Recently we have shared messages about new foreign colleagues who came to The Netherlands as expats. We have helped them with, for example, a residence permit and with all suitcases upon arrival in The Netherlands. We also mentioned that we helped them with the formalities in The Netherlands. But what does that exactly mean?
Housing
Besides having a signed employment contract and a valid visa, housing is the most important and often most challenging formality. Having a house upon arrival in The Netherlands means less stress once the colleague is in The Netherlands. However, we notice that the housing market is very competitive, which means that the choice is often limited. In fact, most leases are settled within one or two weeks.
Having a house, a visa/residence permit and an employment contract are essential for other formalities such as municipality registration, bank account and health insurance.
Municipal registration
Once you have arrived in The Netherlands and have a place to live, you can register for ‘first registration in The Netherlands’. It is important that the colleague has the necessary documents ready. Think of the birth certificate, marriage certificate, employment contract and rental contract. When the registration is completed, the expat will have a citizen service number (BSN), which makes it possible to apply for a DigID.
The birth and marriage certificates must be unabridged with an apostille. Sometimes municipalities allow it to be supplemented at a later date because some processes in the country of origin do not run so quickly.
Bank account and health insurance
Finally, we can get to work for the last essential formalities: the bank account and health insurance. Depending on which bank, different steps and documents are required. In this we advise the route, the highly skilled migrant makes his own choice.
As a resident of The Netherlands, the expat is also obliged to take at Dutch health insurance. We also advise on possible health insurance policies and how the Dutch health care system works. It is important to know that you are obliged to have health insurance from the first working day. As a result, the first bill may deviate from the stated amount as the bill is retroactive.
More information
Interested in the possibilities at TailorMinds and our service for highly skilled migrants? Feel free to take a look at our page for expats and/or contact us.
