禁漫天堂

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

You seem to have most things about right - as an EU citizen, you have the right to live and work anywhere in the EU; as you correctly point out, you do need to register with the Gemeente, you need to make the appointment within 5 days of arrival, but your actual interview may not be for some time after that - they are busy and never seem to have caught up post Covid.

Regarding your dog, we've taken ours to Holland two years on the trot now.聽 Both times we needed an "Animal Health Certificate for the non-commercial movement into a Member State from a territory or 3rd country of dogs, cats or ferrets"; we got it from our vet.聽 He needed to be microchipped and have up-to-date Rabies vaccination.聽 It was expensive, approx 120 pounds (and that was with a discount we got from the Health Insurance scheme he is in.聽 For the actual journey; we used the P&O ferry from Hull to Europort; they have a limited number of dog-friendly cabins with which you can travel together with your dog, otherwise, he has to go in one of the kennels on board the ferry.

With regards to finding somewhere to live; long-distance house searching is always problematic; there is an acute shortage of housing in the whole of the country, so nobody is going to hold a property for you until you arrive unless you pay for it.聽 My advice would be to use something like an Airbnb for a couple of months until you can find somewhere you both like.

With regards to the cost of living; the Numbeo organisation have a website which has a lot of useful information; this will take you straight to it.

Health Insurance is compulsory from the day you arrive, so you will need to arrange something to cover you until you find a job and the compulsory payments are taken from your salary; the Dutch Government have a website that may help you further with this matter; this will take you straight to it.

One last point; Hungary seems to be making a lot of noise within the EU; I think Orban is bluffing, but you should bear this in mind when making your plans.

I hope this helps.

Cynic

Expat Team

@Cynic Hello and thank you for the welcome and the reply <3

Ah, the Gemeente聽 - my plan was to take a tenancy start date and try to somehow arrange an appointment for riiiight around that time, perhaps 1-3 days after I have arrived and settled a tiny bit. If I can only get an appointment for an interview *after* I've arrived, that's fine, just want to confirm I shouldn't worry about that part. I'm also assuming that precisely because of things like delays & covid, as long as I've made myself known and done my part, I should be okay even if the interview if perhaps weeks away? ("Worst case" projection, haha!)

Regarding woofer : I'm fairly sure she is microchipped, as she is a rescue, and I've known about the rabies vaccine. IIRC 3 weeks or longer before departure (Valid up to 1Y AFAIK). The whole do I or do I not need this thing with the health certificate is what the confusing thing was. I was told I can, and should, ask for a local vet in the Netherlands to issue me one. But then I found out that they can't because I haven't been there yet - in which case I'd be given an EU health certificate or..something X_X. this part is massive confusing word salad for me tbh.

Oh no , I wouldn't want my baby to be apart from me! I worry about her even for 2 minutes in public (Literally don't even tie her up outside a supermarket for 5 mins) and she has minor separation anxiety ;_;. That tip about the dog-friendly ferries are fantastic, thank you! ;_; I'm glad this is an option! That actually lightly dovetails into another question I didn't mention earlier :

I plan to make use of some Relocation Service to help me slide my goods over, but I was generally told it isn't strictly necessary. As this is my first international move, I'm aware of some extra paperwork existing, especially around the border, possibly around the "importing" of goods due to the move, and I'm absolutely not ready to deal with that, I know nothing about this, etc. I imagine an International Mover service could tackle both sides of the move. I have been researching this and I suspect this would cost approximately 2 thousand. I'm in the south-west of the UK and I'm not *quite* sure where I'd like to move in the Netherlands yet but it sure won't be near the west side ahaha ^-^;. Too rich for my blood. Maybe some day! Any thoughts on the granular bits regarding the actual move? (I'm reeeeelatively close to a place called Tintagel - where King Arthur's castle is)

I don't know if I'd trust and AirBNB to furnish a livable location that also wasn't surveilled and \ or the owner not showing up randomly, invading privacy, whatever. Paranoid person - plus I'm not aware of the costs.

The plan was to introduce myself to potential places I'd like to rent by saying, "Hi. I wanna move. Your place looks nice. How does 6 months up front sound?". The shortage is certainly global - ironically AirBNB is a very large reason for it - and I do understand that. I had always planned聽 to offer 6 months up front to both increase my chances and secure a place easier. Hence also the 750\month limit. I understand I can be asked for 3 months in advance by the landlord plus 1 month safety deposit, so I've planned for approximately 3 thousand (Bit more bit less possibly) and put that and other amounts aside explicitly to have a smooth move.

To wit : Approx 3K rent, guesstimated 2K in actual move costs. Replacing appliances, necessities like bed, frame, etc if not taken with me should be between 1 to 2.5 thousand. Additional small costs floating around on an as-need basis.

Other than that I'd just like 1-2 nice walks for doggo nearby, with decent or better internet - I' m not too picky. It shouldn't be a *beep*hole and not be too expensive, those are largely it.

Thank you for Numbeo! I've made use of that site and others in a "cost of living comparison" and it was reassuring. It compares similarly - and often favorably - to the UK. My projection is that I'll be okay, my expenses Vs my pay are already sustainable and I should be up for a raise of approximately 12-28% in a few months (first year, kind of an apprenticeship thing, but enough to live on. Complicated.) I'll be paid in GBP but spending in Euros, so I should be good. It definitely clears the self-sufficiency barrier the NL wishes for people to have (1500~+ /聽 month I think?)

Oh, from the day I arrive? I may be confusing things at 10 PM but I read I had some time - and just googled it - that I do have four months after my arrival to worry about this. I plan to have it be one of the first things I do, either in week 1 or week 2 , *potentially* week 3 if I want to shop around and \ or the move is super hectic. The nature of my job carries a soft 12 hour availbility with it is the main reason.

I certainly hear about Orb谩n's actions. It shouldn't affect me, I left Hungary right before he came into power (End of 2011). I don't agree with his shenanigans and have not voted since leaving the country. Here's to hopiing he can avoid royally messing things up for Hungarians seeking to move.

Thank you again, I truly appreciate this! 鈾�

Hi again.

Gemeente - you have it right, just phone up within 5 days of arrival, the rest is pretty flexible.

Doggo - ours is the same, he's a Patterdale Terrier, I've had him since he was a pup (3 years next May) and he has never left my side - I'm retired now, so his basket is by the desk in my office and we spend the day there planning how to annoy my wife when she gets back from work.聽 He doesn't like being left alone, even shopping when he has to wait in the car, will bring out the moaning.聽 Not all vets can issue the document you need, so it would be worthwhile asking now, so you know who to contact.聽 Then once you have a travel date in mind, make an appointment for the actual check - you do have to take her within 10 days of your date of travel and the certificate is only valid for 4 months.聽 So, it does need a bit of thought, it's not something you could do tomorrow and then cross off your list.聽 When you get to the Netherlands, find your local vet and get an EU health document, they're valid for 5 years, but you can only apply if you are registered in the country.

If you live in Tintagel, you're going to have a hell of a drive to get to a Channel port.聽 The Channel Tunnel (6-hour drive) allows dogs to travel with you; the Harwich/Hoek van Holland boat has kennels, but no dog cabins; the Hull boat has the best dog facilities but is at least a 7-hour drive from where you live.

House move - when we moved back from Holland to the UK we used Pickfords, not cheap, but my boss was paying, so I didn't care much.聽 They were excellent, they came and did a survey, told us how many boxes they would need - we agreed on a price and they turned up on the arranged date, packed everything in the house and 2 days later it was in North Yorkshire - stress-free.聽 It was then that we found out that they had packed the Dutch council refuse bin!聽 With regards to Customs duties; the Dutch Government have a website about it, this will take you straight to it.聽 It's very inclusive in terms of the information it provides; it could do with updating in regards to Social housing, which is now strictly allocated to asylum seekers only.

Moving, you will need to find something short-term and it will almost certainly have to be that you stay with friends, or use a hotel, or an Airbnb or similar.聽 The housing market there is so tight that nobody is going to hold a house/flat until next August for you - it is unrealistic unless you pay the deposit charges/rent up front and even then no homeowner is going to leave a house empty for that length of time - it needs to be heated and have people in there to deter unwanted residents, they have plenty of people who are desperate and will pay them to move in tomorrow.聽 Because of this, some scammers will take advantage of your desperation and offer you a place that is too good to be true; we've heard stories of people turning up to their new forever home, only to find someone else living there.聽 My daughter went the AirBnb route when she moved back to Holland, it gave her somewhere furnished to live for the time she needed to sort out all the things she had to do, it took her about 6 weeks to do that, and she then moved out of the AirBnb to her new home.聽 I asked her if given all that she experienced, would she do it the same way again, absolutely was her reply.聽 There is some truth in your comment about Airbnb causing issues, but that's more about people's greed than it is about the people who need to use them; they provide a useful service and to try and save the private rental market, some Dutch cities have banned Airbnb from operating, which has caused the previous owners to just sell up and made the supply of short-term rental properties even worse.

Good news for the bank - they (ABN) wouldn't do it for my wife (Dutch citizen) a few years back and she has a BSN; they told her to come back when she had an address in the Netherlands; we ended up with another bank (I forget the name now).

The 4-month thing you have read is in regards to the need to register if you are planning to stay for longer than 4 months.聽 The actual requirement to make the appointment within 5 days is on the Dutch Government website; this will take you straight to it.

If you're not working for a Dutch company, then you will need to consider how you are going to pay your Dutch taxes (you are taxed based on where you live, not where you work); there are also the compulsory Healthcare deductions for which I previously gave you a link); last, but not least are the substantial social taxes the Dutch charge on your worldwide income.聽 Because of all of this, I think you may benefit from speaking to a Dutch Tax specialist before you make the plunge; some advertise their services in our Services section - I don't particularly recommend any of them, when it affected me, I used my wife's family advisor, but I suspect you won't have access to someone like that, at least at first.聽 Dutch taxes were one of the reasons why we moved back to the UK.

One last point, I agree you seem a bit paranoid, in comparison to the UK, the Dutch state is big and it begins with the fact you have to register everybody who lives on your property and every department of the Dutch Government will have access to your information, to the extent that the Belastingdienst (Dutch tax man) will have access to your Dutch bank account via an annual declaration the bank has to make.聽 You should also be aware that they do check information with overseas tax authorities so the Belastingdienst may exchange information about your affairs with HMRC in the UK.聽 This is not unusual in the EU, I think all the member countries have compulsory registration.

I hope this helps.

Cynic

Expat Team

@Cynic Hello again!

For a "Gemeente" - I'm only unclear on what exactly this is. Is this like a "City Hall" kind of thing, some kind of official government building or? I've only ever seen it as "Go to your municipality and do this" , but otherwise, WOO!

*1 Google later* OMG first time I've heard of this type but what a precious puppy you must have! Wonderful ^-^. And haha, poor attached doggo :-P. That's lovely, thank you for sharing <3.

Yeah I know I had to stop by a few days before the leave,, I'll update my notes on this to say within ten days of departure! I only have easy access to 2 vets, one of which nearly killed my baby :-\. (A story I can share in private if you want) and the farther one still in town - very technically - who are wonderful. I really hope they can do it lol. Good advice on the EU pet health thing, I'll clear these and make sure we are all okay as we should be - thank you!

Aye. I am not in Tintagel exactly, but a bit north of it. I know it's a mad long drive and it sadly can't really be helped, it's just something we have to endure :-\. I'm not sure how that part will work - I don't plan to bring a lot with me so perhaps I can ride in the back of the van and take a break 3 to 4 hours in for leg stretching, doggo weeing, etc.聽 I'm not even sure if I'll have one mover service take me to the ferry, dump my stuff in a container (perhaps?) that gets ferried over and another service picks up there or if I can get full from here to my new home coverage. Bit esoteric in my mind , ha!

Whoops, over-eager movers! That's nice though - did they "only" come and pack on the day? Just a mental note to myself in terms of the prep required of me, no worries. Thank you for the link, I'll examine it perhaps tomorrow. Having a very wobbly day X_X.

I think there is a misunderstanding here. I'm not planning to search until February and *ideally*聽 I'd move *before* August. If I find a place in April, I'll pay 3-6 months up front, depending on possibilities, I would seek to be there by May or June. If I pay in advance like that, it should be fine, right? After all, I paid my rent, the place isn't occupied but it's being paid for - etc etc. I am okay to give written consent for the occasional toggling of heating to keep the place from becoming rusty, anything like that.

Even going the distasteful AirBnB route, that would be quite expensive with vastly reduced capabilities and rights. I don't have that many friends in the Netherlands yet - the one that has been asked if they'd let me stay can't do it because they have a cat & I obviously have a dog. Though I know my girl wouldn't harm the cat, I can't speak for the cat harming my woofer :-P.

Thank you for notifying me about the scammers and faith predators; I have a history of neglect and abuse from family, "friends" and strangers, so I'm extremely paranoid and careful in this regard. My bull *beep* radar is high grade and I make sure not to get FOMO'd into anything for specifically this type of reason :-).

Ah, I'm sorry it was not available for your wife at the time - I plan to contact ABN AMRO immediately on securing a legally binding lease agreement. As per your previous point, my one concern with this is that I will have trouble checking a place a few thousand kilometres away - I won't know if one corner is green\blue with massive mold , that kind of thing. But I plan for my first place to be a starter landing pad from where if needed, I can go somewhere else \ a bigger place. Taking it slow and modest right now X_X. Regardless, if ABN isn't going to play nice with me either, I can find out ahead of time and get one of those nifty "e-bank accounts" or whatever they are called and use that. My assumption is that unless elec\gas\such is included in the rent then I would have to contact a supplier and form a contract with them, which might mean I can't cook, heat, and I require internet ASAP For my work, so skipping several days before a BSN is issued would be quite helpful, haha!

Blargh see this is why I posted here, it just looks contradictory to me! I'll make a note to try and REALLY cram stuff into my first five days, haha X_X. Gosh.

I sure plan to stay longer than 4 months though. Like, live & die there, ideally <3.

The whole tax situation has only come up lightly because I did read that I can't be taxed in 2 locations, so I thought I had it figured out in theory. I need a contract redraft up after I've moved and my boss is very supportive, I'm sure we can tap an accountant who can set it all straight, so I'm a bit non-worried about this particular point.

Ah! On the point of Dutch taxes being why you moved back to the UK - is there a way for you to elaborate, perhaps in private if necessary? I'm not, of course, privy to the granular details, pitfalls and all that, so valuable information would be very greatly appreciated 鈾�. I am sorry that it forced you to move back to the UK however, that seems very unfortunate >.<.

Regarding the last point, I'm not against that. I consider myself an "outsider" seeking to come in. I doN't have a track record of keeping my nose clean in the Netherlands since I haven't been yet - that kind of thing. And well, if employers can check for criminal records, I don't consider this all that different :-P. Thank you for letting me know, though! I've not been missing or naughty with my taxes here, and I have a very high credit score (Well, had. I stopped putting subscriptions on my CC because I'm moving and it doesn't matter) so I should be totally fine.

Thank you for your time!

Hi again.

Gemeente - it's what we (Brits) would call the council, gemeentehuis - it's the council building.聽 They do practically everything that's related to the Government, As with most things, they have a website that tells you everything and this will take you to it.

The movers - my wife supervised the Dutch end, I was in the UK to receive it into our new house.聽 We're an ex-forces family so we have moved many times all over the world; the guys from Pickfords were excellent, 5 of them turned up to pack up our house in Holland, but only 2 of them made the journey to North Yorkshire.聽 The difference was they had to pack everything in Holland, here they just put the boxes in the relevant room and left us to unpack.聽 A van called in a few months later and collected the empty boxes.聽 The movers won't take you to the ferry; if you don't have very much stuff to send, they will probably take your stuff to a central location and bulk it up into a big truckload - they call it groupage.聽 Once our stuff had arrived and I finished unpacking, I then drove across to Holland and picked up my family.

Work-wise, your boss (more likely the Company Secretary) needs to consider how your work contract is going to comply with Dutch employment law because that is where you will be living and working, you have rights in the Netherlands that don't get switched off because you work for a non-Dutch entity.聽 Some Dutch agencies will offer to arrange something with your boss so you become employed by a Dutch entity; it makes life a lot easier when it comes to taxes, health insurance, sick pay etc.聽 It was something I considered when I lived in the Netherlands but worked for a UK entity, but it was too expensive

Our daughter sold everything she had here and packed what she had left into 2 suitcases when she went back - it cost her the price of the excess baggage charge, I think it was less than a hundred pounds by the time she bought the suitcase and paid the fees.

Just to clarify, you will need somewhere to stay when you first arrive in Holland - I will be amazed if you move from the airport straight to your new home, there will have to be something temporary in between, even if it's only for 1 night until all the admin is sorted.聽 The Expatica organisation have a very useful guide to renting property in the Netherlands; this will take you to it - it does have some links to rental agencies that you can contact and ask all the relevant questions.聽 You'll have to grit your teeth when it gets to the bit about the landlords rights to enter your property.

Long-range house hunting renting is high-risk (for you), you don't know what you're getting into, you may hate your neighbours, the traffic, next doors dog may hate yours; these are all things you have any chance of finding out by physically being there.聽 Most rental properties are unfurnished and will probably need decorating - it's the norm there, the first one we moved into only had a single light fitting in the bathroom, the previous tenant had taken the rest - it's the norm in Holland, but my wife being Dutch expected it, so when we went to pick up the key, we went via the Hema and bought a torch plus some fittings and bulbs.聽 We stayed in our caravan for a few weeks until we could get the house up to our standard.聽 There was no way we could have lived in that house when we got the key.

I wish you the best of luck in your endeavour; feel free to come back and ask more questions.

Cynic

Expat Team

@Cynic Hulloh!

Thank you for the link, will investigate shortly! I am not familiar with the greater concept of a "Municipality" beyond it being a general area, kind of like a US state or a Canadian Province - or so I thought.

Very useful info regarding the movers, thank you! It sounds like I'll be left to sort out my own travel to the ferries and across and from there. That should be fine, and it certainly helps to be aware of this. And yeah unpacking things from boxes is something I don't really mind doing - though I am praying that can toss the bed&mattress into one of the rooms before they go, bwahaha :-P

Ah yes, I've heard of that! I forget the exact name of this but it was something I briefly looked up for someone else. Expensive doesn't sound fantastic - I may in fact poke my boss if he can poke an accountant or someone more involved in the tax side of things and give me advice on this while I still have time to ponder and make adjustments. Very greatly appreciate this information! <3

Truth be told, I think all of my stuff will fit into 1 regular mover van. Not the small little white vans - you know which ones I mean. The not super long vans. It's a bit of a sad move in a lot of ways actually, but it's got to be done.

Ooh, is there some naughtiness with landlord rights in the NL ? I better look that up real quick after I reply here, thanks! As for having somewhere to stay at least temporarily, mmmmmmm I'll have to deeper investigate this as well. Had not assumed this to be a necessity at all so bit surprised if this is the case! But certainly, I'll have a good look - I'm mainly concerned with having a safe and uneventful move over there, slamming all the required visits and appointments in the first 1-2 weeks then untensing and enjoying the new life\style afforded after the move ^-^;.

Aye, I'm aware of the risks. Asshole neighbours don't annoy me too much, I can drown them out with headphones if required. If their dog hates mine, tough for them, my dog is lovely :-P. I can (and will) protect my baby from any harm. These are very small things I can work around; and remember, I intend for my first rented property in the Netherlands to be a landing pad. Once聽 all the hassles of moving are complete, I can relax, experience the area, culture, etc - and if required, I can much more easily find another place to rent from within. If the place turns out to be the opposite - quite good, actually - then I'm content to stay! My only 2 fusses are I'd like there to be an area I can walk my doggo to if required, and that it is connected reasonably to functioning public transport for my own needs \ appointments. I have no doubt both will be fine!

I'm okay with "naked" rentals - after all I'll be bringing my own stuff in and don't have to use possibly dubious provided furniture with a history I may not enjoy once I know of it :-P. I did see that some people bring parts when they move in, then they take them when they move - chief seems聽 to be the flooring? What an odd cultural thing, haha!

Thank you very much for the time and advice provided so far. If there is more, I'm happy to learn - anxious but eager about the move.

I suppose I did have one large question is there are some companies that offer to help you every step of the way with some minutiae but obviously probably cost a LOT of money. I'm on the safer side of that - but I can see myself using them if things start piling up and I'd rather someone just took care of that part. Money I can get back, but my sanity is already quite finite, haha! But yeah basically, would you recommend such an "Overall service" to anyone? I can easily google this, but I already trust you more than random results, so. Y'know.

Thanks again !

Hi again.

Read through the links I've supplied and then if you still have any doubts, come back and ask.

You don't need to pay someone to facilitate your move to the Netherlands.聽 You're an EU citizen (Hungarian passport holder), and you have no issues with a residency permit or working in the Netherlands, as an EU citizen you have the right to live and work anywhere in the EU and will walk through Customs and Immigration without anyone caring very much once they've checked your passport.聽 You do have to register with the Gemeente, but we've gone through that, you know that you have to make the call to arrange that within 5 days.聽 Nobody can do that for you.聽 The rest is down to you.

I've found the website of the company of the company I used (Pickfords); this will take you straight to it.

One further - I've not checked it out myself, so user beware.

So, I'm done, please let us know how you get on.

I hope this helps.

Cynic

Expat Team

@Cynic

Thank you kindly, appreciate it! The encouragement, too ^-^;.

I'm just about to engage in a whole lot of chores. I will hope to post closer to the event and around the move - afterwards and all that, but it ought not to be for several months at least.

That said, I really appreciate the guidance, thank you ;_;

One last comment from me.聽 Whatever you do, learn to speak Dutch; it makes a massive difference when you are integrating into Dutch society.

@Cynic

I did some Duolingo for half a year before focusing on a new job instead and have Babbel open to subscribe to for one year, yeah! I'd want to learn the language of the place I move to, which is also why I'm never moving to certain places haha!

How can I get proof of address if I don't have an apartment yet bit need something to show Gemente to get my BSN?

Is one month at a hotel or Airbnb enough? Is a receipt enough or do I need a rental agreement?

聽 聽 How can I get proof of address if I don't have an apartment yet bit need something to show Gemente to get my BSN?
Is one month at a hotel or Airbnb enough? Is a receipt enough or do I need a rental agreement?
聽 聽

聽 聽 -@plag45

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

The only real limitations on the address you provide for registration are that the dwelling must be approved for people to live in (so no caravans/garages/sheds) and the owner must give his consent to you registering from there.聽 My daughter used an Airbnb for about 6 weeks before she found her new home; she registered from that Airbnb address and just notified the Gemeente when she moved.

I hope this helps.

Cynic

Expat Team

Yes it does. Thank you so much

My spouse and I are concerned about how long it will actually take for me.to get the verification of family law application resident permit.She is a Hungarian-American,聽 so all she needs a a BSN, she has a potential job, but how much money is enough to show for my application?One months worth? Two months worth?Do we get our BSN at the same time?How long do we have to wait for my permit?

聽 聽 My spouse and I are concerned about how long it will actually take for me.to get the verification of family law application resident permit.She is a Hungarian-American,聽 so all she needs a a BSN, she has a potential job, but how much money is enough to show for my application?One months worth? Two months worth?Do we get our BSN at the same time?How long do we have to wait for my permit?
聽 聽

聽 聽 -@plag45

Hi again,

The published period for the issue of residency permits is 90 days, some have taken longer.

The amount of money required to be earned by your spouse is on the Dutch Govt (IND) website; this will take you straight to it.聽 The actual details are all in Dutch, but Google Translate should deal with it.

You can contact the IND yourself if you have any specific questions; the details are on their website; this will take you straight to it.

I hope this helps.

Cynic

Expat Team

Hi again! I've managed to realize I may have another question!

I currently have a Lloyds UK bank account.

Do you think I will need to make either a local Dutch account somehow before I get the rental agreement, or an in-between "international" account? I should be able to pay for whatever with this one, but heck knows. People and banks can be weird...

Mostly in terms of any surprise charges, scalping of my person, or a fee for exchanging GBP into EUR for transactions.

Thanks!

聽 聽 Hi again! I've managed to realize I may have another question!I currently have a Lloyds UK bank account. Do you think I will need to make either a local Dutch account somehow before I get the rental agreement, or an in-between "international" account? I should be able to pay for whatever with this one, but heck knows. People and banks can be weird...Mostly in terms of any surprise charges, scalping of my person, or a fee for exchanging GBP into EUR for transactions.Thanks!聽 聽 聽 聽 -@Gyenessed

Hi again.

We've not found it helpful trying to use our UK bank account when we're in the Netherlands - perhaps that changed more recently.

Here's a couple of links that may help you out:

I hope this helps.

Cynic

Expat Team

Heyo!

It's not *while* I'm in the Netherlands, it's for the initial payment of rent. It didn't occur to me that there might be an issue there until far too late last night.

I've all mentally gone in on ABN AMRO and do want to open one, just unsure if I should do it before or after . Mostly by I think hearing there was a monthly fee for that? Well!

You do pay for banking in the Netherlands; I believe you can open your account with ABN (Amro) online - before you go if that's what you want.