Information for expats & knowledge migrants

Welcome to the digital Expatcenter. This website was created for expats and internationals who are living and working in the cities of Amsterdam or Amstelveen. The aim of this site is to provide expats with a wealth of English-language municipal and practical information for the duration of their stay in the Netherlands. A new, fully-expanded version of this site will be launched in January 2009.

Practical Matters
Under the heading “First things first” you will find all the important matters you will need to arrange when you first arrive in the Netherlands, such as registering with your municipality and obtaining a Citizen Service Number.

Daily Life
This site will also provide you with answers to all your questions on daily life in Amsterdam and Amstelveen. Looking for information on health insurance and taxes? Need to know how to apply for a parking permit? Need to find a school for your child? You will find the answers to these questions, and much more, throughout the site.

We look forward to making your stay in Amsterdam and Amstelveen a pleasant one!

Expatcenter at the WTC
The Expatcenter is a pilot partnership between the Municipalities of Amsterdam and Amstelveen, and the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND). On September 16th 2008 the Expatcenter procedures officially opened to all Amsterdam and Amstelveen based companies who qualify for the knowledge migrant ruling of the IND.

One-Stop-Shop
Knowledge migrants are now able, in one appointment, to collect their residence permit and simultaneously complete the necessary registration with the city municipality (GBA) of Amsterdam or Amstelveen. Shortly after registration, the applicant will also receive their citizen service number by post. The Expatcenter is working on expanding its services and target group in the future.

Working with the Expatcenter
As of mid-September 2008, all Amsterdam and Amstelveen based companies, eligible for the IND’s knowledge migrant ruling, are able to make use of the Expatcenter’s ‘one-stop-shop’ service. The first information meeting organized in September for interested companies was highly attended and proved a great success.