I’m Thorwald and while my Nordic name may suggest otherwise, I’m Dutch and I live in the village of Wassenaar, just north of The Hague and home of the biggest expat communitity in the Netherlands after Amsterdam. 
After steering my American partner through the intricacies of the Dutch bureaucracy and immigration procedures to help her getting her DAFT visa we thought, why not use this experience to help others navigate this path in the smoothest and most helpful way possible?
Getting the DAFT visa is not rocket science but it can be a little bit overwhelming at times. The people I’ve helped so far say it really helps to have a Dutch-speaking person to assist you in the many steps to become a resident of the Netherlands.
And it doesn’t have to cost a fortune either. The costs of my assistance typically stay under Euro 1.000,– and that includes all the required steps. Of course not the required Euro 4.500,– bank deposit and some other small fees such as Chamber of Commerce registration and – if required – setting up a sole proprietorship. If you want to take advantage of the so-called 30% rule, there are additional costs involved of setting up a corporation and minimum salary requirements. But in that case, you probably already have a employer sponsoring your application and you don’t need my services.
A little more about me
I’ve been an expat myself for over 25 years, having living in Costa Rica and Panama where I founded and operated Spanish language schools. I also ran a boutique B&B in Panama and did some land development. So I understand how it can feel to navigate foreign bureaucracies to get things one. I’m an engineer by education but are now mostly active in the field of hospitality, supporting biodiversity restoration efforts and a variety of activities to make this a better world for all.
Most of my language school clients were from the US and I’ve been all over the place. Not just the big cities but also Cleveland, OK and Colombus, GA 😁. So it’s safe to say I’m comfortable in dealing with folks from the US of A and speak your language.
I have 3 children (all born in Costa Rica). They all went to the American School (Balboa Academy) in Panama and are well on their way to become true world citizens.
My oldest daughter did the Hotel School in The Hague and now works and lives in Madrid. My youngest daughter is in her last year of Russian studies at Leiden University. She started before Russia invaded the Ukraine so is now planning to continue with Chinese 😉 after finishing her studies. And my son works at one of the Dutch waterboards: the organizations that make sure we keep our feet dry in the Netherlands and the country safe.
My LinkedIn profile can be found here. Love to see your invitation to connect.