To the Netherlands – the 'party' can begin (1)…

In 2005 you did not have to take an exam in the country of origin and you could simply start an MVV procedure. You could then, and you still can, start up the MVV free of charge in the Netherlands or in the country of origin (however, the latter immediately costs a lot of money).

So I started the MVV procedure in the Netherlands. You will only be presented with the bill, which was 830 euros at the time, after approval. I had all the papers out Thailand received, the birth certificate, extract showing that my future partner was not married, certificate of good conduct, copies of passport etc. All as required, translated into English and legalized by the Foreign Office of Thailand.

The whole bups are posted and then the 'nervous' waiting begins. I had already heard from many predecessors that you could always get questions and that you had to submit photos and I know what to expect. But nothing came from the IND. Approval after only 2 months. Surprise and joy everywhere, because I already knew many of those nasty stories from others. So paid the bill and bought a ticket to pick her up. Consciously did not buy a ticket for her yet, because the MVV had been approved, but not yet in hand.

On to Thailand, on to the embassy. As great as the joy was, so great was the disappointment. The ambassador himself called and stated that he refused to hand over the MVV. According to him, procedural errors had been made by the IND. He should have asked questions and I should have provided evidence that we (my partner and I) were in a relationship. Of course I didn't really care about that. I had an approval, paid and was in Bangkok. I didn't feel like paying for the IND's mistakes and asked the ambassador how he thought he could solve this. He wanted to think and would come back to it.

On to the Netherlands

After a weekend of deliberation, the redeeming phone call came and the ambassador nevertheless issued the MVV. He understood the situation I was in and believed that this should not go over my back. Just quickly took out travel insurance somewhere for the first 3 months and the MVV could be collected. The ticket could be bought and we could go together (after first holiday celebrating in Thailand) back to the Netherlands. By the way, there are two MVVs, one for 3 months multiple entry and one for 6 months single entry. With the first you can travel to the Netherlands via any Schengen country journey with the second you can only enter the Netherlands and not leave the Netherlands for 6 months, or you can start again with the MVV application. So keep that in mind when you fill in the papers and apply for your MVV.

Aliens Police?

Upon arrival in the Netherlands at Schiphol, the first thing you will be told is that your partner must report to the Aliens Police within 3 weeks. When I arrived home, I went to the police, but where the hell is the aliens police? I had and still have no idea. The police tell me that all this is no longer necessary and that my partner must report to the municipality. This was by appointment only.

But within a week we will be at the municipality and we will have to submit all the papers again and the registration will take place in the population register. A residence permit is also applied for. Costs: then 190 euros, now more than 300 euros. I could also have waited to register, after all we had an MVV that was valid for 6 months. But then (I only found out later) the documents legalized in Thailand would no longer be valid. They are only valid for 6 months from date of issue. So pay attention to that, especially if the procedure at the IND has taken too long, you run the risk of being able to get those documents again in the country of origin. Something that happened to a cousin of mine. You can count yourself lucky if you have applied for a multiple entry MVV.