Congratulations! You have just learned that you need to move to Maastricht. And maybe you are doing this relocation to Maastricht all by yourself, for work or for your studies. Or are you getting help to move from friends? In any case, moving to a new city is always an exciting personal journey! But it can be filled with a lot of challenges. Moving to Maastricht will present you with a city that has a great international vibe. And we will share more information about everything you need to know about a Relocation to Maastricht in this case study. But you will also face a lot of difficulties during your relocation which we will also highlight in this case study. You will read some stories from previous clients and read more about our partners. And we hope this case study gets you prepared for a move to Maastricht. Enjoy the rest of the article!
Maastricht is the capital city of the province of Limburg in the Netherlands. And I know what you are thinking!? How can a city that has a population of around 120.000 people be considered a city? But it’s true, Maastricht is the capital city of Limburg! The city of Maastricht has played a significant role in Dutch history. You can read a lot more about Maastricht’s history with our friends of the Maastricht Visitors Center. Maastricht has fallen into the hands of the Spanish and the French during the cities long history for example. And the influence of the different rulers is visible in the city’s architecture to this day. And did you know that Maastricht also played an essential role in the establishment of the Euro currency? So we think that there is a lot to be proud of if you do a relocation to Maastricht! The location of Maastricht is unique in the Netherlands. And it’s no wonder with a city being so close to Belgium and Germany. The location of Maastricht makes it a popular destination for international travelers. And Dutch tourists too! The natural landscape and urban areas differ a lot from the rest of the Netherlands. Maastricht is really in the heart of Europe, and its unique vibe makes it the top destination to visit.
The city of Maastricht invested in attracting multinational corporations. And its investments have paid off in recent years. Maastricht’s ambition is to be one of the most attractive regions in Europe to work and to live. And the city welcomes everybody, wherever you are from, to support this ambition. So a Maastricht Relocation will give you a great place to start your new life. When you start a new life in Maastricht you will soon find out that you can easily travel to Aachen, Frankfurt, Brussels, Antwerp, and Paris for example. This is a big reason why international companies choose Maastricht. And this might also be the reason why you got a job offer in Maastricht? And why you are looking for more information on how to relocate to Maastricht?
You can read more on life in Maastricht through our friends at the Expat Center. But did you know that your Maastricht Relocation can be full of challenges? And that these challenges can cost you a lot of money and time if not managed properly?
So if you are planning a Maastricht relocation, be sure to contact dutchify here.
Maastricht is well known for being a great place for international families to live. And we have made a list of reasons why a lot of people choose Maastricht over other cities in the Netherlands. But first a little bit on the citizens of Maastricht. Maastricht people call themselves Maastrichtenaren. And many Dutch people call people from Maastricht Limburgers, because you live in in the Limburg province if you move here. Maastrichtenaren speak many languages and have a super friendly attitude. And did you know that a lot of Dutch people say Limburgers are a lot warmer and have a supportive attitude? Many Dutch people say that Limburg is a lot more “Gezellig” than the rest of the country. So you will feel right at home in Maastricht! But what are the biggest reasons for a Maastricht Relocation? Well, dutchify made a top 6 for you to consider:
So we just gave you a summary of reasons why Maastricht is a great place to consider for your relocation to the Netherlands. We talked about why companies are increasingly choosing Maastricht & the biggest reasons why you should choose Maastricht too. But how difficult is it to move to Maastricht? The short answer: it can be extremely difficult to move to Maastricht! There are a lot of challenges you will be facing when you do a Relocation to Maastricht. And we will list some of the biggest problems you will be facing when you are moving. To make sure this list is complete, we will be using our client Arnau as an example. Arnau completed his relocation to Maastricht in December 2021. He left a testimonial on our page here if you wanna learn more. So here is the list of difficulties that Arnau experienced:
Okay, so that’s a long and scary list of obstacles that you are going to face, right? And we don’t want to discourage you, but if you want to manage your relocation alone, be prepared to pay several months for a short stay accommodation whilst you are figuring this all out. We asked some short stay providers, like Residence Wyck, and they said that on average people stay in short stay two to four months before moving to a regular long term rental. And short stay costs a lot more than regular rentals, like 40 – 50 % more to be exact. So be prepared to bring a lot of savings when you move to Maastricht. The long time it takes people to find housing whilst they are in a short stay is mainly due to the extremely low availability of houses. And the list of difficulties you can face that we listed above doesn’t help either! But it’s not impossible if you get help from a local. Or if you still decide to do your relocation yourself and take these lessons into consideration. Because now you know what you are facing in your relocation to Maastricht! Talking about locals, the next part is about Amanda. She is a dutchify agent in Maastricht and a true Maastrichtenaar.
Hey there future mover, my name is Amanda and I’m the dutchify agent for the Maastricht area. I’ve lived and worked in Maastricht all my life so I can tell you a lot about life in Maastricht. I know every quirky street, those hidden gem restaurants, and the best shops and bars around. I can basically tell you everything you need to know when relocating to Maastricht. In my daily work, I help Dutchify clients complete their relocation to Maastricht. And I also manage several short-stay apartments. In this section, I will tell you more about my work for Dutchify in Maastricht and surrounding areas. If you have questions, you can send me an email!
When I was asked to become a personal agent for dutchify I didn’t have to think about the offer very long. Nick told me I could combine the work for dutchify with my short stay company Residence Wyck. In my company, I already make sure that all my guests are feeling at home! And I offer a lot of extra services to make sure my guests are happy. The combination was perfect and made it easy for me to also work for dutchify. I hear my guests complaining a lot about finding a regular rental apartment all the time! So now I can be of extra help to my guests and the clients of dutchify. The help I get from the big partner network that dutchify has makes it easy for me to find accommodation for dutchify clients. And my short stay guests too, so I said yes to the offer immediately!!
My daily work for dutchify puts me in direct contact with people like you. People who are completing their relocation to Maastricht. When dutchify links me to an assignment I first want to make a personal connection with the client. This helps me to be the personal (and local) guide for the client from day one. And it helps you to feel comfortable with moving to Maastricht. You can contact me on Whatsapp any time and I make your life easy by organizing your move on the dutchify platform! My work for Dutchify is mostly for our House Hunting service, so my agenda is filled with scheduling viewings and attending the appointments on behalf of the client. Many of the dutchifty clients still live abroad when I am viewing apartments, so they send me to be their proxy. And since everyone knows me on the Maastricht market, I get access to off-the-market listings sometimes. I also make appointments for my clients, to register at city hall for example. And I go the extra mile by helping clients move from temporary housing to your final house. I usually pick you up by car and bring you to your new place. The help I get to offer to my clients because of dutchify takes a lot of pressure (and stress) away from the client. I get to do neighbourhood tours and explain the whole moving process to them. But the biggest reason of why I became a dutchify agent is the appreciation I get from clients. That’s why I’m doing this work!
Now I know what you might be thinking! An article by dutchify written by me (Amanda) must be very biased. But I really believe that our help will make a huge difference. And don’t just believe my word for it. Let me share a few words from one of our clients. Arnau moved to Maastricht in December 2021 together with his pet dog Mango and his wife. Arnau was still living in Barcelona at the time, so I did all the viewings for him. Arnau said: “Dutchify has helped us in a lot of things to make possible in time our relocation in the Netherlands! They have been very helpful in everything but also in finding a house, the most complicated part in the Netherlands. I would definitely recommend their help to everyone!” He gave my help a five-star review on Trustpilot and you can view his testimonial here.
But one client review isn’t enough. Right? So here is what Manon, one of our housing partners said: “Recently did the first rental together with Amanda from Dutchify. This relocator saved us a lot of time by delivering a complete file of the client. And the quality of the file made a big impression. We immediately knew what the client wanted and could manage to close the house hunt in days instead of weeks. We are looking forward to more assignments in the future!” Manon and her agency are part of the dutchify partner network. And our relationship allows me to offer better listings to clients. In the case of Arnau, we received a listing that was not advertised yet. And this listing matched all their requirements. That’s what I call a job well done!
Are you starting your Maastricht relocation and do you want to bring a pet? I am happy to tell you that we help a lot of clients move with a pet. The secret to getting a house even though you have a pet is in the personal file that you give to the realtor. And I help every dutchify client build the personal file together. So be sure to reach out to me if you want help with that. In short, It is possible to bring a pet from another country to the Netherlands if all the conditions are met. For example, dogs, cats, and ferrets must have been vaccinated against rabies recently. The conditions you need to forfill when you bring a pet depend on the kind of animal you want to bring and the country it is coming from. We will publish an article soon with more information about pets!
What you have to realize when moving with a pet is that most apartments will turn you down. And earlier in the article I already talked about the shortage of houses in Maastricht. So be prepared for a lot of rejections when you want to schedule viewings. Meeting all the conditions and having a good file is not enough! Most realtors turn you down in favour of a tenant without pets, simply because the market is too busy and it costs less time. But you getting rejected with your pet also has to do with potential damages to the property. The landlord prefers to keep the apartment in excellent condition, so accepting a pet might jeopardize that. This is where I (Amanda) play a vital role through my work for dutchify. I’m a local and I know most realtors personally. This means I can persuade realtors to take you. And this let’s you beat the competition. If you are moving with pets, you make it exceptionally more difficult for yourself. You basically add more difficulty compared to people that don’t bring a pet. So if you are reading this and you are planning to bring a pet, I strongly believe you will enjoy our House Hunting service a lot. Click here to find out more about this service!
If you are reading this whilst you have a nationality inside of the EU, this might not apply to you. But if you just found a job and you are from outside the EU then you probably need a visa. We won’t write a full section on how to get a visa and what steps you need to consider when you do this. But here is some information to help you prepare. First, you need to determine if your employer will arrange a visa for you. Ask if your employer is a recognized sponsor, or go to the IND website to find this list of recognized sponsors. If your employer is on this list chances are big they will get the visa sorted for you. But what happens if your employer asks you to get a visa yourself? That’s where things get tricky, but not impossible!
The Dutch labour market is a protected market. This is governed by the European Union and it protects EU employees. Employers first need to make a lot of effort to hire someone from inside the EU. Before they are allowed to hire someone outside the EU. And it’s this rule that prevents you from finding work in Europe if you have a nationality from outside of the EU. To apply for any type of Visa, you need to contact the IND. But there are many types of visas, and there is a difference between a working & staying visa. So what visa type works best for you? And what do I need if I want to get a visa myself? Well sometimes the IND can be helpful in these situations. But you can also contact dutchify for Immigration Services. Together with your personal assistant, we will look at the best visa for you & how to get the job you have been offered. Even if your employer tells you to sort out the visa yourself! Don’t waste weeks and months trying to figure out what works for you. Get expert help to guide you on the possibilities, so that you can confidently say yes (or no) to a career opportunity.
Congratulations, you almost reached the end of this article! Let’s say you have found housing on your own. After spending weeks and weeks searching and making appointments. And you managed to secure a spot to register at the city hall of Maastricht. Again, congrats, we at dutchify want the same thing for every client we work with. But we have professionals working full time to get all the steps done faster. So we have to offer services to people to make sure our staff can keep delivering what we do best. But if you are in this phase of the Maastricht Relocation, you’re almost there!
To finish we just want to give you some information on the documents you need to bring to city hall. Because what is more annoying than being sent home for not bringing everything. Right? When you register at city hall, you will get a BSN. Which is somewhat like a social security number in other countries. But you need to register at a Dutch address to get a BSN. So be sure to send a signed and valid housing contract. Also, be sure to bring identification for all the people that are registering. Including children. And depending on your country of origin you might also need some certificates that are legalized. So be sure to contact your municipality to know what to bring before you move. For more information visit our friends at (link).
If you still struggle to find the full list of documents you need. Or have you found a house and want to make sure your house contract is valid? Or do you just want to make sure you took all the right steps? Well in that case you don’t need a full service. You are a DIY mover & to help you we have our online webshop. Which you can visit here. Our webshop has modules of service that will give you all our expertise, whilst allowing you to do most of the work. Let’s be honest, you got this far by yourself already! So you got this .. but wouldn’t it be nice to have an expert confirm you did everything right? Errors are easily made and can cost a lot of money.
So we wish you a happy Maastricht relocation & we are happy to help you relocate with our amazing services.
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