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I live in Utrecht. I moved from the US where it was required to drive 500m just to go to the store because walking there would be suicide.

There are cars here, for sure. But it is nothing like the US.

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I see. Can I ask you how you went about relocating? Did you have a job lined up first or did you just decide you liked that city and figured it out after moving? Any advice?

My wife and I visited for a couple of weeks to visit some old friends we'd met at a music festival some years before. We went back to the US for a year and figured it out. If you are a citizen of Japan or the USA, check out the Dutch-American Friendship Treaty. Especially if you're already doing freelance work.

If you are not aware of the Dutch-American Friendship Treaty, note that it makes it pretty straightforward for an American to get a visa in the Netherlands: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DAFT

Thanks, do you know if you need to have existing freelance contracts before hand? I've looked at a couple of sites that discuss DAFT but it is not clear.

My recollection of prior research is that you do not need contracts beforehand — you need to demonstrate that your business is a going concern after a year to renew your visa.

That seems really practical actually. I will have try to look for some blog posts of people who have done. Thanks, cheers.

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