oat milk cappuccinos.

Where can I work?

What work can I do?

1. RNI — There is a thing called an RNI. This is a temporary tax number that allows you to work in The Netherlands for up to three months, you do not need a permanent address for this. The only requirement — you can not have a residence permit.
2. BSN — This is your permanent tax number, you need this to work. And to get a BSN you need a permanent address, to get a permanent address you need work, and to get work you need a BSN, to get a BSN you need a permanent address, to get a permanent address you need work, to get work you need a BSN.

The first time I walked into an immigration office

I asked for the BSN, they explained what was required and I asked for advice on how to find accommodation. They just looked and me in a very pitying way.

I then headed to a place where they give expats free advice, and that’s where I told about the tip below. I was also told that, “sometimes, I know I know, but sometimes, and it can happen, people don’t have friends in this country.”

I just looked at this woman like, “I’ve been here a week, I don’t have friends in this country.” The comment just went to show how friendly and community orientated the Dutch are.

1. Registration — This is how you prove you have a permanent address. Places will advertise saying “registration possible.” This means your name goes on the lease and you have proof you live there. If you sublet, you can not register. You can add your name to someone else’s lease (if they let you), even if you don’t live at the address, and that still counts (I was told at the IND desk so it’s all legal and legit). The only issue with this is the more people registered to a property, the higher the taxes are for the owner, so not a lot of people are keen to add names for the sake of it.
2. Appointments — Appointments at an IND desk can take some time to get so book in advance, and be prepared to wait. And every city does their immigration admin slightly differently, so if one place is not working for you, you can try a different city.
3. Residence Permit vs BSN — They are not the same. You will go through multiple immigration appointments in Amsterdam, before receiving your resident permit card (nothing to stress about, they take a photo and you’re done). Next, you have to start applying for registration and getting your BSN.

Hopefully having these terms listed like this help you understand a little about the immigration process. There have been so many discussions about how easy it was getting the initial visa and then such a shock about all the further admin after arrival.

If you have any questions or further tips, just let me know!

Have you ever though of moving to a new country?

Have you done this? What was the admin like?

Here’s an helpful article on trips and planning

I’ll catch you next Monday for more of The Netherlands Diaries

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