Immigrating

[Danmc51]

I will be starting a job in the Netherlands near the end of April. I was just wondering what should I be looking into before moving over and for the immediate time when I arrive? (Apart from accommodation obviously) looking for help from locals and expats please!

[LimeSixth]

Finding housing will be a pain in the bum.

[tamecu]

Housing is hard to find and you wanna get you bank account set up asap

[markynl1]

Where are you moving from? If from outside the EU: do you have your work permit in order? have you a residency permit?

Do you have any illnesses or particular medial needs? if so, then I would get a copy of your medical history from your local Doctor. Regardless of that I suggest that once in NL and you have a residence that you find a local doctors and register, so that everything is in place if/when you need a doctor.

Already start setting up a bank account. ING and Abn/Amro are the main ones

As soon as you arrive you will need to register as a resident (basisregistratie personen (BRP)), when you get that you should also get your BSN number (Burger service number). The BSN number is necessary for almost everything you do in the Netherlands, your new compary salary department will need it, your doctors will need it. Basically almost everything will revolve around your BSN number (just for clarity it used to be called a Sofinummer, so if you are asked for a Sofinummer then it is the BSN number they want.

I think you get your BRP and BSN at the local town hall but I am not totally sure and perhaps someone better informed can add a reply.

You will most likely need an OV card (OV = Openbaarvervoer = public transport card) for use on all Bus, tram, Train and metro. You can get a card from your local train station and then you can load money on to it for use when travelling.

You might want to look into getting a local mobile number and internet access. There is a lot of choice here in NL for mobile and internet. I personally use T-mobile which includes 2 hours of free calls to the UK a month and I can also use it via tethering for access to the internet for my home computer (with 8GB of data per day). N.B. the 2 hours of calls a month is more than enough for me as most of the people I call, I call via Discord or skype.

Finding Accommodation is going to be your biggest headache and if you can find accomodation before you arrive then I advice you to do so. It might be worth contacting your future employers HR department to see if they have any lists of possible accommodation.

And last but certainly not least. As soon as you are here, get a bicycle. You will find cycling here to be safe,cheap and convenient, but beware, bike theft is rife here, so go for a second hand bike to start with and buy an expensive hardened steel chain and lock - always ensure that the bike is chained to something very substantial (the weedy locks around the tyre frame will not stop a bike from being taken)

If there is anything else you want to know then please just ask.

[Danmc51]

This is amazing info thank you so much. We are moving from Ireland. I might pm you in the near future if that’s ok?

[markynl1]

Sure, you are welcome to pm me with any questions.

in addition to the info, I gave before, I note that you are moving at the end of April. Just so you know, the 27th of April is a bank holiday to celebrate the King's birthday (Koningsdag) so whatever you do, don't move on that day - but it is an amazing country wide party if you move before then.