THE BEGINNINGS
Living in the Netherlands
legally with a Search Year Permit |
First of all, I was able to use the Dutch-American Friendship Treaty with ease because I was already living in the Netherlands as a resident with a Zoekjaar/Search Year Permit for recently graduated students.* In short, the Search Year permit allowed me to do many things, including:
1) live in the Netherlands for a full year 2) register as a ZZPer via the Kamer van Koophandel (KvK) * I do not know if it is easy for people who do not yet have a permit to acquire one and register as a business. There are other accounts of this online. Please see 'RESOURCES & DEFINITIONS' for more information. |
Spring of 2012: THE MIDDLE
Becoming a Business
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I decided to register with the KvK as a Freelancer/ZZPer.
I had spoken with the KvK on the phone, and they highly recommended that I register with them before my Zoekjaar permit expired because it would demonstrate that I was already working in the field. It also gave me the proper paperwork required for the Application Form that I would need to apply for a new permit with the IND as a self-employed person. I walked into the KVK and was able to set up a business in 30 minutes. (They do recommend coming in during the morning hours, when it is the least busy.) Beforehand, there is a brief form to fill out (available in English) which requires your basic personal information, BSN number, a description of your business-to-be, its name, etc. You then also must fill out a form for the Beslastingdienst (the Tax Bureau) estimating (very roughly) how much you will make from your business. No real business plan or proof of your qualifications are necessary. You pay about a 40euro fee. The KVK then files all of this information for their own records and sends the rest off to the Beslastingdienst. You are given receipts verifying that you've registered as well as many folders and papers with useful information about how to proceed with your business (some of which is available in English.) |
Fall of 2012: THE END?
1) Making an Appointment
for a new Residence Permit 2) The Application Form 3) Getting the proper documents together 4) The Appointment 5) The Aftermath: Waiting |
I called the IND for an appointment and had a bit of a scheduling fiasco. In short, call the IND and make an appointment for a date before your current permit expires. This means that there will not be a gap in your stay. You should call about a month in advance in order to secure an appointment.
! No availability before your permit expires? Ask if they can give you the next available appointment and if they can note in your file that there should be no gap in your stay. They should comply. It is not your fault that they could not give you an appointment in time. !! If for some reason you need to postpone your appointment, and you already have an one scheduled on a date after your permit has expired, they can change the appointment but cannot guarantee that you will no longer have a gap in your stay. The application form you will need to acquire a residence permit as a self-employed person under DAFT is the 'Application for a Regular Residence Permit without a Regular Provisional Residence Permit, or for a Change of Purpose of Stay'. On this form you are eventually directed to Section 6 on Page 7, which asks you about your reason for staying the Netherlands. It says: 'Please state the main purpose of your stay in respect of which you are applying for a residence permit. Tick the most important purpose of stay and follow the instruction stated there.' There is an option 'to work on a self-employed basis' but there is also an option just a bit further down 'to work on the basis of an international treaty'. In order to get the preferential treatment of DAFT, you must check 'to work on the basis of an international treaty'. Please go to the APPLICATION DETAILS! page for more about the correct boxes to check. On Page 14 of the Application Form, there is a list of all the documents and pieces of 'evidence' you need to bring with you to your appointment. These requirements are actually pretty vague. See explanations and the original descriptions of these required documents in the APPLICATION DETAILS! page. At the appointment you will be given a number and asked to wait to be called. Bring a book. I waited about 40 minutes. When called, an attendant will look over your application and might ask you a few questions. You are then asked to pay the application fee (600 euros) at a separate window. If everything looks good to the representative, you will be given a temporary stamp on your passport valid for the next 6 months. This process takes around 30 minutes. PLEASE NOTE! - You must bring 600 Euros for the application fee. I do not believe this is on the application form, but it is stated on the IND website. You can pay in cash or PIN, not credit card. - During the appointment, I was asked if I had 'proof of business'. Meaning, any contracts or invoices from clients. This is NOT mentioned in the application form and I told the IND representative as much. They said that it was fine and if they needed anything further they would contact me. If you have clients or jobs already completed, it might be a good idea to bring proof along, just in case. At this point I have a stamp in my passport stating that I am allowed to reside in the Netherlands for the next 6 months. They will most likely make a decision about my application within 2-3 months, at which point I will receive a newly minted residence permit as a self-employed person, good for one year after the application date. |
..................................................................ECETERA..........................................................................Please go to the Blog section (UPDATES & INPUTS) if you want to check up on how things are going or give your two cents.
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