# Relocating to the Netherlands with DAFT  This is our experience relocating from New York to Amsterdam in 2019 with some updates from friends that we've helped make the transition during and after the pandemic. The [Dutch America Friendship Treaty (DAFT)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DAFT) is a post-war agreement between the two countries that allows US (and Japanese) citizens to setup a Dutch business and sponsor their own residency visa (along with a work visa for their partner). The investment amount was fixed in 1956 and has remained at 4500 euros, making it achievable for many more people. Reports from a few years ago is that there are a few hundred applicants per year and that all of them are accepted. Disclaimer: None of this is legal advice, and laws around immigration do change. The intention is to give you an idea of what is involved in moving to the Netherlands as an American, from the perspective of people who have done it. ## Frequently asked questions * **Do you have any regrets?** I wish we had done it sooner! * **Do you need to speak Dutch?** No, and almost all of the government websites are in English (although see "Inburgering" below about permanent residency). * **How long is the visa?** Two years initially, after which you need to demonstrate business activity, and then renewable for five years at a time. * **Roughly what does it cost?** 4500 euros deposited in the business bank account plus a 380 euro application fee and around 1000 euros to your lawyer (advocaat) and notary if you use one. * **Can my partner/family come too?** Partner visas are included and your partner can work (or not) if they want to. * **What about health care?** it's not free, although it is quite inexpensive (around 150 euros per month), and subsidized if you can't afford it. <!-- this is vague, can be interpretted as they don't do health screenings in the Netherlands --> Plus there is no health screening. see Health topics below for more details. * **Do I have to know how to bike?** No, there is also a comprehensive transit network. Biking in the Netherlands is entirely unlike biking in the US, as the infrastructure makes it safe here. There are adult biking lessons, and plenty of options for those with mobility challenges. ## Paperwork The DAFT visa is fairly easy to acquire -- according to some sources the application success rate is 100% -- and some people apply on their own. We used an advocaat (lawyer) to help with the paperwork and a notary to file various business related things. ### Types of visa Unlike many countries, the Netherlands allows you to file the DAFT visa paperwork while inside the country. We entered on a Schengen tourist visa and started the process while on "holiday". Once our business plan and applications were filed, we received a passport sticker that extended our normal 90-day tourist visa for six months or until they made a decision. I've read that post-pandemic they are now processing applications in 4-6 weeks; ours took about three months but we were able to start doing business as soon as the filings were done. There are two ways to file for DAFT: "ZZP" (sole proprietership) and "BV" (sort of like an LLC). The ZZP has far lower overhead and has some tax advantages, although my understanding is that it does not include liability protection. Setting up a BV costs more but also allows you to file for a "[30% ruling](https://www.belastingdienst.nl/wps/wcm/connect/en/individuals/content/coming-to-work-in-the-netherlands-30-percent-facility)" that gives you initially a thirty percent discount on your taxes if you qualify. The exact specifics of this rule is in flux, so check the Belastingdienst (equivalent to the IRS) website for the details. One other advanage of the 30% rule is that it allows you to trade in your US driver's license for a Dutch one without a driving test. Although I've never used it, since biking is so safe and transit is so dependable. Choosing between ZZP and BV really depend on your situation. We talked it over with our advocaat and took their advice to setup a BV and file for 30%. My rough understanding is that the extra costs of the BV mean that you need to be making around 66k euros/year in revenue to make it worthwhile. Again, talk to your advocaat to figure out which is right for you! ### Family visas Partners and children under 18 are also allowed to join on the DAFT visa. The Netherlands was the first country in the world to allow gay marriage and their definition of spouse includes non-married registered partnership. Partners do not need to be US citizens. The [IND has a PDF with the requirements](https://ind.nl/en/forms/3085.pdf) for bringing family members with you. Adult children or parents are possible with an extra application but are not guaranteed. Some of our friends here on DAFT name both partners as managing directors on one BV, some have separate BVs, some partners work for normal Dutch companies, and some partners are non-working. While the main DAFT applicant can only work for their own company, their partner has more flexibility. Additionally, one of our friends has a non-US partner and would have had difficulty securing a US visa for their partner, so it was easier for both of them to move to the Netherlands rather than try to return to the US. ### Banking and BSN Once you have the visa, you can register for a "Burgerservicenummer" (BSN), which is like the SSN. You will need lots of proof of identity to get this, such as your passport, a lease agreement, an [apostilled](https://www.netherlandsworldwide.nl/legalisation/foreign-documents/united-states) birth certificate and (if applicable) marriage license. The apostille date on the documents needs to be fairly recent, although "_Organisations have different requirements for how recently your document must have been issued and legalised_" and I think the limit is six months for the BSN. With a BSN you can finally open a bank account, register your residency and sign up for health insurance. Due to IRS regulations, most banks are hesitant to accept US citizens. I've heard that bunq and revolut allows account creation without a BSN, although when we moved here ABN Amro required a BSN and a local address. Until you have a bank account, there are some frustrations with interacting with the systems in the country... the Netherlands has gone almost cash-free, meaning that everything is paid for with a bank debit card or inter-bank transfer. In Amsterdam you can probably pay for things with your Applepay or other contactless methods, but you won't be able to pay your date back for your half of the dinner and drinks when they send you a tikkie invoice. Once you are in the banking system you'll find it is much more convenient and secure than the system in the US. Bank-to-bank transfers between friends, with no data-mining or fee-skimming middlemen, are blessedly easy. When you buy things online you use your debit card via scanning a QR code with your banking app, so your account information is never shared in a way that compromises it. Also note that the IRS will require you to still file US taxes. There are [foreign earned income exclusions](https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/foreign-earned-income-exclusion) and the [foreign tax credit](https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/foreign-tax-credit), but you still have to file even if your worldwide income ends up being covered. This is one area that we defer to the experts and let our bookkeeper handle the income tax and FBAR filings. ### Health care In our experience nearly all general practitioners and other medical personnel speak excellent English. In the Netherlands, healthcare is a right. You are required to sign up for insurance, but if you can't afford it it will be subsidized. The [Standard Health Insurance](https://www.government.nl/topics/health-insurance/standard-health-insurance) is around 150 euros per month, with a €385 deductible for the year. The deductible only applies to specialized care and some medications. You can add extra coverage for specific types of care that apply to you (for instance 6 physiotherapist visits per year is about €15). Dental insurance is one of these add-on options, although it is also quite inexpensive compared to dental care in the US. The [Zorgwijzer expat FAQ](https://www.zorgwijzer.nl/faq/expats) has lots of details on how it works as well as a [guide to help you select a provider](https://www.zorgwijzer.nl/zorgverzekering-2025). The insurance market is a private market, but it is heavily regulated, and there are plenty of companies to choose from. #### Trans health care There is an excellent wiki at [Trans World Express](https://transworldexpress.org/wiki/Netherlands) about the situation for trans and gender affirming health care in the Netherlands. #### ADHD and mental health care Mental health care for things like ADHD and autism usually involve being on a wait list for about 3-5 months before starting, but the care itself is comprehensive, high quality, and there's always an English option. Bring documentation from your doctor back home and your GP here will prescribe your medications until you can see a specialist (a GP will not adjust your medication, they will refer you to an ADHD clinic for that). Nearly all ADHD medications are available here except for Adderall. Similar options here are instant release dexamphetamine or Vyvanse (called Elvanse here). ### Housing  [funda.nl](https://www.funda.nl/) is the Dutch zillow for purchasing real estate. If you are looking "te koop" (to buy), exepect around 10k euros/m^2 in Amsterdam; it gets much cheaper in other cities or towns. Funda also has rental listings, like this ["te huur" map view](https://www.funda.nl/zoeken/kaart/huur?selected_area=%5B%22nl%22%5D&zoom=15&centerLat=52.362&centerLng=4.8958&price=%221500-3000%22). Our friends who rent suggest using a broker, which will cost the first month's rent, to help you navigate the mostly-Dutch system and get your financial paperwork together. It used to be that there were two classes of leases: a two year temporary and a permanent lease. The laws around this recently changed, but I am not certain how this has affected the rental market. Houseboats used to be the cheapest way to live in Amsterdam, although they are now so trendy that they have some of the highest price per square meter. ## Daily life ### Registering with the local municipality Everyone must register with the "gemeente" (local municipality or town hall) where their residence is located. All your interactions with the Dutch goverment are interfaced through your gemeente. The healthcare system also makes use of registrations to send invitations for testing when it's time (like blood tests and colonoscopies, for instance) and it was used during Covid to send you invitations to get vaccinated. When it's time to vote for something, the government uses your registration to send you invitations to vote. Speaking of which there will be two things you will be able to vote for at first as a resident: the local water board that handles water management (a large proportion of the Netherlands is below sea level, so the Dutch have hundreds of years experience in the expert use of dikes, locks, and pumping stations to keep the country dry), and participatory budgetting for small projects in your neighborhood (like turning parking spaces into minigardens). ### Bikes  Bicycling infrastructure is separated from automobile traffic, unless the speed limit is 30 kmph (18 mph), in which case cars and bikes are allowed to mix. Drivers here also bike, and so do their kids, and their grandparents, so drivers are always incredibly cautious and patient. The cycling path network also fully blankets the entire country. No matter how suburban or rural an area is, there will be a safe path for cyclists. There are no gaps in the system, you will be able to bike from your home to grocery stores, train stations, schools, movie theatres, shops, etc. When there's construction, there's always a bike detour, but not always a car detour.  The average Amsterdam resident has [1.9 bicycles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycling_in_Amsterdam#:~:text=1.91%20bicycles%20per%20household), although you don't have to bring your own at first. Most new arrivals lease a long term bike from [SwapFiets](https://swapfiets.nl/) - a single speed "Original" with coaster brake is 17 euros/month. They are easily identifed by the blue front tire. We rented ours for about a year and then bought our own bicycles and now each have slightly above the average number of bikes. Bike theft of non-electric bikes is way down from where it used to be and most everyone parks their bikes on the street.  When you travel to another city by train it is common to bike to your local station, park the bike for free in a protected garage (the [Utrecht one can fit 12500 bikes!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q59HYAeYsFM)) and to borrow an [OV Fiets](https://www.ns.nl/en/door-to-door/ov-fiets) (national bike share) at your destination train stations for 4 euros/day. You can also bring your bike along, although it requires a 7 euro/day bike ticket unless it is a folding bicycle, in which case it's free (when folded). ### If you can't bike  There are [bike lessons for adults](https://www.at5.nl/artikelen/229208/fietsles-voor-expats-populair-mijn-droom-is-om-door-het-centrum-te-fietsen) to help get you comfortable riding in the city if you need it. Mobility scooters are also allowed in bike lanes and are quite common (although not all buildings are as accessible as they could be). The traffic infrastructure is designed to be efficient for cyclists, but is not intended to discriminate against those who cannot use a bike. If you have mobility issues and a bike is not a possiblity for you, there are options. The [Canta](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canta_%28vehicle%29) is a microcar that can be customized based on various disabilities, and it is allowed to be used in bike lanes. There are also plenty of different sytles of [accessiblity bikes](https://www.vanraam.com/en-gb) available, and e-bikes have become very popular. ### Transit  Every train, bus, tram, and subway in the entire country takes the same transit pass with a check-in/check-out system. The system is largely accessible with elevators and escallators in most stations. Combine that with the fact that transit is clean, safe, ubiquitous, and reliable, and you can get anywhere you need to go comfortably without a private car and without ever stepping foot in a uber. In the six years we've been here we have used a taxi only twice. Trains between cities are so frequent that you don't have to bother arranging tickets in advance. Just go to the station, swipe your transit card, and find the platform for the next train to the Hague or whatever, as if you were getting on the subway. We live in Amsterdam, and will often go to an evening event in Rotterdam, the Hague, or Utrecht, and get back before bedtime. <!-- Onboard the trains the *Red* seats are first class and unless you've explicitly upgraded you will need to sit in the *Blue* sections. If you have brought your bike on the train, be sure that you have a ticket for it. Conductors check infrequently but the "boete" (fine) is expensive and they will look at you with a very disapointed expression.--> <!-- (Well, except for some nature reserves and islands ... but then you can bike!) --> The best deal is the 38 euro/month [weekendvrij abonnement](https://www.ns.nl/en/season-tickets/weekend-vrij) that lets you ride the trains for free during the weekend (Friday 18:30 until Monday 04:00) and gives you 40% discount during off-peak the rest of the time. One round trip from Amsterdam to Rotterdam will pay for this subscription (which also includes OV Fiets). Do note that this only covers the NS Trains, not the buses or trams in the cities, nor does it cover international trains like the ICE or Eurostar. ### Schools  We don't have any personal experience in this topic, although it is really neat to see so many children biking themselves to school and activities afterwards. They have so much freedom to go around the city without needing their parents to drive them places. This is one of the reasons Unicef named the Netherlands as [the best place to raise children](https://www.iamexpat.nl/expat-info/dutch-expat-news/unicef-netherlands-best-place-raise-child) and urbanists like NotJustBikes have made videos on [Why we won't raise our kids in suburbia](https://nebula.tv/videos/notjustbikes-why-we-wont-raise-our-kids-in-suburbia) (also on [youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHlpmxLTxpw)). ## Inburgering You could continue to renew your DAFT visa every five years, but as it is considered a temporary visa you will not be able to vote in most elections, and if you want to put down roots permanent residency or naturalization is going to be your goal. After 5 years residing in the country you will be elligible to apply for permanent residency or naturalization. You must complete the inburgering (integration) requirements before you apply. Your Dutch language skills will need to be at the A2 level (around 1000 of the most common words and basic grammar). They do intend to raise that to B1, but Covid stalled the rollout, and no one knows when the requirement will change. For a native English speaker the Dutch language feels somewhere between English and German. A sort of "German-lite". The grammar is similar to German, but gentler, and there is not as much memorization required as there is for German. Here is a taste: De witte kat zit op de stoep. (The white cat sits on the sidewalk.) There is also a culture exam, which mostly covers practical matters like labor regulations, tenants rights, how the school system works, etc. The exam is in A2-level Dutch. ## Culture  The Netherlands has the [highest population density](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_European_Union) of the continental EU members and a large portion of the land area is reclaimed from the sea. There's a saying "**God made the world, but the Dutch made Holland**" -- this is the result of inumerable small windmills that pump water out of the fields as well as massive projects like the Afsluitdijk and Delta Works, and has led to entire new provinces like Flevoland. Personality-wise, the Dutch are very direct and will readily give you their unfiltered opinion (without intending to be hurtful). They don't like hierarchies, and that includes in the workplace. They are thrifty, just like the stereotype, and restaurants will always split the bill if you ask because "going Dutch" is definitely the rule. The Dutch are punctual, and they tend to schedule every coffee, hangout, and meetup in advance. They don't appreciate surprises, so they won't show up at your house unannouced. Younger Dutch people who spend more time around foreigners can be more relaxed about these things, sometimes. The Dutch love insurance. They have insurance for everything, and they expect that if anything goes awry, you will have insurance for that. The easy way to deal with this is to just get all the various insurances from your bank (at least liability, home exterior and contents, and of course insure your bike). The Netherlands prides itself on being a "tolerant" country built by merchants who didn't care what what you believed in or where you came from as long as your money spends, but in reality the Dutch are still human beings so plenty of them are racist, misogynist, and/or bigotted. The fact that they consider tolerance a cultural value does help temper things. Work/life balance is highly valued, so when a Dutch person is out of the office, they are really out of the office. A full month is the standard for vacation, part time work is common, especially among women with kids, and fathers often take a "papasdag" (dad's day off) one day a week or every other week. Working from home was popular even before the pandemic. There tends to be a high level of communication and trust among neighbors, and every street has a chat thread going, often on Whatsapp, for organizing block parties, figuring out who put their trash out in the wrong place, and getting lost cats back to their owners. ## Politics In the last election there were 26 parties to choose from, and 15 of those parties won seats in the Tweede Kamer (House of Representatives). "Primaries" happen at the same time as the the "general" since the ballot has a long column of names under each party, so you are both choosing your favored party and favored candidate within that party at the same time. Elections are actually one person one vote, there is no electoral college or any other such shenanigans. With 26 parties you get to vote your conscience, and the parties that gain seats have to do the compromising. [Wikipedia has a nice chart of all the parties](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_the_Netherlands). The party that wins the most seats appoints a prime minister based on their voters' preferences (unless that person is so odious that the other parties demand someone else be chosen, as is currently the situation). A recent growth in anti-immigrant sentiment in Europe (and let's face it, the US media, which does get exported here via social media) combined with frustation over neoliberal policies over the past decade, and unrest in an overgrown agricultural sector that is resisting a haircut, has lead to a right wing populist coalition being elected here. Luckily they are failing to implement a lot of their policies because of institutional roadblocks that are still functional here against breaking EU laws and violating human rights. Hooray? ## Weather Sorry, this section is necessary. No one moves here for the weather, and should know that up-front. ### The bad news If you scooted the country across the globe, the Netherlands would lie well within Canada. The winters here are dark and dismal. In the depths of December the sun rises at 8:30 and sets at 4:30, and since it's also the cloudiest time of year, the sun is rarely to be seen and the sky is a uniform grey. Oh and it rains a lot. This doesn't, of course, stop anyone from biking everywhere. Although you may discover that you get seasonal affective disorder, despite never having had it before. ### The good news Temperatures never get to extremes. We rarely go below freezing in the winter, and it never gets nose-stingingly cold. Part of this is due to the Atlantic conveyor, and part of it is due to climate change -- the canals used to freeze regularly, but now it's only every 5-10 years. And homes don't have air conditioning because it's rarely hot enough to need them in the summer. And summers are absolutely beautiful here. The sun comes up before 5am, and even at 11:30 at night there is still some light in the sky. Daytime temperatures are from the 60's to the low 70's, with occassional spikes into the 80's for a day or two. Everyone is outside, in little boats on the canals, sitting on terraces, hanging out in parks, having a glass of wine and a little picnic on the stoop, etc.