My Experiences of Netherlands:

Tips for a new Indian in The Netherlands

2012-10-27T14:03:00.000-07:00

I came to Netherlands towards the end of 2009. Since then, I have seen the Indian crowd only expand...exponentially would not be a wrong term to use!

How do I claim this…by the number of people of my parents age in sarees and formal wear in summer :). Primarily I see people coming for work, graduation studies, post-graduation Masters, Research (PhD) and tourism. BTW I’m here for work.

Note: Since Jan 2014, I have transferred this blog to http://indiansinnetherlands.com due to better features. So for latest (and correct) notes, kindly click here: http://indiansinnetherlands.com.

Recently one of my colleagues came to Netherlands and I realized I could give him a lot of information about this place. Thought it might help a few more if I write a blog!

Before travel - Preparation and luggage:

If you are browsing to find information and everything is in Dutch, download Google Chorme. It will ask you if you want to translate Dutch to (decent enough) English. City center is called 'Centrum'
Primary language is Dutch. But most people in Netherlands are able to speak English.
Most of Netherlands is safe and crime rate is very low. However petty theft and house robbery does occur. So don't carry too much jewelry :)
Mid Oct thru early March is cold. Outside temperature will likely be in and around 0 degree centigrade. If you want to know how it feels, just keep your hands inside a fridge freezer for 5 minutes! Carry a good woolen gloves, woolen cap that covers even your ears, a good winter jacket and thermal wear. For April thru September, it is better to carry a good warm jacket anyway. It could be very warm or chilly at random.
Unless it is arranged for you, carry enough ready to eat food for at least 1 day. Not only that you will likely be tired and hungry, depending on the day/time you land, no shops might be open!
Unlike India, 95% of the shops (excluding restaurants) close by 5:00PM. On Sunday all shops are closed. Even the few restaurants that open will close early. If you are lucky, your city center might be open outside these hours. (One exception is Albert Heijn grocery store. They are open till 10:00PM Mon-Sat in most cities. Go to their website to find a store near your destination and open timings).
If you want to cook yourself, carry your pressure cooker (carry spare gasket and safety valve), mixer (mixers here do not scale up to Indian needs of grinding), you may want to carry home made 'saaru' and 'sambar' powder. However MTR is available in Indian shops here.
The electric plug point shape is different from India. Carry a couple of European pin to Indian pin converters. It should cost within Rs100/- in India while it could cost upto €10 euros to buy it here.
Voltage/frequency is 220V/50Hz. So your mixer, laptop will work here...you only need the European pin to Indian pin converter.
If your visa is "Knowledge Work Permit" (also called highly skilled migrant or Kennismigrant), only then your spouse (dependent) can work.
Mobile is GSM based. So if your mobile is a standard brand (Nokia, Samsung etc) GSM phone, it will work here.
Carry needed medication. You will not get medicines unless you have a prescription from a Dutch doctor. Only exception is Paracetemol and other petty medicines. So carry needed medication sufficient for at least 2 months.
If you wear spectacles, carry a spare. It will be expensive here and takes them 2 weeks to deliver.
Carry your original driving licence . There is no need for IDP since Indian licence is in English. You are allowed to drive with India license for 6 months after your arrival.
For an idea on cost of living in The Netherlands, read my other post.
If you have a child and need English medium school, you need to find an 'International school' first and based on that decide your housing. There are not many international schools and so this check is important. Contact the school immediately (even before coming to Netherlands) to get advice on vacancy.
Check your office dress code. Suit might be preferred/needed.
A good fit formal pants could be difficult to find here since shops do not adjust the length.
Due to weather conditions, clothes do not dry in the Sun. You need to wash and dry in a washing machine once in 3 to 7 days. So I suggest you carry extra sets of clothes.
For the India to Netherlands flight journey, carry enough money. Ideally this should be very small amount to cover for any food/shopping need during your stopover. But carry at least 200-300euros more just in case something goes wrong midway forcing longer stopover (snow, fog, Iceland volcano, strike etc). It is best to carry in Euro, US Dollar or Pounds. BEWARE......INDIAN RUPEES MAY OR MAY NOT BE ACCEPTED OUTSIDE INDIA even in currency exchange centers.
Most airlines allow 1 check-in baggage of 23 Kgs. A few allow 30 Kgs (Etihad, Emirates, Jet etc).
If you are migrating for employment, you are likely to be eligible for 30% ruling. This means first 30% of your gross is tax free. This is a significant financial advantage. Ask your employer for it. For more details click here.
Open a NRE account when you are still in India. While you can do it even after coming here, it is a long and painful process. Also get the internet banking userid/password so that you can make all transactions via NEFT on the internet and hassle free.
You might want to consider giving "Power of Attorney" to someone close to you. Understand the risks before you do it.

Day 0:

Upon landing in Netherlands, you can buy pre-paid SIM card at the airport. Generally preferred among Indians is 'Lyca mobile' since its calling rate to India is about 1cent/minute. It costs €15 to buy the SIM with currency of €7.50 already loaded. 'Lebara mobile' is a competitor. Often they have better deals. Compare and then buy.
If you are landing in Schipol airport, the train station is within the airport. Make sure your destination train station has a lift/escalator from the platform to the transit point. Else you will have to carry your luggage up/down the stairs. Normally taxis/city-bus are available outside the train stations.
If train is not an option for you, 'airport shuttle' is the next cheapest followed by taxi. Please take official taxi only (and not someone who is trying to sell you a taxi inside the airport) to avoid paying much more than official rates. Note: Car seat for kids is not mandatory for airport shuttle and taxis.

Week 1:

Grocery stores: Albert Heijn (also Lidel, C1000, Jumbo). You will get tons of varieties. Some items specific to Indian taste are:

Butter – ‘Roombotter - Ongezouten’,
Curds - ‘Bio Garde, STAND Naturel’ yogurt,
buttermilk - 'Karnemelk',
rice – ‘euro shop basmati rice’ or sona masuri from Indian store,
dosa-rice - 'euro shop Surinam rice'

If you are really out of stuff late at night, you can go to 'Night Shop' or 'Albert Heign to go' shop that are open till late in the night. However you will get only limited stuff and is not a substitute for your grocery shopping. Also, these shops are more expensive than regular grocery shops. Night Shop will be open till about 1.00AM.
Clothes store: 'C&A', V&D, Hema, PRIMARK – cheap and good. Often there will be discount ‘Sale’. So buy only what you need and wait for the Sale weeks for the rest.
Miscellaneous store: Action, Blokker, Kruidvat, Zeeman. You will get stationery, mug, bucket, DVDs, batteries, shopping cart, rice cooker etc etc etc.
Footware store: van Haren is cheap and good….again keep ‘Sale’ weeks in mind.
Indian store: Most cities have Indian stores where you get almost all of your day to day needs as if in India. In Eindhoven, as of 2013, there are Sri Cash and Carry, Omid (not Indian, but stores Indian stuff), Rohit and Jyoti. Google for address. You will get ready to eat, Maggie, soan pappdi, grated coconut…everything! If you have a stove and a microwave in your accomodation, life is easy here!
Indian store: Other than Indian stores, Chinese, Turkish and international stores also store Indian food items (like dals, ready chapatti, pudina, palak etc)
Electronics store: media markt.…look for Sale. Also check the price in mediamarkt.nl. Products are often much cheaper there. You can even order it to the nearest store at no additional shipping cost and pick it up from there a day or 2 later.
Petty Medicines: Etos
Medical store: any 'Apotheek', but unless it is over the counter medicine, you will need prescription from a Dutch doctor.
Post office: Generally a separate counter in 'Bruna' book store.
If you did not buy a Lyca mobile SIM card at the airport, you can buy it at the train station information/currency exchange desk. Some phone shops in the Centrum will also sell.
A shopping cart will cost you €15/-. But worth the buy since it will last for years and will relieve you the pain of carrying stuff in hand. With a shopping cart, you fill it with your grocery and drag it on its wheels to your home.
To travel by train, it is good to know the basic ticketing system. Go to http://www.ns.nl for timetable, ticket price. Click English if you prefer information in English. Trains have a confusing variety of discounts, ticketing modes and eligibility criteria for these. If you are confused, go to the ticket counter at the station and ask them what is best for your situation. However you will pay 50cents extra per ticket if you buy tickets at the counter instead of the vending machine.
For door-to-door travel planning using public transport, go to http://www.9292.nl/. For English, click the UK flag. If you provide your home address and your destination address, it will tell you the options you have for travel.
You can use 'Smartvoip' to call India and other countries from your laptop. Google Smartvoip.
Once you get your insurance letter from your insurance company, you can register yourself with a Doctor. The healthcare system is a bit strange and important to know. Read my other post for details.

Month 1

ABN-AMRO bank has English online banking. Most others have only Dutch. You need the BSN to open the account. How to apply for a BSN and the time it takes is explained here.
Other than health insurance, it is strongly advised to take 2 more types of insurance. Personal Insurance- in case you/family damage someone else's property by mistake. Theft Insurance - to cover your house hold items in case of theft. ABN-AMRO also offers both and cost very nominal amount.
Ebay of Holland: - http://www.marktplaats.nl/ ; http://www.tweakers.net
Buy a cycle. New one will be very expensive. You should easily be able to find a good used (second hand) cycle. Do not buy from unknown people who look like thugs and are ready to sell at very cheap price. Most likely these are stolen cycles and police might question you. Look for something within known circles. There are second hand shops but cost much more than private owners.
If your spouse is not working, he/she can apply for tax return in the local tax office. After first 6 months of living in Holland, non-working spouse will get a monthly tax return of aprox €160/month.
If you have child(ren) you can apply for child benefit with SVB. You will get about € 150 per quarter if you have 1 child and more if you have more. Google SVB for more info.
If both you and your spouse are working and you need a day care for your child, you can get partial day-care fee refund from the government. Depending on the city you live in, it may be easy to extremely difficult to get a day care for your child. Try nearby smaller cities if getting it in your city is difficult.
In spite of the luxuries, you will need friends....especially for a housewife/kids. The best way to make friends is to invite someone who you meet with similar situation as you to your home formally for tea/dinner (and not just "come home sometime"...this will never work). Don't wait for the other party to initiate. Also, long timers in NL would already have their circle. So best bet is to make your own group of recently arrived.
There are quite a few Indians associations that conduct functions on account of Diwali, Ugadi etc. Google and facebook should help you to find one:

kannada: http://www.facebook.com/groups/shreegaMdha/ or shrigandha.nl (both are same)
Telugu: https://www.facebook.com/tanetherlands
Diwali celebration in Amsterdam: http://www.diwalifestival.nl/nl/route/4-route

You are allowed to drive in Netherlands with a foreign license for first 6 months after your arrival.
If your 30% ruling is approved, you can exchange your Indian license for a Dutch license paying a nominal fee at your local town hall (for a fee of about €50). Spouse of a 30% ruling holder is also eligible for this exchange. For further details on DL: http://www.expatica.com/nl/leisure/travel_tourism/how-to-get-a-dutch-drivers-licence-1672.html
Spouse of a Knowledge Work Permit holder is not eligible for 30% ruling if he/she gets a job after coming to Netherlands as a dependent. However many have received the 30% ruling if they got employed within 3 months of coming to Netherlands.
It is allowed to change jobs on the work permit.
Ryanair is a good low cost airline for travel within Europe if planned at least 4 weeks in advance. Use the 'Skyscanner' mobile app to plan your vacation. It lists in the order of ticket cost to all destinations from a given source for a given period.
Probably you are already looking forward to plan your next trip....see this post for a list of places to visit in Netherlands and Europe.
Popular cinema complex is Pathe: http://www.pathe.nl
Internet speed is generally very high. Videos from youtube etc will just stream uninterrupted. So you can watch your favourite serials and cricket on your computer itself

If you are missing your favorite serials, you are likely to find it here: www.desitvforum.net
If you are missing live cricket, google for 'cricket streaming live'. You will get multiple websites that show live telecast most often for free.
For HD quality movies, try www.einthusan.com or www.youbolly.com
Try http://www.newtvworld.com/India-Live-Tv-Channels/watch-etv-Kannada-live-streaming.html
Try http://freeasia.tv/

For news about Netherlands in English: http://www.dutchnews.nl/
If you have a lot of junk to throw away:

for daily rubbish, you can collect them in a black dustbin bag (buy in grocery store) and keep them on the footpath weekly on a designated day for your area.
for clothes there is a separate dustbin. You can find these near some schools and daycares
to throw plastic waste and bottles, dustbins will be near shopping centers
for batteries disposal, you can check for a waste bin in your office or go to electric shops like media markt for example.
for anything and everything, go to Millieustraat. It is the city waste collection center. Some cities charge you a nominal fee and some do not.

To meet like minded groups/people: http://www.meetup.com/find/
To learn Dutch on your own:

Radio: http://tunein.com/topic/?TopicId=37787463
Text: http://www.dutchgrammar.com/

This point is a little too far away for most, but you must know if you are working in NL. For every year of working in NL, you are eligible for 2% of AOW value as monthly pension after you reach retirement age (about 66). The AOW value is determined by SVB every year depending on inflation etc. In 2013, its value is about €725.00. So before leaving NL for good, call SVB and ask for a statement. Then call them when you are 66 to arrange for the pension!! :)

Disclaimer: This is my best effort and personal opinion only. No responsibility will be taken for any inaccuracy.

Time it takes

2012-10-24T17:02:00.000-07:00

Considering your day of landing in Netherlands as Day 0, below is the approximate timeline chart from preparation to settling in Netherlands:

Note: Since Jan 2014, I have transferred this blog to http://indiansinnetherlands.com due to better features. So for latest (and correct) notes, kindly click here: http://indiansinnetherlands.com.

Work Permit - Family travelling together situation:

-4 months: apply and ready your & family birth certificates; marriage certificate; passports. (Rule: marriage certificate on the day of visa stamping should be less than 6 months old; birth certificate can be old)

-3 months: get your & family birth and marriage certificates legalized. (this will take about 1 month)

-8 weeks: apply for Netherlands work permit visa (takes 3 to 6 weeks).

-2 weeks: schedule an appointment at the Mumbai/Delhi VFS office for application submission for you and family

-1 week: on the day of appointment, submit your application for visa stamping and await passport to be returned to you in 2 working days

0 Day: fly to Netherlands

+1 day: Go to Rijswijk IND office for sticker stamping (this is also automatic application for Dutch Residence Permit)

+1 or +2 weeks: Register your Netherlands residence address at the city town hall (this is also automatic application for BSN - Burger Service Number and citypass called 'stadpass').

+4 weeks: Go for TB test

+5 weeks: receive BSN via post (you can now open Bank account)
+8 weeks: receive Residence permit

+10weeks: apply for 30% ruling (if not applied within 3 months of arrival, the approval will apply from the month of approval. Hence make sure this is applied on time)
+ n Years: Your residence permit (RP) will expire in some years (1 year to 5 years depending on the period your company has applied). You need to apply for renewal 3 months before expiry so that you get the new RP. If you do not get your renewed RP before the expiry of the old one, you will need to get an extension sticker on your passport.

Work Permit - Bachelor/travelling-alone situation:

Start at -8weeks above. Rest remains same.
Note: There is a 'expedite' process now available for long term travel (more than 3 months). This takes only 2 weeks (instead of the 3 to 6 weeks) for visa approval.

Work Permit - Family joining later situation (I don't recommend this):

Same as above from -8weeks for the employee travelling first.

From the date employee decides to bring his/her family:

......Apply for birth certificate and marriage certificate

......Get the certificates legalized in India and send a copy of the same to employee in Netherlands

......Employee (spouse in NL) should register the marriage at the Netherlands town hall and send a confirmation copy to spouse in India.

......-8 weeks: Spouse and family in India to apply for dependent visa

......Same as above for the rest

Tourist visa - travel and stay sponsored by someone in Netherlands:

-6 weeks: take an appointment online to submit your application at the VFS office (Delhi, Mumbai or Bangalore). Sometimes appointment may be available within just 1 week and sometimes not. Hence it is better to plan 6 weeks in advance. Sometimes the website will show all appointments are full for the next months. This is only because it is not yet open. Try the website every day.

-3 weeks: Get legalized invite letter from the Netherlands town hall; ready other documents as needed (this is optional step and needed only if you are showing that someone in the Netherlands is sponsoring for the trip)
-2 weeks: submit application & passport and await passport in 3 (Delhi, Mumbai) to 5 (Bangalore) working days.

0 Day: travel to NL

+1 or +2 days: Register your arrival at the local police station and get an exit card

Day of departure: post the exit card to the police station

Tourist visa - travel and stay self sponsored:

Start at -6 weeks above. Skip the step for -3 weeks. Rest remains same

Disclaimer: The is my best effort and no responsibility will be taken for any inaccuracy

Short Stay

2012-10-24T05:17:00.000-07:00

For a short stay, you can choose from either a hotel or a short stay apartments. Apartment will be furnished with utensils, microwave, washing machine etc and all you need to do, is buy your own grocery and cook.

Note: Since Jan 2014, I have transferred this blog to http://indiansinnetherlands.com due to better features. So for latest (and correct) notes, kindly click here: http://indiansinnetherlands.com.

If you are looking for single accommodation on sharing basis, click here and register with kamernet.

For the most popular hotel booking site click here. Very often they also have short stay apartments. Some things you can (should) check in the website before reservation are:

7+ feedback rating for the hotel/apartment is what I recommend.
sometimes hotels include free breakfast in their rates (apartments generally do not)
Cancellation policy: Click on '?' button in the "Conditions" column - very clear and generally good
commute to/from the hotel
if you are price sensitive (i.e if company is not paying your stay :) ), sort the listing based on price
if you plan to rent a car, then check for free parking in the hotel
if you have kids, check age limit for free stay

I find booking is also very easy on this site...anyway, it is my favorite :)

For stay near Amsterdam Airport (Schipol) I have had friends stay in these hotels with good feedback:

- Ibis Airport: They have free shuttle from/to airport every 15 minutes. From the airport, you have train connectivity to the rest of the country and also rest of Europe :)

- Park Plaza: They also have free shuttle from/to airport

Please note that listing above does not mean the others aren't good. It is just that I do not have personal contacts that have stayed there. For example, I know corporate travelers stay in Novotel, NH, Sheraton etc. You can click here for all options around the Amsterdam Airport

For apartment options, you can also check this link. Check if cancellation policy suits you.

If you need help in deciding, leave me a comment.

Sightseeing list for Europe

2012-10-20T02:40:00.000-07:00

I have a list of 50+ places to visit across Europe. Click here to see the list. I have also shared my travel plan for the places I have visited.

Public transport and OV chipkaart

2012-10-12T12:25:00.000-07:00

All cities have bus and/or train connectivity. Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Haag (The Hague) and Utrecht also have tram and/or metro connectivity. Some places and islands are connected by ferry as well (OV chipcart does not apply here).
Note: Since Jan 2014, I have transferred this blog to http://indiansinnetherlands.com due to better features. So for latest (and correct) notes, kindly click here: http://indiansinnetherlands.com.

The network is very good and more often a connection wait time is less than 15 minutes. Also, they are most times on schedule though it is better you are prepared for delays and missed connection. Go to http://9292.nl for door to door planning of your travel.

The ticketing system for the public transport has changed since 2011 (strippencart is replaced with OV chipcart)

There are 3 ways of paying for your transport:
- buying a ticket for each travel
- buying an anonymous OV chipcard (a credit card like card)
- (applying and) buying a personalized OV chipcard
The advantage of travelling with OV chipcard over a ticket is that it is usually a lot cheaper (especially when the travel distance is small within city). It is also very convenient.

OV chipcart (ov-chipkaart):
What is it?
OV chipcart is a credit-card size card on which you can load currency and use it for public-transport travel.
There are many places where you can load the OV chipcard with currency. There are automated machines at the train station, bus station and even some stores (Albert Heijn for example) where you can load your currency.
There are 2 types of OV chipcart:
-- One anonymous and available over the counter for a fee of €7.50. This can be bought at any major train and bus station.
-- The other is with your identity. It needs to be applied online and needs a European bank account, local address and a picture of you. This will also cost the same as anonymous, will take about 2 weeks to arrive at your address, but has advantages that you can purchase discount plans. Example: trains offer a discount plan called "Dal Voordeal" that cost €50 for 1 year, but gives 40% discount on tickets for yourself + 3 fellow travelers on weekends and also offpeak hours on weekdays for 1 year from the date you purchased it. This discount can be availed only if you have personalized chip card and not on the anonymous card. Additional info: https://www.ov-chipkaart.nl/aanvragen/welkekaartpastbiju/

How to use it?
You need to swipe the card at the OV chipcard machine at the entrance to railway station or inside the bus/tram/metro. Before boarding you swipe in and after your journey you swipe out. If you forget to swipe out, a high flat fee will be charged (example: €20 for train travel if you forget to checkout).
Note: Only for trains, there is no need to swipe out and then swipe in at a connection (ex: if you have to change train at Utrecht when travelling from Eindhoven to Amsterdam, you do not need to swipe out at Utrecht). In all other cases, you need to swipe out. If you are continuing your journey within a few minutes OV chipkaart will take it as a continuation (called Overstoppen) and will charge a very nominal fee.

City transport ticketing:

Some cities have day pass and hourly pass while others don't. If a pass is not available, you need to buy a ticket for each leg of travel. If you want to make frequent use of transport, a day or hourly pass may be cheaper than OV chipkaart.

Train system:

There are 2 types of service. The Sprinter (also called Stop train) is a shuttle service that stops at a lot of stations en route to its destination. The other is Intercity which is express service connecting major cities.

Both have 1st and 2nd class coaches clearly written on the door. But more importantly, some 1st and 2nd class coaches are marked 'SILENT'. Occupants are expected not to talk or create sound in these coaches.

Ticketing is possible via ticket vending machine or OV chipcart. If you do not have a OV chipcart, you can buy tickets at the vending machine. On your OV chipcard you may load just some currency, monthly pass, yearly pass, group discount etc.

One very useful discount costs €55/year and is available only on OV chipcard with identity. It gives you and upto 3 other members with you a 40% discount during off-peak hours (all day on weekends and weekdays 9.00-16:30 and after 18.30) for 365 days from activation.

Disclaimer: The is my best effort and no responsibility will be taken for any inaccuracy

Cost of Living

2012-10-10T12:38:00.000-07:00

House rent will probably be your biggest expense.
The real cost of living is of course dependent on the person. The more you wish to stay out and travel, the more the cost. Here is my opinion on the cost of living of an average Indian.

Note: Since Jan 2014, I have transferred this blog to http://indiansinnetherlands.com due to better features. So for latest (and correct) notes, kindly click here: http://indiansinnetherlands.com.

House rent can cost from €250 (for a small single bedroom with shared bathroom) to couple of thousand. The average for the employed including gas, water, electricity is about:

€500 for bachelors sharing accommodation with colleagues
€950 for a single bed-room house for a couple
€1150 for a double bed-room house for a couple with 1 or 2 kids
For people working in Amsterdam, Aalsmeer city is considered economical to live in. Amsteleveen is popular because of the huge Indian population in that city.

The mandatory basic health insurance costs € 100 per person per month.
Travel by bus within a city with OV chipcard is about €1.50 per leg of travel.
Hotel stay costs can vary by hotel type, but for a decent one, it will be about € 65 per night.
Grocery cost per person is about €70 per month
A visit to Indian restaurant for a good dinner will cost about €25 per person, (drinks extra :) )
A visit to Mac Donald, Subway or other fast-food for a meal will cost about €7 per person
A visit to a pub will cost about €2.00 per glass of drink
Pizza will cost about €10 per person
Lunch in the office canteen will be about € 4.50.
Clothes will cost about the same as in India for the same quality. Jeans is cheaper than India.
Post-paid mobile bill will be about €30 per month...but will depend on your plan/need
Mobile phones will cost almost same as in India or even costlier (except if there is Sale). Other electronic items are generally cheaper.
Popular cinema complex is Pathe. Ticket costs about €10 per movie. But for just €19/month, you can also enjoy unlimited movies for the month! For details, see http://www.pathe.nl
Formal footwear is €50 or above
Fuel costs €1.75 per liter. Average city mileage of a car is 10kms/ltr and highway is 14kms/ltr
Owning a car will cost about €30/month insurance (3rd party), €40/month road tax, €200/year car service, €90/year for 'roadside assistance' membership and depreciation of about €1000/year (depending on the age of the car). Of course if someone/yourself vandalizes/damages your car or it breaks down, it will cost you extra. Reserve €500/year for this.
Schooling:
- international school for kids upto 4yrs costs about €250/month
- Dutch peuterplaza for kids upto 4yrs costs about €50/month
- For 4+, international school costs about €4000 to €6000 per year depending on the school
- For 4+, Dutch school costs less than €30 per month (in concept, it is free)
Day Care costs about:

0 to 4yrs - full day - €1400/month, but you will get a refund of about €300 to €700 from the government depending on your combined annual income.
4+yrs - after school - €700/month, but you will get a small refund from the government depending on your combined annual income.
To calculate the approx. govt refund: http://www.belastingdienst.nl/rekenhulpen/toeslagen/.

Haircut is real haircut...costs €15 :)
A vacation within Europe costs about €500 for a bachelor and about €1000 for family
Lastly.......inflation is about 1.5% per year! :)

Disclaimer: The is my best effort and no responsibility will be taken for any inaccuracy

Eindhoven specifics

2012-10-09T02:23:00.000-07:00

I moved from India to Eindhoven in 2009 September. Here is some information specific to the city....

There are plenty of Indians in Eindhoven due to Philips, ASML, NXP and also students coming to TU/E
Indian restaurants: Sri Ganesh (south indian vegetarian), Touch of India, Taj Mahal, Jothi stores (in the order of my recommendation)
Indian grocery stores: Rohit, Omid stores, Jothi Stores, Sri Cash and Carry.....always watch out for expiry date. Also the Turkish and Chinese stores carry a lot of Indian stuff like variety of vegetables, dal etc. But if you want ready idli mix, pani puri packet etc, you have to go to Indian stores.
Most Albert Heijn stores in Eindhoven are open till 10.00PM Monday to Saturday. Few Albert Heijns are open for 8 (12.00 to 20.00) hours on Sunday. Check their website for the timings....http://www.ah.nl ; click on 'winkels'.
If you are looking for a short stay, click here for the hotels in Eindhoven.
If you are looking for single person, shared accommodation basis etc, click here and register for kamernet.nl (this is not via agent).
Weekly Saturday market happens on the 'Woenselse Markt' street from 09.00 to 17.00.
Medicine at off hours (5.00 PM to 8.30AM, holidays, weekends) is available at Catherina hospital, in the Emergency department. You can drive/cycle to the emergency dept parking. Remember to carry your insurance details also if you are buying prescription medicine.
The Centrum shops are open till 17.00 Monday to Thursday, Saturday and first Sunday of the month. On Friday shops are open till 21.00. Except for the first Sunday of the month, shops are closed on other Sundays.
There is a shopping mall called 'Winkel Centrum' on the northern side of the city. Open timings are similar to centrum except that it is open on last Sunday of the month instead of first Sunday of the month. See link http://www.eindhoven-actueel.nl/woenselxl.html
Pathe cinema complex in the centrum is popular among bachelors. While it costs about € 8 for each movie, you can buy a monthly pass for about €20 for unlimited movies. All English movies are screened here.
Stratumseind is the pub street of Eindhoven - even if you do not drink, this street is a must visit on a Friday/Saturday late night.
Cricket for amateurs, tennis ball: go to facebook group TUeCricketEindhoven. People play for fun every Saturday in the TU/E premises starting somewhere in April thru September. Though the mailing group is very large, only about 10 to 15 show up. Click http://www.facebook.com/groups/TUeCricketEindhoven/.
A cricket tournament for amateurs takes place in June/July organized by High Tech campus folks. In 2013, 6 teams participate in this tournament - High Tech Campus, Cognizant, TU/E, Satyam, Wipro and ASML.
Cricket for professionals (leather ball): go to facebook group http://www.facebook.com/eindhovencc.
Popular day care for kids in the region is Korein. They have centers in multiple places around Eindhoven. Admission is generally available.
There is a mailing group isn-request@listserver.tue.nl where a lot of people in the Eindhoven area announce and request for information/buying/selling. The group has a good percentage of asians. Daily things like accommodation availability, moving help, second hand articles, carpooling, discount tickets etc etc are discussed/traded here. I suggest you join this. To join, send an email to the id with 'help' in either subject line or body.
Travel by bus is cheaper with OV-chipkaart. There is no day-pass available. Buying a ticket on the bus costs € 3.50 per leg of travel. The same with a OV-chipkaart will most likely cost much less depending on the length of travel.
Travel by bus is free for kids upto 4 years old. 4 to 11 is free after 09.00 when accompanied by an adult and the child has a 'stadpass'.
Popular Taxi company that operates in Eindhoven is Ciba; phone: 0402443333
The train station in Eindhoven has an escalator to reach the train platform. But from the train platform to the transit area, it is only staircase...no lift either.
Nearest formal temple is in Roermond (45 Kms). There are a couple of mandirs in Eindhoven where bhajans are organized.
To print pictures, you can go to Media Markt or Hema.
http://www.ste.nl/ has Dutch language courses on Saturdays.
Volkuniversiteit Eindhoven offers reasonable price Dutch courses (I heard...not my experience).
Kempen and Rots-Vast are good agencies for house hunting. I have heard some negative comments about Stoit-Groep that they are damn expensive when you vacate!
For initial stay, if hotel cost is turning out to be too expensive, you can try http://www.pensioneindhoven.nl/index_en.html. It costs about 110/person/week inclusive of breakfast.
Tamil movies are sometimes screened in 'Bioscope' theater complex. Hindi is also being screened in Pathe off late. Chennai Express and Ram Leela were screened in Pathe (tickets were sold out couple of days in advance).
In February every year, 'Bollywood dance' event is held. A good DJ and other entertainment is done.
In February every year, Carnival is celebrated for 3 days. People are dressed in crazy dress and it is all pure fun. There is also a parade that takes place. Entire centrum will be filled with people in fancy dress. In fact you can find only a hand full not dressed oddly!! Google for the dates Carnival takes place (Note: Celebration in Masstricht is supposed to be even bigger).
In August every year there is a games fair that happens on John F Kennedylaan. A stretch of 1 KM is blocked for this event that runs for 10 days. For details see http://www.parkhilaria.nl/
In October every year, Eindhoven Marathon is held. Few Indians also participate.
In October every year, at night a circular route of about 10kms is lit with different types of lamps. At one point there is a small lake that is lit with lights.
In November every year, "Glow" festival is held. For a week, Eindhoven centrum is lit with artistic and creative lighting. Light is focused on the Catherina church or the Hooghhuis building making it look like the whole buiding is painted or broken or rearranged. This is a must see.
In November every year, the Netherlands Kannada get together is held. For details, go to http://shrigandha.nl
In November (or Diwali time), Indo-Dutch organization generally have a functions. About 200 to 300 Indians and also quite a few Dutch gather at that time.
For Diwali, you can buy sparklers in Action shop or Toys XL in the Piazza complex in the centrum. Ask for fireworks-sparklers. You get big and small size packs.
The Eindhoven main library is located in the Centrum. It is huge and carries books from various categories. Only hitch is that there are very few English books in most sections. There is a small but separate English section where you can find English books. Some kids books are also in Einglish. Visit http://www.bibliotheekeindhoven.nl/www/Nieuws/obe_nieuws.htm for details.
For free legal help in Eindhoven, visit http://www.juridischloket.nl/contact/bezoekhetjuridischloket/Pages/Eindhoven.aspx. Per my knowledge, it is a body by the city council who will help in civil cases. At least the consultation is free.
Swimming lessons for kids: Tongelreep (also possible for adults), Kikkersprong (bit more expensive, but more personal attention as in 1 instructor for 5 to 8 kids), TU/E sportsclub
Foot ball for kids: http://www.woenselseboys.net/
Weekly Bhajans are held on Friday evening. For details: http://www.jayaramschoolofdivinity.blogspot.nl/
Bharatanatyam classes are held by a professional dancer near the centrum. Leave me a comment if you need details. Here is a performance video (go to minute 5.00, the one in the white dress): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82S68mdDExo
If you need ornaments, visit: https://www.facebook.com/ShrithasCollection and ask for details.
If you are working in Rabobank, you can join the TU/E sports club. You get access to swimming pool, badminton, tennis, squash and a variety of other sports.
Try this http://www.beyondmarketing.com/eindhoven/

Lastly: If you know of any information that should have been here but is missing, please leave me a comment.

Disclaimer: This is my best effort and no responsibility will be taken for any inaccuracy

Amstelveen specifics

2012-10-08T05:33:00.000-07:00

I do not live in Amstelveen myself. But here is some specifics from my contacts.

Note: Since Jan 2014, I have transferred this blog to http://indiansinnetherlands.com due to better features. So for latest (and correct) notes, kindly click here: http://indiansinnetherlands.com.

There plenty of Indians in Amsteveen. In fact so many that....there is a joke that Amstelveen should be renamed as Amstel Nagar :)

Amstelveen is very close to Amsterdam. Hence there is plenty to do in and around. However, information in this post is limited to Amstelveen only.

Indian stortes: Kashmir, Spice Amstelveen, Masala express
Indian restaurant: Sagar
The cricket stadium of Netherlands is here - check for VRA. This is also a professional cricket club
Albert Hein is open till 10.00PM Mon thru Sat; On Sundays it is till 18.00. Check ah.nl
On Thusrday, shops in the centrum are open till 21.00
Amstelveen is well connected with bus, tram, metro. However, there is no train station.
popular taxi number - 0207777777
During Diwali time, lot of Indians get together in the centrum and celebrate Diwali. Entry is free for all
During Diwali time, sparklers are available in the Indian Stores
Popular housing agency is Rots vast
Sometimes hindi cinemas are screened in the Pathe theater complex in Amsterdam Bijlmer Arena
The sports center of Amstelveen is in Spoortlaan. You can find swimming etc

The medical system

2012-10-05T12:38:00.000-07:00

The healthcare system in Netherlands is pretty weird and very difficult to digest for an Indian.

A health insurance is mandatory in Netherlands. Basic insurance covers for free visits to the general doctor (for medicines you have to pay). The general doctor is called the GP. For dental coverage you need to take additional insurance.

Once you get your insurance paper, you need to register yourself (and family) with a doctor (GP). You can visit only that GP for any illness (except dental and emergency cases)! If the GP thinks your illness needs a specialist, he/she can recommend you to a specialist.

For kids, in addition to the above you need to register your child with Zuid Zorg. Zuid Zorg is responsible for immunization, growth check and progress monitoring of your child. Your GP will not do any of these.

The GP will give a prescription that you have to buy in a Apotheek (Medical store). The procedure of buying the medicine is:

- you provide your insurance number to the Apotheek

- Apotheek will give you the medicine without asking you to pay

- Apotheek will send the bill to your insurance company

- if the total cost of the medicines you have bought so far for the year is less than €360/-, the insurance company will charge the bill to you. Anything over €360/- for the calendar year will be paid by the insurance company.

Important to note:

GPs work only from Monday thru Friday, 8:30AM to 5:00PM!! Due to this limited window, even on their work day, you may or may not get an appointment on the same day! They also go on vacation very often!! In emergency situations, you can visit a hospital. Depending on how serious the hospital doctor thinks your condition is, he/she might accept or refuse to treat you.

Also a well known fact about Dutch GPs is that they will not prescribe medicines easily. If they expect the illness will go away on its own, they will just give you some assurance and ask you to just go back home and take rest!

My personal opinion is that the doctor's quality here is average. I have heard a few cases of negligence, ignorance etc. Some times the GP might ask you what he/she should do! For not so normal cases, people surf the internet, identify the problem and take the solution to the GP!! So good luck :)

Disclaimer: The is my best effort and personal opinion. No responsibility will be taken for any inaccuracy

Visitor visa for UK

2012-09-20T16:28:00.000-07:00

Note: Please click http://indiansinnetherlands.com for further reading. I have stopped updating here.

Money transfer to India

2012-05-17T05:55:00.000-07:00

The taxes and tips to save

2011-12-08T04:28:00.000-08:00

A rough calculation to your take home salary is as follows:
Note: Since Jan 2014, I have transferred this blog to http://indiansinnetherlands.com due to better features. So for latest (and correct) notes, kindly click here: http://indiansinnetherlands.com.

Know your annual gross.
If your employer is paying health insurance, add € 2,400 per adult in the family including you
If 30% ruling is applicable, multiply above value by 0.7. Else multiply by 1. This is the 'taxable wage'.
Multiply upto €55,500 of your 'taxable wage' by 0.58.
Multiply anything exceeding €55,500 by 0.48.
Add values from 4 and 5.
If 30% ruling applies to you, multiply 2 by 0.3 and add it to value from 6. Else add 0.
This is your very rough take home salary for the year.
Note: Employer will also pay 1 month salary/year as holiday bonus. This is taxed at 52% flat.

A non-working spouse is eligible to get approx €160/- per month as tax-refund. You need to apply for it at a local tax office. Per my understanding, you must have lived in Netherlands for minimum 6 months to get this....not very sure about this rule.

30% ruling: A person employed directly from abroad may be eligible for '30% ruling'. If you are approved, your first 30% of the salary is completely tax free for the first 8 years of your stay in Netherlands. Income tax is calculated according to the tax-slab on 70% of your salary. For details on eligibility criteria, I found these website useful: http://www.taxpat.com/en/F.A.Q.-s/Questions-Regarding-the-30--Ruling--Netherlands-Tax-Benefit-#1 and http://www.expatax.nl/30ruling.php

Tax-free school fees: If you have 30% ruling and a school going child(ren), you can save some money. When filling the school-fee form at the beginning of the year, request for the school fees to be billed to your employer. Your employer will pay this invoice, but will deduct an equal amount from your gross. Since your gross reduces, you do not pay tax on the reduced amount. This will save you about 30% to 52% of the tuition fees depending on your tax bracket!!

Tax-free shopping: A a foreign resident/visitor can claim the VAT when leaving the EU for good. Ask for a tax-free form when doing your shopping. When leaving, at the airport show your purchases, tax-free forms and passport to customs officials and claim your refund! Found this link to have good information: http://www.taxfreeworldwide.com/lang-en/what-is-tax-free-shopping.html

Albert Heijn will most likely be your grocery shop of choice. They give free 'bonus card'. You will get a discount on some of the items in the store if you show this card at the checkout counter.

Tax refund (for first year): If you have moved to NL after January 1 you need to apply for tax refund at the end of the year. This is because irrespective of when you move to Netherlands, your employer will withhold tax from your salary as if you were earning for the full year.
Example: If you came to NL in 2012, at the beginning of 2013, your employer will send you an "annual statement" (called 'Jaaropgave') for the year 2012. After you receive this, call the tax-office. Explain them your situation and request them for a tax/return form. You will get a booklet via post. Though the form is in Dutch, an English version of the instructions manual is available on their website. Fill the form and send it.

Important points:

- if your 30% ruling is approved later in the year (or may be next year) you would have paid full tax without the 30% ruling benefit. So enclose a letter saying your 30% ruling has to be accounted when processing your tax return.

- the tax form will ask only your income declaration. Refund will be calculated by the tax-office

- do not mention your India income

Disclaimer: The is my best effort and no responsibility will be taken for any inaccuracy

Schooling in Netherlands

2011-12-06T13:45:00.000-08:00

Timelines are as follows (in years) for Dutch school goers:
Note: Since Jan 2014, I have transferred this blog to http://indiansinnetherlands.com due to better features. So for latest (and correct) notes, kindly click here: http://indiansinnetherlands.com.

00 to 02 - no school
02 to 04 - peuterplaza (partime, 2 or 4 days a week, 1 session a day); just a play school
04 to 12 - Primary education, Group 1 to 8. Ends with CITO exam that determines your child's future!
Based on how your child performs in the CITO, the below education applies:
12 to 18 - School for bright students; called VWO; prepares the child for university education
12 to 17 - School for average students; called HAVO; prepares child for vocational universities
12 to 16 - School for the below average; called VMBO; prepares child for vocational jobs
16 to 18 - Continuation from VMBO only; called MBO

Timelines are as follows (in years) for International school goers:
00 to 02 - no school
02 to 04 - partime, 2 or 4 days a week; 1 session a day; just a play school
04 to 11 - Primary education, Group 1 to 8. Follows International Primary Curriculum
11 to 16 - Secondary education group. Follows International Baccalaureate Curriculum (= to HAVO)
16 to 18 - International Baccalaureate Diploma (= to VWO)

Schooling for age 2 and 3:
Only playschools are available. Sending kids to playschool is optional, but something that most parents do. You can send your kids to either a Dutch playschool (peuter plaza) or an international school. International school is expensive. Popular opinion is that, except that your child has a chance of learning English at an earlier age, there is no other advantage. Hence a lot of Indian parents send their kids to Dutch playschools till the age of 4.
There is no specific start date for playschool. If your child is over 2 years and there is a vacancy in the school you have applied for, you get a call from the school about the vacancy. Make sure you apply for a school when the child turns 1.5 years.
The school will be for 2 or 4 days a week. It will be only for 1 session in a day - either morning or afternoon. Fees for Dutch playschool will be about €35 to €60 per month depending on 2 or 4 days a week. For international school, fees will be in the range of €250 per month.
In a batch there will be about 16 kids.
It is allowed to take vacation at anytime for these schools
You child leaves this school the day he/she turns 4 years old.

Schooling for age 4 onward:
Tip: To save some tax on the school tution fee, please go thru my other post.
Schooling is mandatory starting the day the child turns 4. It is not allowed to take vacation outside of the school vacation days. Exceptions is possible based on circumstance, but it is tough.
Upto age 5, kids will be put to Group 1. If the child has past 5 years or is very close to 5 in August, the child will go to Group 2. Then on, Group number will increase by 1 each year.
There are different types of schools. Popular among Indians are International schools and Dutch schools.
International schools: Choose English medium schools. They are few in number and are available only in select cities. It is better to call up to get a feel of the admission possibility and process. The Amsterdam International School is very popular but wait time is over a year. Other schools are also pretty full. Some schools are in Almeer, Amsterdam, Amstelveen, Den Haag, Eindhoven, Hilversum and Maastricht. The link given below has a better list. Fees depends on the popularity and the location. Usually it is in the range of €4000 to €6000 per year. A few in Amsterdam are even more expensive since they are not aided.
Dutch schools: These are quite a few in number. Govt schools are cheap (in concept, free). Private ones are more expensive. Medium of teaching is Dutch. Everything else is same as International schools.

In the initial years of schooling, the standard of teaching is lower than in India. Emphasis is to allow the kid to do what he/she likes to do. So families moving to Netherlands with school going kids carry a few Indian text books (maths, science and language) for that class and the next year.

Most kids not only go to school, but also to some extra curricular activities. Except for swimming that can start even at age 6 months(!), age 4 onward is considered ideal time to start extracurricular activities.

A good website for further information is: http://www.expatica.com/nl/education/school/dutch-education-system-explained--31083_9746.html

Disclaimer: This is my best effort and no responsibility will be taken for any inaccuracy

Dutch citizenship

2011-10-01T13:48:00.000-07:00

If you have a permanent Dutch Residence Permit and have been living here for last 5 years, you become eligible for Dutch citizenship.
Note: Since Jan 2014, I have transferred this blog to http://indiansinnetherlands.com due to better features. So for latest (and correct) notes, kindly click here: http://indiansinnetherlands.com.

This ofcourse is assuming no other shortcuts apply for you (marriage, asylum etc).

The benefits of changing from Indian citizen to a Dutch citizen are:

You do not sacrifice your India relationship in terms of access or decision to go back for good
It gives you (and especially your kids) free access to work anywhere in the European Union.
You can visit most Western countries, Australia and many other countries without needing a visa.

Factor to consider is that once you are a citizen, you are required to declare your world income+wealth (including property owned in India etc) and pay tax on it.
Becoming a Dutch citizen will not affect your 30% ruling (if any).
Other than being 5yrs in NL, holding permanent Residence Permit, you also need to know decent amount of Dutch (A2 level). In most cases citizenship by naturalization is what applies. For details, visit http://www.government.nl/issues/nationality/becoming-a-dutch-national. In summary:

Pass the "Inburgeren" or the NT2 exam (you may take the exam even before completion of 5 years in NL; getting exam time slot will take about 5 weeks)
Take an appointment at your townhall and submit an application for change of citizenship. Townhall will send an approval letter in about 3 months asking you to attend Naturalization ceremony.
Take an appointment and attend the Naturalization ceremony in about 6 weeks
Receive the Netherlands passport in about a week
Go to Indian embassy and surrender the Indian passport.

When surrendering your Indian citizenship, you can also apply for a OCI card at a VFS office nearby. Per people's experiences, this will take more than about 6 months to come, but will give you almost the same status as an NRI and also does not need you to apply for a visa every time you travel to India.
In case you decide to go back and live in India as a Dutch citizen, you can live like an Indian citizen except that you cannot vote and need to report your living address to the local police station every 6 months.
If you opt to become a Dutch citizen, your minor children can also automatically become Dutch citizen.
Children can get Dutch citizenship even if only 1 of the parents is changing the citizenship.
If you parent a child abroad when your are a Dutch citizen, the new born can also get Dutch citizenship.

Disclaimer: The is my best effort and no responsibility will be taken for any inaccuracy

Housing

2011-09-06T04:30:00.000-07:00

If you are coming to Netherlands for a short term, please refer my post on short-stay.
If you are looking for single accommodation on sharing basis, click here and register with kamernet.

Rental housing has 4 different phases: searching, moving in, living, moving out.

For a longer term:

Searching: Decide if you want a furnished house or an unfurnished house. A furnished house will have everything in the house (fridge, TV, washing m/c, sofa, dining table, cot and mattress, bathroom carpet etc) and you will most likely not have to buy anything. Unfurnished house will have just the walls, the fixtures, kitchen platform etc. You will have to do the furnishing yourself including flooring and painting. Furnishing yourself will cost you about € 2,500 in total assuming at least a few of your furnishing are 'used' (second hand). Rent for a furnished house is about € 250 to € 350 more expensive than unfurnished.

The options to go about finding a house is:

to approach a private house rental agency (Rotsvast, Kempen etc). They will charge about 50% to 100% of 1 month's rent as their commission depending on the length of your stay and negotiation skills.
contact the house owner directly. This is tough because you need to contact of the house owner. But it is the most cost effective since you do not have to pay the commission
http://www.funda.nl/makelaars/ is good for searching unfurnished houses. They charge very nominal fees and there is no commission.
you can also register with a housing agency like VB&T for unfurnished homes. They have a nominal registration fee. They will show from their own set of houses.
http://www.actyswoenen.nl has a lot of good houses. You need to register to see the houses

Getting a good house is difficult here. So if you find one that suits you, book it immediately. Most 2 bedroom houses are only a 1.5 size meaning the second room can accommodate only single cot.

It is safe to move into a house that is already vacant. I believe by law, the owner is not allowed to force a tenant out. Hence if the tenant does not vacate on time, you will have to manage the situation. But this could lead to losses for yourself for rent, temporary stay etc.

'Het Goed' is a good shop for second hand goods like furniture, electrical items etc.

For people working in Amsterdam area, Aalsmeer city is considered economical. Amstelveen is popular due to the huge Indian population in that city.

Legal tip: When renting directly from the owner, it is advisable to check if the person you are dealing with is really the owner. You can check this by paying € 3 at Kadaster. The procedure is below:-
1)Click www.kadaster.nl
2) Select Particulier
3)Select producten en diensten
4)Select Kadastraal Bericht Eigendom
5)Select nu kopen
6)Enter the postcode and house no of the apartment you wish to verify
7)Select Kadastraal bericht eigendom
8)Click Naar Winkelwegen and pay online
9) A PDF will open with all the details

Moving in: You are expected to leave the house exactly the way it was when you rented it...except normal wear and tear. Any existing damage in the house must be documented and signed before moving in. Hence house inspection together with the owner/agent is a very important activity before/just after moving in. If you notice some damage after moving in and you think it is not documented, immediately notify the agency/owner in phone and also in email and pictures. Keep the communication for your records.

Living: The Dutch are one of the cleanest when it comes to their accommodation. They spend a lot of time in cleaning and keeping things spic and span. Especially because of the Indian cooking using oil, turmeric, masala etc leaving the house as clean as it was before renting demands extra effort. Some of the cleaning liquids found in the market are:

> Wall cleaning - Dasty
> Kitchen cleaning - Mr. Muscle
> Wooden floor cleaning - Andy houd and laminaat. Also, Blokker shop has a manual cleaning stick that makes convenient to clean floors.
> Window cleaning - Glassex
> Toilet cleaning - Harpic
> Drain clog removing - HG, vloeibare onstopper
> HG has a lot of products to remove moss etc. These products are available in Praxis or Gamma

Moving out: Irrespective of the date you move out, in most cases, you need to pay rent till the end of the month. Keys return date/time is considered as your vacating. Hence if you want to extend your stay a couple of days, it should be arranged with your owner/agency in advance. Most likely they will NOT oblige! I'm not sure if it is true, but I believe the owner is not legally allowed to ask you to leave until you leave and hence if you decide to extend your stay even at the last minute, you can do so. You are expected to leave the house exactly the way it was when you rented it...except normal wear and tear. This means a lot of cleaning towards the end.

Disclaimer: The is my best effort and no responsibility will be taken for any inaccuracy

car and driving

2011-09-06T03:54:00.000-07:00

This post has:
- Licence requirements to drive in the Netherlands
- How to get a license in Netherlands
- Driving rules book in English (driving-license-traffic-regulations)
- The major road rules in the Netherlands
- To Rent/Lease/Own a car in Netherlands
You can drive in The Netherlands if either of the below is true:

You have a foreign license in English (or IDP) and you have resided in The Netherlands less than 6 months yet.
You have a Dutch driving licence (obviously :) )

To get a Dutch driving license:

Certain country nationals can just exchange their foreign license for a nominal fee at the local town hall (Indian national is not one of these).
If you have 30% ruling, irrespective of the nationality, you can exchange your foreign license (original license, not IDP) to a Dutch license. You will have to surrender your Indian license in exchange for a Dutch license. It will be sent to the Indian embassy in about a month. You can collect it from there if you go in the afternoon. You can collect personally or authorize someone with a hand written letter.
Exchanging your license is a multi step process:

Buy an application form at the townhall paying about €25.
Fill it (scroll to the bottom of this page for guidelines on how to fill this form) and send it to the address mentioned in the application form.
In about 2-3 weeks you will get an approval letter
Go to the townhall again with the approval letter, original license, 30% ruling approval letter and photo. Submit them and pay (about €25).
In about 2-3 weeks you will get a letter saying your Dutch license is ready and can be collected at the townhall
Go to the townhall and collect it.

If you can exchange your license, your spouse will also be able to exchange in the same way.
If you are not eligible for exchange, you will have to go thru a theory and driving test. For info, go to http://www.expatica.com/nl/leisure/travel_tourism/how-to-get-a-dutch-drivers-licence-1672.html

Book on driving rules in English:

Click the link: driving-license-traffic-regulations

Major Road Rules to remember:

Give way to ambulance (when flashing lights are on). Drive to the side or even stop at the side.
Driving is on the right hand side of the road (opposite to India).
Other than that, most of the rules are the same as in India....only that you need to follow them more strictly.
People expect nobody to make mistakes and they do not take much caution. So if you make a mistake it could prove costly to you.
Most important rules to remember are:

Most times you are on 'priority road' (a yellow rhombus sign post just before or at the intersection) and you have the right of way at an intersection. When you are not, at an intersection, vehicle approaching the same intersection from your right hand side has the right of way. You need to stop until your right hand side road is clear.
At an intersection, an inverted White triangle with Red border means 'Yield'. You have the lower priority. The other road is a priority road and so you need to give way to vehicles in the other road.
In a round about (circle), the vehicle approaching from the left has the right of way.
When turning at an intersection/signal-light, cyclists and pedestrians could be crossing the road. Give way to them.
A full green light will mean opposite traffic also has green light. So if you want to turn left, proceed only if the opposing traffic is clear.
Do not honk unless you see a risk of accident. It is considered rude/insult and could get other drivers crazy at you.

For personal cars, a child must travel in a child-seat appropriate for the age/height/weight.
Golden rule: Do not hit pedestrians and cyclists at any time irrespective of your right of way! It could prove very expensive.
Last but not the least.....driving is on the right side of the road (opposite to India). It is not very difficult to adjust if you remember one thing....'the driver is always in the middle of the road'!
If you know driving, I suggest you take 1 or 2 driving classes with clear intention of knowing the rules and getting used to civilized driving.

To Rent/Lease/Own a car in Netherlands:

Renting: You can rent a car if your license is in English / also-in-English. Else you need an IDP. You will also need a credit card. http://www.sternrent.nl, http://www.hertz.nl are some of the places you can rent. Watchout if there is a mileage restriction when you are making the reservation. Rental price may vary by location even within a city. So check out prices in all nearby places. I generally book in autoeurope.nl. It searches the best price and also generally comes with unlimited mileage.
Company car: Depending on your yearly driving mileage, it might be cheaper to go for a company car from your employer (if they provide). If you intend to use company car for personal use, 1/4 the price of the car is costed to you annually. In net result it amounts to over €400 in taxes per month. But on the other hand you do not have any expenses including fuel, maintenance and depreciation.
If you are using your own car for business purpose, depending on your contract with your employer, you might get reimbursed @ 19cents/km for business kilometers.
Compare the costs from the above 2 points before you decide to buy or go for company car.
If you decide to go for a company car, your employer can provide you the details. To buy a car, read on....
I think Dutch license is mandatory to own a car....not sure.
You can buy a used car from a dealer (called Occasion in Dutch) or from private owner. Buying from a dealer is popular since you can ask for guarantee.
Price varies largely based on the Age, Mileage and the condition of the car (other than model of course). Range can be €500 (five hundred) to thousands.
autotrader.nl is a good website to search for cars. You will get an idea of the price.
If you do not have a trade-in car, you can bargain for a good discount (start with € 1500/- less than sticker price)
Two things to look for when buying from a dealer:

'BOVAG gaurantee' - 3 months for low priced cars (depends on the dealer, but generally below €4500 ); 6 months for higher priced cars. Covers almost everything in the car.
NAP - a monitoring system that guarantees the odometer mileage is not tampered.

Open the bonet and look for new engine parts. If parts are new, it probably means that part was replaced recently. May not be good sign especially if the mileage is low.
Some type of cars will need their belt to be replaced once they have run certain distance (~ 100,000 Kms) or certain years (~10 years). This will cost about €400/- depending on the car. Ask the dealer about it to know what you are buying.
You will need to pay a monthly road tax for the car depending on its weight. Larger and heavier the car, the more expensive (diesel cars are heavier than petrol versions). In Netherlands like in India, on one hand the petrol cars are cheaper than diesel version while on the other hand diesel is cheaper than petrol. Even then, the difference in road tax is significant enough to influence your decision to go for petrol or diesel car.
Every year you need to get your car APK certified....a check that your car is in safe condition. Your dealer most likely will have this facility to check. Costs around €25.
Most cars will need a yearly servicing or service after certain mileage. This could cost from about 100 to 400.
24x7 Roadside assistance is very important. In case of a breakdown, you just need to call them and they will come to the location of the car and either fix the problem (ex: puncture, battery down, no fuel, locked out etc) or tow your vehicle to the nearest garage. You can opt coverage for even entire Western Europe. If it is rental or lease car, most likely the car agency will provide you 24x7 roadside assistance. If you buy a car, ANWB is the most popular roadside assistance. Another one is Route Mobiel. It costs about €100 per year and is worth it.
GPS is essential. If you are lost, it is very difficult to locate you destination even if you are within very close range. The reason is, every road has its own name and the name of road will likely change at an intersection! Also even very small streets are named and so you do not have a clue what to look for.

Filling the first form after you buy from the Gemeente:

There are a list of questions all in Dutch. To save you some time typing it into 'google translate', below are the questions and the google translation as of May 2012:

omwisseling buitenlands rijbewijs = foreign exchange licenseUndo edits

Hebt u last van of last gehad van epileptische aanvallen, flauwvallen, aanvallen van abnormale slaperigheid overdag of andere bewustzijnsstoornissen? =

Do you suffer or suffered from epileptic seizures, fainting, seizures of abnormal daytime sleepiness or other disturbances of consciousness?

Hebt u last van of last gehad van evenwichtsstoornissen of ernstige duizelingen? =

Do you suffer or suffered from severe vertigo or balance disorders?

Bent u onder behandeling of onder behandeling geweest voor een psychiatrische stoornis, een hersenziekte - zoals een beroerte - of een ziekte van het zenuwstelsel? =

Are you being treated or been treated for a psychiatric disorder, a brain disease - such as a stroke - or a disease of the nervous system?

Maakt u misbruik van of hebt u misbruik gemaakt van alcohol, geneesmiddelen, drugs of andere geestverruimende of bedwelmende middelen of bent u daarvoor ooit medisch onderzocht of onder behandeling geweest? =

Do you abuse or abuse made of alcohol, drugs, or hallucinogenic drugs or other intoxicants before or are you ever been medically examined or treated?

Wordt of werd u behandeld voor inwendige ziekten als suikerziekte, hart- en vaatziekten, verhoogde bloeddruk, nierziekte of longziekte? Of hebt u een hart- of vaatoperatie ondergaan? =

Is or was receiving treatment for internal diseases as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, kidney or lung disease? Whether you need a heart or vascular surgery?

Kunt u een arm, een hand of uw vingers niet of slechts beperkt gebruiken? =

Can you give an arm, a hand or fingers have limited or no use?

Kunt u een been of voet niet of slechts beperkt gebruiken? =

Can a leg or foot have limited or no use?

Ziet u minder goed met één of beide ogen, zelfs als u gebruik maakt van een bril of contactlenzen? =

You see less with one or both eyes even when using glasses or contact lenses?

Wordt of werd u behandeld door een oogarts? Of hebt u een oogoperatie of een laserbehandeling van de ogen ondergaan? =

Are or were you treated by an ophthalmologist? Whether you need an eye operation or of laser eye surgery?

Gebruikt u medicijnen die volgens de bijsluiter de rijvaardigheid kunnen beïnvloeden, zoals slaapmiddelen, kalmeringsmiddelen, antidepressieve middelen, antipsychotische middelen of opwekmiddelen? =

Are you taking medication according to the leaflet the ability to drive influence, such as sedatives, tranquilizers, antidepressants, antipsychotic drugs or generating means?

Hebt u nog andere aandoeningen, ziekten of functiebeperkingen die het besturen

van motorrijtuigen moeilijker maken? = Do you have other diseases, illnesses or disabilities who are driving of motor vehicles more difficult?

Disclaimer: The is my best effort and no responsibility will be taken for any inaccuracy

Processing Visitors visa.

2011-09-01T14:13:00.000-07:00

Processing visitor visa is very simple. Even if you go thru a travel agent, except the submission of the visa application form, you will have to do everything else yourself. From my experience, visa applications are approved in all normal cases.
Note: Since Jan 2014, I have transferred this blog to http://indiansinnetherlands.com due to better features. So for latest (and correct) notes, kindly click here: http://indiansinnetherlands.com.

However the duration of the granted visa might vary depending on the circumstance (explained in FAQ).

Ready the required documents as in: http://www.vfs-nl-in.com/tourist.aspx
Printout and fill the visa application form: http://www.vfs-nl-in.com/download.aspx. (For Visitor visa - Form C and Travel History Sheet). 1 application form for each traveler (including children of all ages).
Each applicant should take a new photo in a studio: http://www.vfs-nl-in.com/photograph.aspx
Schedule a visa appointment via http://www.vfs-nl-in.com/
Submit the visa application form and pay the application fee on the appointment date and time
Collect the passport

FAQ and IMO (In My Opinion):

What is a legalized invitation? Ans: It is an invitation form (titled 'Proof of sponsorship/private accommodation') issued at the local town-hall. It is required when someone living in the Netherlands is inviting and sponsoring the visitor.
Where can I get the legalized invitation? Ans: It is available at the town-hall. It costs about €8 per visitor. If you are married, you need to go with your spouse - (an inconvenient rule introduced in 2011) to buy the legalized invitation!
Should I send originals of the legalized invitation and other documents? Ans: It is sufficient to submit printouts/copies of the documents with the visa application form. Originals are not required. Eg: You can scan the legalized invite letter and send it to your visitor. They can take a printout and submit along with their visa application.
Though visa processing is free for children 0 to 5yrs, appointment should be taken and visa application form must be submitted for them as well.
To schedule an appointment in the busy period (May to Aug), you need to plan and start checking the website for appointment at least 1 month in advance. Generally, appointment scheduling for the next months is opened about 10 days before the next month.
Once you take an appointment, unless you cancel it, the site will not let you schedule one more appointment for the same passport number. (Cancelling process will take 1 or 2 working days since you need to write to VFS for doing this).
Anybody can submit the visa application form. It is not required for the applicant to go to submit the application form.
If all documents are good, it takes about 5 to 7 working days to get your passport from the time you submit the application at the VFS center.
The duration of the granted visa varies from 2 years to just the number of days you have requested for in the visa application form. If you have already had a Shengen visitor visa or a US visa, chances are you will get a 2 years valid visa (does not mean you can stay for years. only means you can come and go any number of times as long as you do not stay more than 90 days at a stretch in the 2 years). If you do not get the 2 years visa, chances are that you will get 90 days or just the number of days you have mentioned on your application. I suggest you mention the number of days on your application as 90 days always. It will make your visa validity flexible enough for changing flight ticket.
I suggest to choose "Multiple entry" option. This will help in case you decide to go to UK after planning the Europe trip.
If you have not opted for postal delivery of the passport, anyone can collect it back from the application center. They will need the receipt of submission and also an authorization letter.
The visitor visa is called Schengen visa. It allows the visitor to travel thru most of western Europe. Lookup wiki to get the latest list of Schengen countries.
Once the visitor is in the Netherlands, he/she needs to report to the nearest police station within 48hours.
In any Schengen country, the visitors must carry their passport at all times to prove that they are legal. Police can stop and ask for valid ID and they do it often.

Disclaimer: The is my best effort and no responsibility will be taken for any inaccuracy

Privacy policy

2010-09-14T04:03:00.000-07:00

Privacy Policy for www.indiansinnetherlands.blogspot.com

If you require any more information or have any questions about our privacy policy, please feel free to contact us by email at madhuka74@gmail.com.

At www.indiansinnetherlands.blogspot.com, the privacy of our visitors is of extreme importance to us. This privacy policy document outlines the types of personal information is received and collected by www.indiansinnetherlands.blogspot.com and how it is used.

Log Files
Like many other Web sites, www.indiansinnetherlands.blogspot.com makes use of log files. The information inside the log files includes internet protocol ( IP ) addresses, type of browser, Internet Service Provider ( ISP ), date/time stamp, referring/exit pages, and number of clicks to analyze trends, administer the site, track user’s movement around the site, and gather demographic information. IP addresses, and other such information are not linked to any information that is personally identifiable.

Cookies and Web Beacons
www.indiansinnetherlands.blogspot.com does use cookies to store information about visitors preferences, record user-specific information on which pages the user access or visit, customize Web page content based on visitors browser type or other information that the visitor sends via their browser.

DoubleClick DART Cookie
.:: Google, as a third party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on www.indiansinnetherlands.blogspot.com.
.:: Google's use of the DART cookie enables it to serve ads to users based on their visit to www.indiansinnetherlands.blogspot.com and other sites on the Internet.
.:: Users may opt out of the use of the DART cookie by visiting the Google ad and content network privacy policy at the following URL - http://www.google.com/privacy_ads.html

Some of our advertising partners may use cookies and web beacons on our site. Our advertising partners include ....
Google Adsense

These third-party ad servers or ad networks use technology to the advertisements and links that appear on www.indiansinnetherlands.blogspot.com send directly to your browsers. They automatically receive your IP address when this occurs. Other technologies ( such as cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons ) may also be used by the third-party ad networks to measure the effectiveness of their advertisements and / or to personalize the advertising content that you see.

www.indiansinnetherlands.blogspot.com has no access to or control over these cookies that are used by third-party advertisers.

You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information on their practices as well as for instructions about how to opt-out of certain practices. www.indiansinnetherlands.blogspot.com's privacy policy does not apply to, and we cannot control the activities of, such other advertisers or web sites.

If you wish to disable cookies, you may do so through your individual browser options. More detailed information about cookie management with specific web browsers can be found at the browsers' respective websites.