About georgedrurysmith

Status:

Preparing to Move Abroad 

Gender:

Male

Currently Lives:

Los Angeles, California, United States

Citizen Of:

United States

Some Forum Posts:

Netherlands: Need info on Visa:

We highly recommend Barbara Wegelin Everaert Avocaten wegelin@everaert.nl Postbus 20660 1001 NR Amsterdam, Netherlands

Netherlands: U.S. pension and taxes:

I suggestyou contact the Belastingdienst and also a Dutch tax advisor.. I had residence for a little over a year it it appeared to me that my US income (Social Security and IRA) were taxable, as well as my "worldwide wealth." And of course as a US citizen, I had to pay US taxes as well.

Netherlands: Tourist laws? How long can you stay?:

I'm no expert but have experience. You should go to http://english.ind.nl/ to study the regulations, which seem to be changing. The Dutch are much more strict than they used to be, and the basic rule is that as a tourist you can be in a "Schengen Treaty Country" (most of western Europe) only 90 days out of every 180 (or is it 3 months out of each 6?), and that means you must totally leave and stay out of Schengen countries for that time, so just going to Belgium or France for a few days won't cut it. If you got residence permit here (not easy) there, you should investigate the potentially very serious tax consequences, depending on your situation.

Netherlands: Cell Phones in Amsterdam:

Thre are two type of cell phones, both of which are used in the US, but only the GSM will work in Europe. And it needs to be "unlocked." Your best bet is to go to a local independent cell phone shop an dask them to check your phone to see if it both unlocked and GSM. They can unlock it for you, but it may take them a few dys to get the proper code, so don't wait until the last minute. It shouldn't cost over $40 to unlock it. Once this is accomplished, you can buy SIM card in the Netherlands for about 10 or 15 euros, which provides a phone number and probably a small amount of phone credit.. YOu can buy more phone credit for the brand of the SIM card you bought and have a pay-as-you-go service Services vary, but I've found the Vodaphone one to be fine for my uses. I've had it (and the same Dutch number) for years. If your phone is not GSM, you'll have to buy one... Check this out: http://goeurope.about.com/cs/stayingconnected/a/cell_phone_buy.htm

Netherlands: exchange funds:

Your best bet is not usually cash, and certainly not a credit card, but rather a US ATM card. However, your own bank may rip you off.... not on the rate but on the surcharge they impose. Often a flat rate plus a percentage. Since there's a flat charge, it's best to change larger amounts and less often. The best deal I've found, and the one I use is a brokerage account at etrade.com. Their rate is always the market rate, but they charge 1%... and nothing extra. Whatevery ou have, be sure your PIN is four-digit numeric. Dutch bank accounts are not easy for foreigners, and you may not need one... just use your US account. But it's handy becasue they give you a debit card. Credit cards are less widely accepted than in most European countries, but they rip you off, so cash is probably better. Many places do not accept credit cards, and many that do do not take Aemrican Expresss. Also your US debit card or credit card doesn't work in things like train ticket machines. Good luck!

Netherlands: Dutch taxes:

I am a US citizen and have had a Dutch residence permit (verblijfsverguning) for a year due to the fact that my domestic partner works in the Netherlands. All of my personal income was in the US and I will pay US taxes on it. I have not received an "invitation to pay taxes" here in the Netherlands. Should I file anyway? Also, if I have to file I may have to request an extension, as my US taxes will not be finished until May. What should I do?

Netherlands: GBA Registration:

My partner and I have a California domestic partnership and although he has been here some years I had not applied for residence until recently. Our immigration attorney was not totally certain the California partnership would be accepted as there seems to be no official policy, but the IND accepted it after we registered me with the city of Amsterdam, which accepted it. I had a copy of the California partnership document which I had gotten additionally sealed with an "Apostilla" seal from the California Secretary of State (even though it already bore a state seal) and also a copy (not the original, and with no seal) of our original partnership application that had been stamped by the Secretary of State at the time of application. I have received the resident permit (Verblijfsvergunning) which is good as long as that of my partner. The provision under which it was issued applies to spouses/partners of persons who are here doing research (and apparently goes much faster than some other types). I hope this helps.

Netherlands: Moving to Amsterdam, HELP!:

Call the Dutch Immigration and Naturalization office + 31 - 20 - 889 30 45 The are very helpful and speak English.

Date Joined:

11/11/2010

Total Posts:

13

Posts/Day:

0.01