American needs advice on moving to the Netherlands (salon, renting)

[hiloshark]

Me, my wife, and my young daughter are heavily looking into making a move to amsterdam.

We are a pro marijuana family and have been to cannabis cup sevaral times and have always loved how we have been treated and the country in general.

It's seems like it a fairly progressive country with some modern shopping options such as ikea and junk food us americans love like mcdonalds and will always give us that option to feel at home and never really get home sick. I have served in the us airforce for 4 years and was let go on medical release and since then have become really disenfranchised with this place and it's politics.

I just wnated to get some perspectives from some other americans that maybe have moved there and get youre take on the process?



peace and love,
hiloshark

[Chava61]

I think you need to get a work permit/visa before moving to any EU country.

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by Chava61

I think you need to get a work permit/visa before moving to any EU country.

Well, technically he can move anywhere he wants - but he'd need a work permit/visa to work there legally.

[Bob-666]

"Well, technically he can move anywhere he wants" I don't think that's true - immigration officers have the power to deny entry to anyone whom they suspect of an intention to break their rules. So, if you turn up on a one-way ticket and have no visa you are almost certain to be put on the next plane back from whence you came. They also have the right to search your luggage and read your diary to see if they can find anything that indicates you are something other than a tourist. So, hiloshark, you really do need to get visas sorted out before you travel - your wife and child will also need them.

[Tiger Beer]

One-way tickets, yes. You always need your return ticket.

I've traveled on tons of one-way tickets...and never had anyone search my bags for diaries to see my 'true intentions'. Not for Americans going to Europe anyways.

Actually I lived in Europe for a year as a student, and I didn't bother getting my student visa. I just studied on my tourist visa.

But yeah, it is BETTER to be able to get work permits/working visa, etc. if someone intends to move somewhere. But generally speaking, getting a work visa for Europe is almost impossible.

I've known tons of English teachers who just teach in Europe on tourist visas, as the beaucratic nightmare of getting a work visa isn't worth it, and generally denied.

[Chava61]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

Well, technically he can move anywhere he wants - but he'd need a work permit/visa to work there legally.

Technically one can move anywhere one wants to in a country where one is a citizen or has a legal visa to enter the country. But if one wants to live in a country where one isn't a citizen (and one isn't rich!) then one usually needs to have a legal work permit/visa in order to earn money for one's living expenses. As far as I know it is very hard for a non-EU citizen to get a work permit/visa for any EU country which is a similar situation for someone who is a non-American trying to live in the USA!

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by Chava61

Technically one can move anywhere one wants to in a country where one is a citizen or has a legal visa to enter the country. But if one wants to live in a country where one isn't a citizen (and one isn't rich!) then one usually needs to have a legal work permit/visa in order to earn money for one's living expenses. As far as I know it is very hard for a non-EU citizen to get a work permit/visa for any EU country which is a similar situation for someone who is a non-American trying to live in the USA!

Yet tons of people do it - live in the U.S. or Europe without work visas and work permits.

Generally though, Americans don't take many risks, and so common advice is not to do anything and sit home and watch TV.

As a person who has lived about 10 years outside of the U.S., sometimes with work visas, and sometimes without, life is what you make of it.

I knew an American who lived in Madrid for five years, taught and lived there illegally the entire time, and they gave him amnesty and a Spanish passport. Granted that isn't common.

BUT....MANY people move to the U.S./Europe without their proper documentation setting out, and end up in all kinds of cool situations/circumstances.

The OP obviously seems like a risk-taker.

If it was a timid poster with 'will something bad happen to me if I go abroad', I'd have just remained silent and not encourage him to go anywhere or do anything - and encourage him/her to watch life unfold on TV instead.

To legally work somewhere abroad, YES you need your legal paperwork. To move internationally, a person can do whatever they want. Start an NGO, start a coffee shop, etc. Set up a business, etc.

[hiloshark]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

Yet tons of people do it - live in the U.S. or Europe without work visas and work permits.

Generally though, Americans don't take many risks, and so common advice is not to do anything and sit home and watch TV.

As a person who has lived about 10 years outside of the U.S., sometimes with work visas, and sometimes without, life is what you make of it.

I knew an American who lived in Madrid for five years, taught and lived there illegally the entire time, and they gave him amnesty and a Spanish passport. Granted that isn't common.

BUT....MANY people move to the U.S./Europe without their proper documentation setting out, and end up in all kinds of cool situations/circumstances.

The OP obviously seems like a risk-taker.

If it was a timid poster with 'will something bad happen to me if I go abroad', I'd have just remained silent and not encourage him to go anywhere or do anything - and encourage him/her to watch life unfold on TV instead.

To

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

legally work somewhere abroad, YES you need your legal paperwork. To move internationally, a person can do whatever they want. Start an NGO, start a coffee shop, etc. Set up a business, etc.

I wouldnt say we're risk takers. We're trying to see what else the world has to offer besides the crap we get spoon fed in america. The whole "we're the best country in the world" stuff just isnt selling me or my wife anymore. I fear of the crappy public schooling there is to offer here and like i said ... just burned out on all the politics, all the corruption.

My wife is a hairdresser and most likely would go somewhere looking to open her own spa or salon so from what i have read and understand is that most likely our best "in" to europe?

[Chava61]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

Yet tons of people do it - live in the U.S. or Europe without work visas and work permits.

Generally though, Americans don't take many risks, and so common advice is not to do anything and sit home and watch TV.

As a person who has lived about 10 years outside of the U.S., sometimes with work visas, and sometimes without, life is what you make of it.

I knew an American who lived in Madrid for five years, taught and lived there illegally the entire time, and they gave him amnesty and a Spanish passport. Granted that isn't common.

BUT....MANY people move to the U.S./Europe without their proper documentation setting out, and end up in all kinds of cool situations/circumstances.

The OP obviously seems like a risk-taker.

If it was a timid poster with 'will something bad happen to me if I go abroad', I'd have just remained silent and not encourage him to go anywhere or do anything - and encourage him/her to watch life unfold on TV instead.

To legally work somewhere abroad, YES you need your legal paperwork. To move internationally, a person can do whatever they want. Start an NGO, start a coffee shop, etc. Set up a business, etc.

I know people that gone to live in places/countries without the proper work permits/visa and were deported back to their own countries after being there several years. So one has to understand the risks involved with illegal immigration especially when one has a family with a child/children involved.

[Bob-666]

You may have more luck going to Australia - I beleive they have a shortage of hairdressers and there would be no language problem. So your wife might get a work permit on that basis - it's much safer to immigrate somewhere legally ! But wherever you go, renting commercial property, starting up and equiping a salon could be just as expensive as it is in the US so you would likely need substantial savings before you embark on this venture.