We have been lucky enough to travel a lot in our lives so far. During our travels, we have been able to discover different cultures, where you notice differences from the Netherlands on many fronts. Consider the rhythm of the day (we tend to be in a hurry) or compare Dutch cuisine with that of Italy or Asian cuisine. But also the climate and the cost of living and living expenses.
During all those travels, we often got to a point where we felt at home somewhere. That we didn’t miss our own home. That we liked the rhythm and the friendly people around us. However, honesty also dictates that being home is always nice. Your own place, your own bed and your family and friends around you.
Yet, we are now at the point where we are seriously exploring and deciding whether to actually emigrate and, if so, where. We think it’s a waste to constantly think about “what if” without taking action and we’d love to take you along on our quest.
On this page, you will find basic information about emigrating from the Netherlands. What does emigrating cost, what do you need to emigrate and how long does it take? And where to go?
What we do not cover, for example, is the best country to emigrate to or financial issues such as retirement or what is the most financially attractive to emigrate to.
On this page
Why we share our story
It seems like more people have the same idea as us. In fact, when we tell friends and girlfriends about our plans – especially on a birthday – more often than not, the comment “I’ve thought about that too” or “How does something like that work” comes up.
Jeanine once created Nomadmenu to share her experiences of travel, food, and culture, and what better fit for Nomadmenu than our quest and experience of emigration?
We are definitely not sharing our experience as advice and don’t want to encourage you in anything, but we want to share our experience with you and maybe it will help you.
Our emigration options
We focus on a number of countries and regions. As mentioned, our idea of emigrating is separate from any financial aspects or benefits, so if you are looking for the best country to emigrate to for your savings, you are not going to find it on this page.
Emigrating to Portugal
One of the options we are considering is to emigrate to Portugal. Of the three countries, Portugal is closest to the Netherlands and that counts heavily for us. Family and friends can easily visit and it is also a short trip back to the Netherlands for us.
The regions we are considering run from Porto, along the coast, to Lisbon. We are deliberately not looking at the south because of tourism and temperature in the summer months.
Emigrating to Malaysia
When we visited Malaysia in 2022, we did not consciously consider the idea of living in Malaysia. Yet it is a country that caught our attention during this search.
This is mainly to do with its convenient location – flights from Kuala Lumpur are often cheap and go directly to Amsterdam, but also with its cuisine. Malaysia has influences from all over Asia, giving you the benefit of Thai curries, Indian food, as well as Japanese and Chinese.
Life in Malaysia is cheap, the country is modern and clean compared to countries like India, Thailand, and Indonesia, and you can easily reach all of Asia.
Emigrating to Indonesia
Indonesia cannot be overlooked in our case. We already have a firm foothold with our own stays on Lombok and Bali. We have been able to experience life in Indonesia several times.
The downside of Indonesia is the tourism in the summer months and the rainy season when the islands calm down, but we often like the rhythm in particular. It also helps that we already speak the language (a bit) and know our way around well, which makes you feel confident.
How much money do you need to emigrate
Not financial advice, but good to think about. How much money do you need to emigrate?
As we are currently at the beginning of our search, we do not yet have a concrete picture of this, but we will fill that in during our journey.
In any case, what you can and/or should consider is
- When you emigrate, do you sell your house in the Netherlands?
- How much savings do you have available
- Which country and region do you want to live in and what does real estate cost there?
- As a Dutchman, can you buy a house in that country and will it hold its value?
- What is the cost of living?
- Are you allowed to work in that country as a foreigner?
- Can you go back if you don’t like it? After all, 50 to 55% of people remigrate.
How long does emigration take
Emigrating is not an impulse decision. Indeed, it would take years to do so. Visit and discover the country you have in mind several times and also during several seasons. Rent a house for a longer period of time in the area you want to live in, live there like you live in the Netherlands too. Don’t enjoy it like it’s a holiday, because you probably won’t do that later either.
You also have to take into account deregistering in the Netherlands, applying for visas or permits abroad, (re)building a house, selling your own house….
Exactly how long emigration takes depends a lot on your own situation and whether you are moving to a place you already know thoroughly or whether you have several options left, but 12 to 24 months is a period you can at least take into account.
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