Expatcenter Newsletter: April 2011

NEWS

Partnership with Tax Department regarding 30% ruling

Starting today, April 5th 2011, a co-operation with the Tax Department regarding the 30% ruling comes into effect. Applications for the 30% ruling can now be made as part of the Expatcenter procedure. An employee of the Tax Department will be present at the Expatcenter every Wednesday to process and decide upon applications for the 30% ruling and answer questions regarding this ruling.

The co-operation with the Tax Department was made possible after a successful pilot year with some 15 international companies in the Amsterdam area. As of April 5th 2011, this additional service is open to all companies based in one of the participating municipalities and eligible for the IND’s highly skilled migrant ruling. Companies that want to make use of this new service will need to use a special request form. To apply for the 30% ruling the request forms (2 attached) must be completed by both the employer and the expatriate employee. The completed forms along with required documents must be sent to the Expatcenter (indicating application 30% ruling on the envelope).

Explosive growth in 2010

In 2010 the Expatcenter welcomed 4712 visiting clients to its office; a growth of 43% compared to 2009. August and September were especially busy months. For 2011 we expect further growth of approximately 10% and have therefore expanded our staff accordingly. 

New system to schedule appointments for municipal registration

We have recently implemented a new system for making appointments for municipal registrations. To request an appointment for municipal registration, please first complete the online form. After you have completed this form you will receive a confirmation e-mail. With this e-mail you can contact the Expatcenter at +31 (0)20 254 7999 to schedule the date and time of the appointment.

Please note, that if you are an intermediary (relocation agent, immigration lawyer, etc.) you should use a different form.

Customer Survey

The Expatcenter is currently conducting a client survey in order to effectively monitor and improve our services and capacities. The survey is being performed by an external research bureau and the results will be presented in May 2011. The Expatcenter will analyze the results and form action plans where needed.

EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Expatcenter has launched Welcome to Amsterdam event

On March 1st 2011 the first Welcome to Amsterdam event was held at Amsterdam Bright City. Opened by the Mayor of Amsterdam, Mr. Eberhard van der Laan, and attended by 170 international professionals and their partners, the event was a resounding success. For a full review of the event, please click here.

On September 20th we will hold the second edition of Welcome to Amsterdam. This event, again hosted by the Mayor of Amsterdam, will offer new coming expatriates an official welcome to the City and at the same give them an opportunity to meet and network with like-minded internationals. 

'The Netherlands Helps Japan' benefit evening, April 13th.

On Wednesday, 13 April, head to the Amsterdam ArenA and get involved in the national day of action to raise funds to help the victims of the tsunami and earthquake in Japan. ‘The Netherlands Helps Japan’ benefit evening will see a host of stars take to the stage and the Ajax Amsterdam football team play a benefit match against Shimizu S-Pulse, from the Japanese premier football league. Read more > 

Registering at employer’s address only a temporary measure

The Expatcenter offers companies the opportunity to register employees at the employer’s address. We would like to stress again that this is only a temporary measure, valid for a maximum of three months. After this time the employee is obliged to register his/her real address with the municipality. Unfortunately it seems like this is being forgotten, as the list of individuals registered at certain company addresses appears to be quite long. If this situation continues we may have to stop offering the opportunity to register employees at the company address. Please visit our website for information on how to register a change of address. We kindly request you to inform your employees about this necessity.