Moving from UK to Amsterdam?

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Kenshiro
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Joined: Sat 11th Mar 2017 01:39 am

Moving from UK to Amsterdam?

Post by Kenshiro »

Genuinely asking for some info for a friend who wishes to move over...
Any advice on what they need to do for residency and best chances of jobs and accomodation etc.
All help much appreciated!


Kenshiro
Posts: 360
Joined: Sat 11th Mar 2017 01:39 am

Re: Moving from UK to Amsterdam?

Post by Kenshiro »

Anyone?
CopenhagenCouple
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Re: Moving from UK to Amsterdam?

Post by CopenhagenCouple »

There should be a few older threads around regarding the subject, here are a few things I remember from those:

Visa needs to be figured out, easier for a UK resident than a US, for now...

Job: hard to get if you don't speak Dutch, best be is probably to look for jobs in the service industry in the center, cleaning, doing dishes and stuff like that, or if he /she has the skill tending bars and similar.

Accomodations can be just as tricky, rule of thumb as in any other capital is to get some distance between you and the center for prices to drop just enough for it to be possible, finding a roommate might be the best option.

Getting to know the city a bit before you make the move is obviously also a good idea and I assume your friend has some experience with or connection to Mokum, if not that is where to start....
Always know where your towel is! :wtf: :lol:
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Fat_old_dwarf
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Re: Moving from UK to Amsterdam?

Post by Fat_old_dwarf »

Not sure what you mean by a visa. As an EU citizen, one is required to register with the authorities, which requires proof of residency and a job. Getting either of those requires registration with the authorities. There are ways of getting out of this particular Catch-22, and I managed it when I lived in Germany, where the illogic is similar, but have no personal experience with the Netherlands. Anyway, more info at https://www.iamsterdam.com/en/living/ta ... u-citizens, for example.
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Nuggz
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Re: Moving from UK to Amsterdam?

Post by Nuggz »

As a UK citizen (and for now an EU citizen as well) no visa per se is required.

His main obstacle will be finding a place to rent that's being done legally with a rental-contract allowing the individual to take the contract the local municipal authorities (Gemeente) and be processed and officially registered as a legal resident of both the Netherlands and the municipality where you registered address is located.

Once you do this you are entered into the national registry system by the Gemeente, from there the generate and issue you a BSN or burger service nummer which is like a national ID number (akin to social security in the US) which is permanently assigned to your file in the eyes of the Dutch government.


The BSN and registered address (to receive official mail from government bureaus and banks, etc.) are both very important, as you need them to open a bank account, start a phone contract, apply for health insurance and pay taxes for a legitimate job. In Amsterdam finding housing that offers legitimate rental terms with registration is no small feat to say the least. However conversely, if your mate has no specialized skills or career trajectory (in addition to the absence of any Dutch skills) he will be be no doubt relegated to service industry jobs (restaurants, bars, commercial stores, hotels, etc.) without Dutch he'll only have likely success securing even these jobs in Amsterdam, other cities will be a lot less tolerant of non-Dutch speaking candidates for employment. If he has some sort of strong people skills, and some admin basic experience under his belt and at least a bachelor's from Uni, and some genuine intuitive know how, then maybe a basic office job could be in the cards - with some persistence (booking.com might be a place to check as it's headquartered in Amsterdam and is a large company employing many international 'expats').

His best bet is to looks around places in the Amsterdam area as far as renting, such as Zaandam, or Amstelveen which are under different municipal authority and potentially less challenging to find rentals with registration, as well as somewhat more affordable.

I also recommend your friend to search housing in the Utrecht area and consider commuting to Amsterdam, or really pounding the pavement there to find some employer that will take a non-skilled, non-Dutch speaker.

Not to sound too negative but just some considerations to heed before you proceed. Best of luck to your friend in any matter, hope this helps!
Kenshiro
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Joined: Sat 11th Mar 2017 01:39 am

Re: Moving from UK to Amsterdam?

Post by Kenshiro »

Thank you everyone for the replies..it is most helpful!
Friend in question already works in the hospitality sector so would probably seek the same work..they dont speak any Dutch either..have already passed some info onto them regarding BSN etc .

But some more valuable info in the replies above have been very useful...thanks again all!
Scholesfan
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Location: Manchester

Re: Moving from UK to Amsterdam?

Post by Scholesfan »

I would also carefully and realistically research income vs expenses. Amsterdam, like any capital city does not come cheap.

Working in hospitality won't bring in a great wage vs the expense of city living.

A friend of mine moved to the Netherlands a couple of years ago, they live and work in Utrecht. If i remember correctly he works in a warehouse (alot of haulage firms in the area) and brings in somewhere around €2000pm and rents a 1 bed flat for around €500 inc all bills.

Not spoke to him for a while but i'm sure he tried the whole living and working in Amsterdam thing first and just couldn't make it work.

I'd also consider the potential complications of Brexit before fully committing.
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