On 1 February 2010 the Municipality of The Hague will open a new service for expats. The municipality will join forces with the IND and ACCESS in order to simplify registration procedures for international companies and their staff. International organisations and companies account for 11% of The Hague’s economy.
According to Deputy Mayor Frits Huffnagel (City Marketing and International Affairs), The Hague is the most international city in the Netherlands. ‘This obliges us to make sure that the expats and their families are taken care of well.’
The new service was created through a special concerted action between the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND), the Municipal Department of International Affairs (BIZ), The Hague Hospitality Centre (HHC), ACCESS (the not-for-profit organisation for expats) and the Immigration Office of the Municipality of The Hague.
The service will offer a faster and simplified procedure which goes beyond registration in the gemeentelijke basisadministratie persoonsgegevens (GBA), or Personal Records Database of the municipality. The service also offers a special ‘Welcome to The Hague’ programme, which provides insight into municipal affairs, such as schools and health care.
The service is now available in the Immigration Office of the Municipality of The Hague but before the end of 2010 it will move to The Hague Hospitality Centre in the Atrium of City Hall.
Click here for specific information about the registration procedures for expats and highly-skilled migrants.