Amsterdam

[Catatonic]

Expat linky

You may require a SOFI number an accountant

Or what a SOFI number is?

[theflamingduck]

Burger Service Nummer (Dutch 'Burger' = citizen) Some more info : BSN / sofi / tax number

I used to be work for a company in that area as well, the nearest city district office will be in President Kennedylaan IIRC, pretty close to the RAI (convention center). You can go to the Expat Center at the WTC near the Amsterdam Zuid station and ask them about all the formalities.

Also if you actually rent a place and/or register yourself with the city, you will get bills for council's tax (quite low) and another for maintenance of water bodies etc - these will vary based on your location, with the Centrum being more costly and the Zuid being slightly less.

If you get to live at a bit of a distance from the office, then look for the sterabonnement (star-something, contract i think) from the Amsterdam transport authority and load it into a OV card - this will save you some money if you like to explore the city on your own time.

Be open to living in nearby cities/towns as well where rent will be cheaper but you pay the difference in time/fares to the NS - some folks commute from Leiden a nice uni town, Haarlem (mixed views) etc

[petergriffin]

Just adding to a previous post : you would need a BSN number.

You can apply (and should have applied) for a sofinummer while in Britain by just writing a letter to the Belastingdiest central office in Heerlen.

Another piece of advice: every district in the N. has a designated solicitor that can give free legal advice, usually an hour a week or twice a week. I can't remember the name of this scheme but ask around. Don't be deterred by the fact it's free because it's usually good.

[Catatonic]

Burger Service Nummer (Dutch 'Burger' = citizen) Some more info : BSN / sofi / tax number

I used to be work for a company in that area as well, the nearest city district office will be in President Kennedylaan IIRC, pretty close to the RAI (convention center). You can go to the Expat Center at the WTC near the Amsterdam Zuid station and ask them about all the formalities.

Also if you actually rent a place and/or register yourself with the city, you will get bills for council's tax (quite low) and another for maintenance of water bodies etc - these will vary based on your location, with the Centrum being more costly and the Zuid being slightly less.

If you get to live at a bit of a distance from the office, then look for the sterabonnement (star-something, contract i think) from the Amsterdam transport authority and load it into a OV card - this will save you some money if you like to explore the city on your own time.

Be open to living in nearby cities/towns as well where rent will be cheaper but you pay the difference in time/fares to the NS - some folks commute from Leiden a nice uni town, Haarlem (mixed views) etc

Thanks for the advise on the BSN/SOFI number and the office details - very helpful. I vaguely remember Amsterdam from a few stag weekends and think I'd rather find somewhere in Amsterdam as seem to remember most of the locals had bikes and think the trams were good too so getting around didn't appear to be an issue.

[tarbera]

Zuid

A number of UK contractors stay in the Hotel CitizenM City (round the corner from Zuid) about 90Eur a night so quite cheap compared to the rest.

[norrahe]

First speak to your agency, some of them are used to dealing with expats and can advise on what you need to do.

If they are unforthcoming with said advise then have a look at the expat centre link I provided earlier.

The BSN/SOFI number has to be applied for in the area you live in. If you are going to spend less time than 3 months in NL then you can get a SOFI ( not BSN) number from the tax office (Belastingdienst), if you plan to spend longer than that then you will need to get a BSN number which you can do by registering at your local municipality.
Before you register you do need an address, as they will not register you till you have one.

the BSN number is crucial, as you will not be able to get a bank account without one. If you are staying in A'dam then you can survive on your credit card, but you will find outside of A'dam very little people take credit cards (only maestro or chipknip), as I found out when I first moved over here.

If you are going to stay resident in the UK and intend to use your UK ltd, then make sure you speak with your accountant or a Dutch tax adviser( I've also provided a link to someone I use over here, and they have been really helpful) to make sure you have the correct administration set up. You will need to pay tax in NL from day 1.

Good luck!