Where do I go with my problem?

Where do I go with my problem?

In a new country, it’s not so easy to figure out what to contact and with whom. Emigrants often simply do not know about the presence of some specialists or assistance services. Well, difficulties can arise in any country and in any person. Therefore, in this article we will consider in detail what kind of specialists and authorities are in the Netherlands and which of them is worth contacting. And also what to do with bulky garbage and where to go in case of material problems.

Lawyer.

It is worth thinking about when it comes to court cases. He defends your interests in some serious dispute, where you could not agree on your own. For example, if you get a divorce and want to discuss child support – this is the lawyer.

The only thing to remember is that a lawyer is expensive and not always necessary, sometimes you can do without his participation. It must be connected when your case must be prepared for trial.

This subsidy is possible only for individuals, enterprises always pay for themselves.

However, if you just think that some decision about you is unfair (for example, fines, incorrectly calculated taxes, incorrect electricity bills, parking, etc.), you can first contact a lawyer and try to solve the problem in this way. Lawyers will help to challenge this decision. If there is no money for a lawyer in NL, there is a free legal consultation juridisch loket they provide free advice and can help to write the necessary letter. Here you can find a list of addresses where you can come for advice, as well as phone and e-mail.

Notary .

Notary – only assures your decision. He does not consult, does not help make a decision, and cannot say which solution is better. It can only suggest how best to draw up an existing solution. Can draw up a document template, but is not required to do so. The signature of a notary gives your decision an official status.

When buying an apartment, paperwork for another country, making a gift or power of attorney – all this requires notary certification.

The notary also legalizes the signature. That is, it simply confirms that it was you who signed it. In this case, he does not even read the document itself, just checks the passport that it is valid and not stolen, then you sign with him and he certifies the signature itself, and not the document. This is often enough.

When is apostille needed?

Apostille is the seal of the state, confirming that the document is official. It is printed on certain categories of persons, those who are on the registers, namely: notaries, sworn translators, judges and other official organizations, for example, gemeente (municipality). Apostille cannot be placed on other other documents.

Apostille is required for official documents that you intend to present somewhere other than Holland. This can be documents about your company, marriage or divorce certificate, certificate of non-marriage, court decision.

What might it be for? For example, you can write a power of attorney in English / Russian, a notary can certify it, and you can put an apostille on his signature, after which such a document can be presented outside the Netherlands.

Nevertheless, we do not recommend doing so, because in this case only your signature will be certified, but not the document itself. It is better that the document itself be formally drawn up, then it will have a different force. If you yourself draw up a power of attorney, you write: “I trust such-and-such …” If the document was compiled by a notary public, it will read: “I’m a notary and such-and-such, I trust such and such a name …”. This means that the notary compiled this document and he is responsible for the fact that the document is drawn up correctly. Such a document will be adopted everywhere, therefore it is recommended to do just that.

Consultant .

There are many different highly specialized consultants in the Netherlands who are licensed in their field. These are all officials, unless, of course, they are registered as such. In this case, he has a website, he is on LinkedIn, he has his registration number. Communicating with such a consultant, you know that you are getting official advice. Therefore, if you want to choose insurance, go to an insurance consultant, if you want to apply for an additional pension – to a pension.

Appraiser (Taxiator).

This is a specialist who makes the taxation (assessment) of a house or other real estate or any large object that you want to sell. All of them must pass this assessment before the sale and the appraisers also have the appropriate licenses.

Other helpers.

In addition to consultants, there are a number of other assistants, for example, realtors. You can most often do without them, although they can make your life easier by doing some of the work for you. They should also have a registration, but you should decide whether to contact them. But we recommend that you consult with consultants in order not to get into an unpleasant situation, especially if the question is not quite standard.

Material problems.

If you have financial problems that you cannot solve on your own, the municipalities (gemeente) have many types of financial assistance. There are a number of benefits for people with low income (zorgtoeslag, huurtoeslag, kinderopvangtoeslag, kindgebondenbudget), as well as one-time help, for example, to buy a washing machine (because the Dutch believe that you can’t live without it).

If there is no money even for food, there is foedskbank. Here you can see who can count on their help and also find the one closest to your place of residence. In addition, there are various volunteer organizations that help. In general, if you are in a difficult situation, go to your municipality (gemeente), find out how they can help in your case.

Remediation.

In the Netherlands there is a special program for those who find themselves in such serious debt that they cannot close on their own. This is called “reorganization.” The procedure is as follows: you are tested for compliance with the criteria of the program, namely, it is clarified whether you really can not pay debts, even if by selling something. If everything is really serious, you will be included in the program for three years. A coach is assigned to you and from that moment all your money (benefits, earnings) does not come to you, but to that coach and he already pays all your bills and debts, if possible, and gives you only a small amount for food. This is a difficult program, but if all three years you did not violate anything and everything went well, all debts are forgiven to you, even if you have not paid them.

The program is applicable to all residents of the NL for a permanent residence permit. What is your salary, it does not matter, they will take it all until you either pay off your debts or three years pass. If you don’t work, then they will insist on getting at least some work.

Bailiffs (deurwaarders).

These are the people who come when the debts not only accumulated and were not paid after many reminders, but also a court passed that recognized that you really have to pay serious amounts. Bailiffs have the right to seize your property, evict from a rented apartment, if you do not pay for it, and so on. In addition, they charge their own fee. Therefore, it is better not to bring to such a development of events, but to pay at least a little bit or arrange an installment plan (in NL it is always possible).

Conflicts with neighbors.

We recommend starting simply by talking with your neighbors, maybe they just don’t realize that something is wrong with you. The next step may be to contact the Neighborhood Settlement Organization . They work for free and help to negotiate.

If this does not work, you can call the police. But you must call it either at the moment when something happens that bothers you, or having fixed facts caused you inconvenience. The police have a wijkagent (district), who can also be contacted.

In a situation where, somewhere near your house, for example, a landfill has formed and it is not clear who is responsible for this, you can either agree with the neighbors and remove it by joint efforts, or you can call your municipality (gemeente) and they will organize cleaning.

Dierenpolitie (animal welfare)

The organization ensures that animals are handled correctly. They can be called if the neighbors have 18 cats and smells like a whole house or a dog sits tied and hungry on the street. Well, in any other case, when you see cruelty to animals.

Kinderbescherm (child protection)

Child Protection Organization. Accordingly, you can turn to her if you think that someone is mistreating your child, you can call them and if the child returned from his former husband / wife in tears and miserable. However, one must be very careful here, since once contacting them, you will remain in the field of their attention for a long time. That is why, for example, when divorcing, you should be very careful with words and deeds so that the partner does not contact Kinderbescherm.

If, on the contrary, you found or lost something in your area, in many areas there is a support group for neighbors where you can place an ad: find the keys, the cat, the alarm went off, and so on. These groups are in the site and somewhere on the post there is an announcement, and there is also the Nextdoor application.

Where to dump bulky waste.

It is important what exactly you want to throw out: furniture, appliances or construction waste.

If we are talking about furniture and it’s still quite decent, you can call the nearest second-hand (kringloop) and they will take it from you themselves or you can agree with them that On a certain day, you will put your furniture outside and they will also pick it up themselves. You can also look at the website of your municipality (gemeente) when they collect large garbage. In almost all municipalities, once a year it can be handed over free of charge, for a larger number of times it is usually necessary to pay extra. However, this applies only to furniture!

If you want to throw out the equipment , there are separate days for it when you can put it on the street. You can also call someone from the municipality (gemeente). It is important to know that often when you buy, say, a refrigerator, you already pay for its disposal, so they are picked up for free. And sometimes, when you buy a new one, a refrigerator (or other equipment), you can arrange to pick up the old one. Or the equipment can be taken to a reception point in the municipality, it is usually free, you just need to show that you live in the territory to which this point belongs.

If you have construction debris , you need to order a container for it (see huurconteiner) and you need to be very careful, because the containers are very different and you can throw them strictly a certain type of garbage, for example, only land. Such containers are usually cheaper, so do not let yourself be fooled at a bargain price.

And of course, do not forget that there is marktplaats and facebook, where everything can be put up for sale or even for free. Then they will definitely come to you and take anything.

Study: Finance & Diploma.

DUO (DienstUitvoeringOnderwijs) is an organization that deals with educational issues in NL. They can help with the financing of studies or give a loan, which then will need to be repaid. They are also involved in the diagnosis and confirmation of what you have, for example, dyslexia, which means that you are legally required to take additional exam time.

An existing foreign diploma can be estimated they have the same – or do it here here </ a>.

I got off the train but forgot to attach a card

In this case, you need to fill out the form on the NS website and you will be refunded the money that was removed from you by excess.

And of course, if you need help filling out any form, we will be happy to help.

Regards, Nalog.nl Team