Moving out of country - things you must do

Moving out of a country is a huge step to take. In this blog I will use The Netherlands as an example. Things to do are almost the same in all other countries of the world.

The Netherlands is an amazing place to reside. You might need to move out probably because your job or business requires you to, so we wrote easy steps to follow when moving out of the country that might be useful.

Plan before moving out

This is essential in moving your way out of The Netherlands. It is af of course applicable to any country anyone might want to move out of. Once you’ve made up your mind that you’re moving out of the country, start planning your movement immediately. Don’t assume that something won’t take long, especially when dealing with bureaucratic institutions.

Clear all bills before moving

Clear all your bills before you exit The Netherlands. All your outstanding bills will only pile up and grow to sometimes double the amount you had to pay in first place. On the other hand, make sure you don’t leave any subscription without cancellation. This can result in accumulation of bills against your name even after you’ve left.

Start calling every concerned agencies

This is the slightly stressful part of moving out of The Netherlands, but it is part of the compulsory things to do. Call your city hall to set an appointment for you to deregister from your local area. They will ask you to leave your new home address, but as digital nomad, you don't really have one, so you can leave the first next destination. Also, you’ll need to call your internet provider to disconnect your internet services. Call your providers to disconnect or keep your phone, your TV provider, and also your gas, water and electricity provider. In general, you have to call or email every agency in The Netherlands that you have subscriptions with. So as to cancel them. When I decided to move out of country (in January of 2018), I wrote to all companies who sent me letters in the past 12 months to tell them I'm moving out. The only way to get in touch with me is by email. These companies have no choice and will e-mail you whenever they need you.

Contact the tax authorities

In addition, before leaving, inform your local authority and tax authorities that you are moving out of the country so that you can be deregistered. If you want to become a tax citizen of another country, make sure you contact the Dutch tax authorities to deregister yourself. If you are going to travel around the world, make sure they know how to reach you by e-mail or give them another address (of your parents) so they will receive all important mail from the government. On this website you can see more information about moving out of the country - in Dutch - but easy to translate with Google Translate :)