Moving to Groningen, Netherlands in October and panicking. Any advice?

Hi there,

I think a great place to start would be the UK government website on moving to the Netherlands. Here's the link:

 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/living-in-the-netherlands

 

For EU citizens, it appears that you do not need a work permit or residence permit. However, the latter may be required from banks or tax institutions for administration purposes. Make sure you have a valid passport or ID and proof that you have the financial means to support yourself if you do not get a job before the move.

In terms of finding work, I found a few Dutch job portals for you to browse: Careers In Holland, Undutchables, Hays and Adams Recruitment. There are a few others but unfortunately they are in Dutch.

You will need a tax number (BSN) to start earning, though. This will be given as soon as you register at the local town hall of your municipality.

I also suggest you visit the Immigration and Naturalisation Service website. You can phone the office from abroad, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. They will be able to tell you exactly what you need for your situation so that you don't have to panic. Check out the link below:

 

https://ind.nl/en/stay-or-live-in-the-Netherlands?pk_campaign=funnel-home&pk_kwd=live-in-the-netherlands

Additionally, you will need to take out health insurance within four months of staying in the Netherlands. This is compulsory. It will cover a basic range of services such as visits to a general practitioner, medication and hospital visits.

Hope this gives you a good start.

Brett

Groningen is a great city to live. Living Costs can be high if you want to live in the centre. If you look for houses or appartements a bit north you get great value for your money and by train you get to central station in no time. If your boyfriend will study at zernike complex you can search on the west side of groningen, but it's a bit harder to get housing there. There are a lot of work agencies in groningen so you can start on flexible shifts. Almost all dutch people speak english so you'll be good. I wish you a good time here in holland! Don't forget to visit the islands.