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Importing a car

Here are some tips about what you need do to import a car to Holland.

1. Ensure you have your original registration document.
2. Contact your insurance company in Holland, we had to pay them GBP238.00 to forfeit the insurance before the time was up.
3.Find a new insurance in Holland, set this up.
4.Change the lights on your car if its imported from the UK use your chosen garage.
5. Make an appointment for the RDW.
6. Go down to the RDW and set up the procedure with them.
7. After 5 days you get all the information in the post.
8 Get a new number plate through a registered supplier or your local car dealer

If you have finance on your car in the UK you will need to pay this off. You will also need two salary slips before they will entertain a loan in Holland to pay off the finance company in the UK.

It all sounds very complicated but if your car is only half paid for then you will find rather than lose money on it, the whole procedure is probably worth the effort. Once it’s done - you still have a valuable car and have only lost about E400 to do this. Better than losing E4000 on its value.

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Further education

Continuing your education in Holland is possible. Here is some basic information which could be useful:

If you want to follow a bachelors degree course of study, you need to have a suitable secondary school diploma. You need to go through a diploma evaluation to find out if your secondary school diploma qualifies. If you want to study for a masters degree, you need a bachelors degree in that field or an equivalent. Nuffic (http://www.idw.nl/index2.html) is the central point to do this diploma evaluation.

You’ll also need to pass an English language test. A certain level of English required for all study courses. For some studies the level is higher than for others. There is a quota for some of the more popular courses.

Don't forget that you’ll need money to pay for your study and for living. Scholarships can be available.

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Going Dutch and other cultural differences

When you move to another country, you will experience that some things are done differently.

Recently I discovered the following cultural differences:

- when you go out for some drinks with friends, the Dutch often decide that everyone pays an equal part of the bill. E.g. 10 people have drinks together and at the end of the evening the total bill is 120 euro. Everyone pays 12 euro. In many other countries everybody pays for the drinks he had.

- Dutch people usually don't like if you just drop in unannounced. You need to make an appointment and it may take a few weeks before you can meet each other. For many expats this is very strange as they are used to drop in spontaneously and unannounced. This Dutch habit hasn't existed always. At least until the late 1970s you could visit somebody unannounced and in some villages it is still possible.

At a birthday party in Holland you are expected to sit in a circle eating a bit of cake and coffee (Maybe 1 biscuit, but no more!) After that alcoholic beverages maybe served. Not attending a close family member’s birthday party is really frowned upon. In UK, friends take the birthday boy/girl out to the pub and that person does NOT have to pay a Euro penny. Believe it or not , in Holland the birthday boy/girl is expected to pay for drinks should he/she celebrate this in a restaurant/pub.

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Health Insurance

There are two types of health insurance in the Netherlands. The first is a mandatory basic health insurance package which everyone 18 years and older must have. It costs about 100€ a month and covers family doctor, medicine prescribed by a doctor, medical specialist and hospital care. The second type is extra insurance which covers things like physiotherapy, dentist, alternative medicine, single room in case of hospital care. Different packages are available, prices vary depending on what is covered. It advisable to look for extra insurance for these additional costs. Insurance companies MUST accept you for the basic insurance, but can refuse you for their extra insurance.

There is also the low income law. To help pay health insurance, individuals earning less than €25,000 gross a year (that is, including the taxes) are entitled to maximum €420 a year. Couples earning less than €40,000 are entitled to maximum €1200 a year. If you qualify, take the salary slip to the tax office to prove the income and ask for this. You can get it in monthly instalments, but you have to ask for it specifically as they will not volunteer the information.

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Getting a job

If you want to work here, you need a work permit from the IND (Immigration and Naturalisation Service) as an addition to your residence permit. There are also many recruitment agencies for non Dutch speakers. Generally it is required (or at least desired) that you speak some Dutch. But I know that people who don't know (much) Dutch find jobs as well, but it does take some time.

In the Netherlands it is more difficult for people aged 45+ (even the Dutch themselves) to find a new job, regardless their qualifications. This is because many employers think that if you are "older" you will be ill more often, less flexible, not interesting in learning new things, less productive and their knowledge is not up to date. These ideas are prejudices and the government is working hard to convince employers that people aged 45+ can be very useful for a company/organisation. However, there is still a long way to go.

Non-working spouse benefit

If you call the tax office they may refuse to speak with you in English. It is their policy to speak only Dutch on the phone. When my husband called, someone felt sorry for us, understood what I wanted and sent the form I requested in the mail. It took about three weeks.

My husband and I then went into the local tax office, took a number, and I asked for the "non-working spouse benefit.'' When I presented to form/booklet to them, the employee filled out the information for me (as I couldn't understand the Dutch form).

I think that your husband needs to be there, and make sure you have your bank account number, SOFI number, and they also asked for our residence permits. I only did it this month, so I am waiting for my first payment. We were paying taxes a long time before I discovered this, and I neglected to ask if I could claim the benefits I missed at the end of the tax year

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Indian/Asian immigration

There is no general racism towards Indian/Asian people (exception for people with extreme ideas). You should be aware that the Dutch are usual very direct. When you are not used to this, you may consider that it is impolite but it is a normal way of reacting. If you want to meet a Dutch person, you must make an appointment (also with friends) and shouldn't be surprised if it takes a few weeks before you can meet each other. This is just because people have a busy schedule. Don't take it personally! Compared with the Indian culture, the Dutch are rather individual and don't seem to be very open and friendly to new people. However, there are very kind, friendly and warm-hearted Dutch people but it takes time to find them.

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