Expat The Netherlands News

30 Mar at 6 PM 2020

Expats trapped in the Netherlands welcome Engish language podcasts

Podcasts are the latest local delight for expats in the Netherlands. For expats feeling isolated, lonely and depressed due to the anti-socialising rules of the virus's unprecedented threat to normal life, podcasts in the Netherlands are providing welcome relief. For non-Dutch speakers, they’re the best way to keep in touch with up-to-date news on the government’s attempts to limit the pandemic, as well as a good way to stay informed about the more enjoyable aspects of living in this quirky country. Dutch News is recommended for...

14 Feb at 6 PM 2020

Expats settling in Amsterdam should consider property purchase

If you’re either heading for the Netherlands or deciding to stay on, buying a house can be complicated, but it’s all worthwhile in the long term. Amsterdam is a particular favourite for expat professionals, but renting or buying a property can be complicated for new arrivals. The city’s real estate market is hectic nowadays, possibly because of the huge increase in expat arrivals, with rentals being snapped up even although they’re overpriced. As a result, advice for new arrivals includes Airbnb rentals and even cheap...

23 Jan at 6 PM 2020

Hague Community Fair is a must for newly arrived expats

Expats in the Hague and especially those newly-arrived, are set to enjoy the city’s Feel at Home Community Fair set to take place Sunday February 2. The event is a celebration of the cosmopolitan community of expats and Dutch nationals, and will give a warm welcome to all newcomers as well as being a place where international expatriates can meet their friends and have a good time. This year’s event is the 13th since the inception of the fair, and is intended to showcase all the city’s positivities as regards living and working...

16 Jan at 6 PM 2020

Expats in Spain warned over dangerously contaminated tap water

British expats in Spain are now being warned of the dangers of drinking tap water. According to a recent study, Spain’s municipal tap water is amongst Europe’s most dangerous to drink. The study, aimed at identifying chemicals in tap water, was carried out by scientists at Barcelona’s Institute for Global Health, and included samples from all the 27 European Union member states with the exception of Romania and Bulgaria. The group of chemicals found in the Spanish sample are believed to cause bladder cancer. Spain’s tap...

10 Jan at 6 PM 2020

Expats in Amsterdam urged to watch out for rental scams

Dutch public prosecutors are recommending an Amsterdam court should jail a conman accusing of scamming foreign students and expats. Amsterdam’s prosecution department are now aware of a further 41 complaints against a fraudster who was first arrested two years ago for the same scam. Posing as a real estate rental agent, Mohammed Malik offered rentals via Facebook using many false names, taking expats on viewings and demanding a deposit, commission and one month’s rent. Victims were later informed the rental couldn’t be done just...

20 Nov at 6 PM 2019

Mafia gang wars, drugs and murder threaten expat life in Spain

British expats living in Spain’s Costa del Sol region are being warned over violence and assassinations now taking place in what appears to be a drugs-based mafia-style gang war. Over the past several months, Spanish police have been investigating at least two murders, with a third taking place just two weeks ago. The first body, that of a 39 year-old man, was found in a ditch on September 18, with the corpse showing signs of violence. Police originally labelled the death as suicide, but changed their minds when the proof of...

4 Nov at 6 PM 2019

Real estate scammer caught targeting new expat arrivals in Amsterdam

New expat arrivals in the Netherlands are being warned to check out the credentials of real estate agents when searching for accommodation. The warning comes as one scam artist is remanded in custody on charges of ripping off 13 victims for a total sum of around €100,000 in order to finance his gambling addiction debts. In a procedural court hearing held last Wednesday, the fraudster admitted he’d scammed some 42 people by means of deposits and pre-payments for rental accommodation not actually for rent. No-one suspected his...

28 Oct at 6 PM 2019

Bad Brexit news for British expats in Eindhoven

Whilst Europe watches the Brexit fiasco tottering towards some kind of conclusion benefiting no-one ,British expats in Eindhoven attended yet another British embassy meet-up. Held at Eindhoven’s Hub expat centre, both representatives from the British Embassy and the Netherlands Immigration and Naturalisation Service were present, ready and willing to interpret the bad news for around 50 UK citizens ranging from retirees to students. A number of retirees had been denied the referendum vote as they’d been living overseas for more...

16 Oct at 6 PM 2019

Expat families heading for Amsterdam now have English language website for schools

Amsterdam primary schools have launched a new website to inform expats wishing to put their kids into the Dutch school system. One of the most pressing problems for expat families is schooling for youngsters, as accessible information in newcomers’ languages is often hard to find. Expats arriving in Amsterdam along with their families can now access the new English language website representing 22 local primary schools happy to help the newly-arrived choose the best school for their children. The site contains information...

20 Sep at 6 PM 2019

How will the 2020 Dutch budget affect the expat community?

In these troubled times, the word ‘budget’ can send expats’ hearts sinking, in case their purchasing power is limited by increased costs or even swingeing taxation! As every expat is - or at least should be – aware, the economic state of a country can have a direct influence on salaries, especially if they’re paid in the home country’s currency. Luckily for expatriate professionals in the Netherlands, their chosen country’s economy is in a reasonably stable state, with its national debt due to decrease to less than 50...