Signing up for a bank account was very easy. I needed to take my SoFi/BSN, proof of employment, proof of residence and my passport but it was yet again a simple matter of making an appointment and signing a few forms.
I decided to go with ABN AMRO as they have an English Internet portal. They offered me the 'expatriate package' which includes a current and savings account, a debit and credit card, and phone and Internet banking, all for €8.25 a quarter!
How the credit card works was a bit of a surprise. You get a monthly limit which you can spend up to within that month and then at the end of the month the entire balance is automatically debited from your current account! You can arrange to pay offf the balance over a fixed term, but you must set that up manually and that is when you will start paying interest like a normal credit card.
My debit card arrives in 3-5 working days and my credit card a few days after that. I'll need to activate the debit card at the bank and assign a pin but will be able to activate the credit card over the phone as normal.
So, all in all, a very straight-forward and efficient process -- as expected!
Showing posts with label Moving to Amsterdam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Moving to Amsterdam. Show all posts
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
SoFi/BSN/Tax Number
Signing up for anything in The Netherlands seems to require a BSN (Burgerservicenummer) so it's important to get it as soon as possible. You need to contact the 'Dienst Persoons- en Geo-informatie' and I recommend making an appointment before you get to the country as there was a fortnight lead-time when I made mine.
On the day I went in and told the receptionist that I had an appointment and he gave a number, so I sat down to wait but a few seconds later my number came up on the board despite there being half a dozen other people in the waiting area. I entered one of two dozen or so small Dilbert-like cubicles and the woman waiting for me turned out to be very friendly and helpful.
She asked for the required documents - passport, proof of current address and proof of work - which I provided and after taking a few photocopies and filling out a short form we were done. All in under 10 minutes! I can pop back in a few days to request my number in person, or alternatively they will send it to me in a week or so.
Once I have my number I'll be able to continue on to the next task; getting a bank account.
On the day I went in and told the receptionist that I had an appointment and he gave a number, so I sat down to wait but a few seconds later my number came up on the board despite there being half a dozen other people in the waiting area. I entered one of two dozen or so small Dilbert-like cubicles and the woman waiting for me turned out to be very friendly and helpful.
She asked for the required documents - passport, proof of current address and proof of work - which I provided and after taking a few photocopies and filling out a short form we were done. All in under 10 minutes! I can pop back in a few days to request my number in person, or alternatively they will send it to me in a week or so.
Once I have my number I'll be able to continue on to the next task; getting a bank account.
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