To be with my Family in nl -
Mar 20th 2007, 4:18 pm
#1
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 3
To be with my Family in nl -
Hi Folks
So glad to have found this site where those of us with common interest of needing to 'know' the ins and outs of life in the Netherlands.
I am retired (65) and currently live in the UK and express a serious desire to move over to the area of Rotterdam - Den Haag as our son has recently moved over and works in Rotterdam, has a partner and a new edition - our first grandchild. We would like to be near them and see them grow up.
We currently own our own house here with the possibility of selling up and either buying or renting (at the outset) somewhere near at their hand. We survive on just UK state pension with not much prospects of increasing our income unless my book, recently published on Trafford's best selling lists, becomes a best selling reality!
My wife and I have visited the Netherlands several times recently and look forward to finding out more about the 'bureaufascist' side of life in the Netherlands so prevalent within all our western nations affecting our daily lives. We need to know 'the drill' about residency, transfer of pension etc. so that we stay on the right side of the law.
I spent most of my early life in an East Anglian coastal town and witnessed the 1953 floods and am all too aware of these kinds of disasters. I must admit, Den Haag looks a good place to start our reckying as there seems to be quite a large community of Brits there, more so than in Rotterdam.
We both speak French and a little German and have found that learning the Dutch language extremely difficult at our stage in life! However, we look forward to getting to grips with this as I'm sure there are good classes and course available - no one seems to want to learn Dutch here in the UK! I'm sure some of you will post some good links here to help many of us out?
Many thanks to the moderators for allowing me to become a member of this forum - what would we have done before the age of the internet!
Best wishes to you all
Lottoman
So glad to have found this site where those of us with common interest of needing to 'know' the ins and outs of life in the Netherlands.
I am retired (65) and currently live in the UK and express a serious desire to move over to the area of Rotterdam - Den Haag as our son has recently moved over and works in Rotterdam, has a partner and a new edition - our first grandchild. We would like to be near them and see them grow up.
We currently own our own house here with the possibility of selling up and either buying or renting (at the outset) somewhere near at their hand. We survive on just UK state pension with not much prospects of increasing our income unless my book, recently published on Trafford's best selling lists, becomes a best selling reality!
My wife and I have visited the Netherlands several times recently and look forward to finding out more about the 'bureaufascist' side of life in the Netherlands so prevalent within all our western nations affecting our daily lives. We need to know 'the drill' about residency, transfer of pension etc. so that we stay on the right side of the law.
I spent most of my early life in an East Anglian coastal town and witnessed the 1953 floods and am all too aware of these kinds of disasters. I must admit, Den Haag looks a good place to start our reckying as there seems to be quite a large community of Brits there, more so than in Rotterdam.
We both speak French and a little German and have found that learning the Dutch language extremely difficult at our stage in life! However, we look forward to getting to grips with this as I'm sure there are good classes and course available - no one seems to want to learn Dutch here in the UK! I'm sure some of you will post some good links here to help many of us out?
Many thanks to the moderators for allowing me to become a member of this forum - what would we have done before the age of the internet!
Best wishes to you all
Lottoman
Mar 21st 2007, 11:30 pm
#2
Just Joined
Joined: Feb 2007
Location: Zevenbergen (NL)
Posts: 22
Re: To be with my Family in nl -
Lottoman,
East Anglia... Reminds me of the summer we spend on a Hoseasons cruiser about 20 years ago! Firstly I advise you to contact Dutch embassy in London to obtain advice on legal paperwork. i.e. Apostiles on wedding/birth certificates (They don't recognise British/foreign ones here) It's basically a little stamp on the back stating your birth/marriage certificate is genuine.
Secondly, reconsider Den Haag. Nice city, but classed as "Randstad",(City belt) and housing is expensive. As public transport is verrrrrry good in Holland, why not try south of Rotterdam (I live in Zevenbergen) which is only 45 mins drive from Rotterdam. Train connection from our village to Rotterdam is about 1/2 hour. General family sized house price in our village is Eur 160,000
200,000 (EUROS). Rental around Eur 600,00 per month. They also have to over 50's apartment complexes, but can't give you rental prices on these. Believe since few years ago you need to follow a Dutch language course by law once you've settled here. (but the Dutch love practicing their English, especially when they don't need to pay for this lesson - So you'll get by)The heart of a Dutch town/city is the "Gemeentehuis"(minicipal office) and by law you need to register yourself within 3 days of arrival in your new home. You'll also get in contact with the "Vreemdelingen Politie" (Immigration) and find yourself with a lot of Red tape stuff.(chicken or egg scenario'a) I'm not a pensionable age, but know my father in UK obtains his Dutch Pension.If you're looking for expat community in Holland -There is a lot of expat life beyond Den Haag/Amsterdam/Rotterdam. Our drama group www.idea-panto.nl
was set up for the english speaking expat and every year we're meeting new expats in our area who have been living in our region for years!
Success with your move.
East Anglia... Reminds me of the summer we spend on a Hoseasons cruiser about 20 years ago! Firstly I advise you to contact Dutch embassy in London to obtain advice on legal paperwork. i.e. Apostiles on wedding/birth certificates (They don't recognise British/foreign ones here) It's basically a little stamp on the back stating your birth/marriage certificate is genuine.
Secondly, reconsider Den Haag. Nice city, but classed as "Randstad",(City belt) and housing is expensive. As public transport is verrrrrry good in Holland, why not try south of Rotterdam (I live in Zevenbergen) which is only 45 mins drive from Rotterdam. Train connection from our village to Rotterdam is about 1/2 hour. General family sized house price in our village is Eur 160,000
200,000 (EUROS). Rental around Eur 600,00 per month. They also have to over 50's apartment complexes, but can't give you rental prices on these. Believe since few years ago you need to follow a Dutch language course by law once you've settled here. (but the Dutch love practicing their English, especially when they don't need to pay for this lesson - So you'll get by)The heart of a Dutch town/city is the "Gemeentehuis"(minicipal office) and by law you need to register yourself within 3 days of arrival in your new home. You'll also get in contact with the "Vreemdelingen Politie" (Immigration) and find yourself with a lot of Red tape stuff.(chicken or egg scenario'a) I'm not a pensionable age, but know my father in UK obtains his Dutch Pension.If you're looking for expat community in Holland -There is a lot of expat life beyond Den Haag/Amsterdam/Rotterdam. Our drama group www.idea-panto.nl
was set up for the english speaking expat and every year we're meeting new expats in our area who have been living in our region for years!
Success with your move.
Mar 22nd 2007, 2:41 pm
#3
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 3
Re: To be with my Family in nl -
Hi there Mehari
Thanks so much for your input - our next visit to NL will be in late April and will certainly do some looking around the areas you suggest. Will let you know how we progress!
Once again, many thanks
Lottoman
Thanks so much for your input - our next visit to NL will be in late April and will certainly do some looking around the areas you suggest. Will let you know how we progress!
Once again, many thanks
Lottoman
Mar 22nd 2007, 10:32 pm
#4
Just Joined
Joined: Feb 2007
Location: Zevenbergen (NL)
Posts: 22
Re: To be with my Family in nl -
lottoman,
Forgot.......
UK Drivers licence only valid for 1 year in Holland. You can get this changed to a Dutch one (or receive a dispenasation letter) both from "gemeentehuis". Avoid bringing a UK car to Holland for more then 1 year (You'll have trouble & might be expensive getting cover from your UK insurance company) Just sell your car in UK and buy another one here. Renting a house in Holland is still common. Normally 6 or 12 month contract. These are governed mainly by agencies under local council umbrella. As you're of pensionable age, you might even get a rebate? - You just need to check this out for yourself by contacting one or two to obtain a clearer picture of costs and waiting list. Buying a house will involve estate agent as well as a "Notaris" (Notary public). Lot of your costs in buying a house is tax deductable. On this note, you'll meet the "Belastingdienst" (Tax people) and will have to file your annual financial situation from previous year to obtain if you receive or pay extra money from a previous year.
Should you buy a house, income/interest/cost is worked out. So if your Gross monthly mortgage is Eur 600,00,you might receive a monthly 200.00 rebate from the tax people. (You need a lot of A levels to understand this formula)
From Expat point of view - There are a lot of Expat groups around Holland. You & your wife/partner might be glad of their support/social occasions(xmas parties/BBQ's/car raleighs, etc) as you might feel ALONE once you've got your furnitute is in place. Believe that's the reason why these expats groups have formed? Dutch are socially family orientated people(Birthday parties were everyone sits around around the coffee table) and are wary of strangers -Dutch or foreign. It's privalige getting an invite from a Dutch neighbour for a coffee morning. But now were getting in to cultural differences.......
Forgot.......
UK Drivers licence only valid for 1 year in Holland. You can get this changed to a Dutch one (or receive a dispenasation letter) both from "gemeentehuis". Avoid bringing a UK car to Holland for more then 1 year (You'll have trouble & might be expensive getting cover from your UK insurance company) Just sell your car in UK and buy another one here. Renting a house in Holland is still common. Normally 6 or 12 month contract. These are governed mainly by agencies under local council umbrella. As you're of pensionable age, you might even get a rebate? - You just need to check this out for yourself by contacting one or two to obtain a clearer picture of costs and waiting list. Buying a house will involve estate agent as well as a "Notaris" (Notary public). Lot of your costs in buying a house is tax deductable. On this note, you'll meet the "Belastingdienst" (Tax people) and will have to file your annual financial situation from previous year to obtain if you receive or pay extra money from a previous year.
Should you buy a house, income/interest/cost is worked out. So if your Gross monthly mortgage is Eur 600,00,you might receive a monthly 200.00 rebate from the tax people. (You need a lot of A levels to understand this formula)
From Expat point of view - There are a lot of Expat groups around Holland. You & your wife/partner might be glad of their support/social occasions(xmas parties/BBQ's/car raleighs, etc) as you might feel ALONE once you've got your furnitute is in place. Believe that's the reason why these expats groups have formed? Dutch are socially family orientated people(Birthday parties were everyone sits around around the coffee table) and are wary of strangers -Dutch or foreign. It's privalige getting an invite from a Dutch neighbour for a coffee morning. But now were getting in to cultural differences.......
Mar 23rd 2007, 9:12 am
#5
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 3
Re: To be with my Family in nl -
Hi Mehari
Again, many thanks for this advice, fortunately we do have some 'in-laws' who are Dutch residents and nationals who will be able to paste in the gaps once we know what they are. It may be a case of staying in nl for six months of the year; obviously everything is at its very early stages. Also it will enable us to find the most suitable area.
Realy looking forward to our next trip.
Lottoman
Again, many thanks for this advice, fortunately we do have some 'in-laws' who are Dutch residents and nationals who will be able to paste in the gaps once we know what they are. It may be a case of staying in nl for six months of the year; obviously everything is at its very early stages. Also it will enable us to find the most suitable area.
Realy looking forward to our next trip.
Lottoman
