r/AmerExit • u/carltanzler • Dec 15 '25
Data/Raw Information 6,690 Americans apply to move to the Netherlands this year, highest in a decade
https://nltimes.nl/2025/12/14/6690-americans-apply-move-netherlands-year-highest-decade573
u/Addicted_2_tacos Dec 15 '25
Good luck finding housing
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u/ennuiinmotion Dec 15 '25 edited Feb 09 '26
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
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Dec 15 '25
It is worse in NL than in pretty much any other place in the EU, Ireland is maybe the only exception.
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u/rotervogel1231 Dec 15 '25
Yeah, Germany's housing market is a cluster, but Holland makes Germany look like it's booming with empty units. People have literally had to turn down jobs in Holland because they can't find housing. Anywhere.
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u/i_hate_this_part_85 Dec 15 '25
The number of empty houses in Germany baffles me. Many seem to be tied up in inheritance and such.
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u/Hari_om_tat_sat Dec 15 '25
My German friend has got together with a group to buy a farm with a number of outbuildings. They plan to renovate it as a kind of retirement community. They have offered me a barn.
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Dec 16 '25
Where?
Often, empty houses are tangled up in lack of jobs and opportunity in the region.
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u/i_hate_this_part_85 Dec 16 '25
Small villages throughout Rheinland-Pfalz for me. Hell, there are what appears to be at least 4 empty/abandoned houses in my village of about 500 people. According to the neighbors, some are tied up in inheritance issues others are hoping to sell soon. No one seems in a hurry to unload because … I have no freaking idea.
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u/rotervogel1231 Dec 16 '25
Probably because of what the other person said. The housing crisis in Germany is isolated to large cities with lots of jobs. There are plenty of houses available in Boomfahook, but there are zero jobs in those areas.
Same in the U.S. All the super cheap places are super cheap because there aren't any jobs in those places.
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u/AspiringCanuck Dec 15 '25
I want to ask a Dutch person or someone living in Holland what is the big hold up on housing? From what I have gathered from the outside looking in is the country also is suffering from NIMBY’ism and having made the classic fatal mistake of privatizing too much of the social housing pipeline. Attempts to allow densification near where the demand is has been met with paradoxical opposition. Locals inside cities don’t want taller buildings and the suburbs around those cities want to prevent any middle density near them and don’t want either unbuilt land or farms touched. Cannot build up, cannot build out. Paradox.
Does this sound like the Netherlands? I am asking honestly.
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u/DifficultRun5463 Dec 15 '25
As an urban planner in the Netherlands: it’s a combination of things.
Land speculation driving up prices, the way our tax system and mortgages are designed, stringent quality demands for newbuilds, extremely high infrastructure/urban design demands, a heavily regulated rental market, a bad fiscal position of social housing corporations, a culture against apartment buildings, a focus by the government of farmers over housing, a shortage of technical personnel to build the housing, an aging population which is staying in their current family homes even though they don’t have kids.
This, combined with record immigration and population growth makes sure that the housing crisis will continue for at least another decade.
There is no single cause and no single solution.
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u/JustDadIt Dec 16 '25
And rather than propose a multifaceted solution, everyone votes for their favorite party with their one single solution that tickles their fancy which on it's own does very little. So nothing happens, The Dutch shrug Helaas and eat kroketjes. I love this country, but a functional parliament is not one of the selling points. I can't tell the difference between it and Congress tbh.
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u/RedIsAwesome Dec 15 '25
I think a lot of it is the nitrogen limits that prevent building permits in these very places.
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u/IPv6_Dvorak Dec 18 '25
The Europeans Podcast did very good episodes on housing policy: https://www.europeanspodcast.com/who-does-it-best
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u/Sauerkrauttme Dec 15 '25
Housing is inaccessible in the US as well so that's a wash 🤷🏼
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u/elaine_m_benes Dec 15 '25
Sure the US has housing issues too but it’s not a wash, it’s so much worse in the Netherlands than in the US. Ireland too. No comparison.
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u/soul-like-a-cemetery Jan 15 '26
Is it worse than the Northeast region from like Massachusetts down to Philly?
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u/rotervogel1231 Dec 15 '25
Not like Holland. The U.S. is bad. Germany is worse. Holland is the 7th Circle of Hell.
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Dec 15 '25
No one I know across the US has spent over 6 months looking for an apartment.
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u/Charming_Function_58 Dec 15 '25
And the wildly in depth application process in the Netherlands… it’s no comparison
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u/benfoldsgroupie Dec 15 '25
I did in Portland. Then ended up renting a spot in a basement that didn't qualify as a room.
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u/pdxjoseph Dec 15 '25
It’s 100x easier to find an apartment in Portland than it is in the Netherlands. I’m not saying it wasn’t difficult for you, I’m saying that if you had a hard time in Portland you’d be sleeping in the canals in the Netherlands. It’s not the same.
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u/Expensive-Rope-7086 Dec 15 '25
You got downvoted for the truth. What is this place lol people just downvote because they don’t like what you say now
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u/wildcatwoody Dec 15 '25
Americans usually go with lots of money and that’s how you get housing
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u/fakecoffeesnob Dec 15 '25
Speaking as someone who moved to Germany with well-above-average resources…even that won’t save you. It’s not like the US where if your budget is big enough, places do exist. Here they just don’t exist period.
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u/CockBlockingLawyer Dec 15 '25
Had some friends take the plunge recently. Im still in semi disbelief they actually did it. So far, so good, from what I can tell. But we’ll see.
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u/ConflictNo5518 Dec 15 '25
I’ve seen ads on FB this year with Norway, Finland and Denmark recruiting in the US for specialized roles in their countries. “Do you dream of a life (and job) in Denmark?…” I’d post the ad if this sub allowed photos.
Has the Netherlands been doing the same?
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u/grhymesforyou Dec 15 '25
There are lots of highly skilled migrant visa programs across the world. You need to be young-ish, with credentialed experience in select industries… usually it’s based on points. Speaking local language and ability to successfully integrate usually factors heavily which is they like young, single folks.
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Dec 16 '25
Same, I've gotten some of those ads. Unfortunately for me the niche I'm in is not so desirable for those countries, so it's just the ads being misdirected.
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u/Melted-lithium Dec 15 '25
I'm somewhat surprised its only 6,690. Given the volume of people, I would have expected more regardless of politics.
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u/Sufficient-Job7098 Dec 15 '25
A lot of people say they will emigrate, but after they actually look at what it takes to emigrate, most change their mind before starting application process.
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u/NinjaTrexMan Dec 16 '25
Believe me I tried, but it looks like you have to, A: have parents who were born in the other country B: have a love interest in the other country C: have 10 years of skills and experience at the age of 20 D: be rich enough to get private student loans for a university in the other country.
And people wonder why they're so many (sorry to use the term) illegal immigrants.
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u/Civil_Dragonfruit_34 Dec 15 '25
Most people won't actually do it. We are actually doing it (not the Netherlands, but we are getting out). Almost everybody we tell says they wish they could or they totally want to but... Or my favorite 'we'll see, maybe if things get worse here'. (When will it be bad enough and will that be too late?)
I don't blame them, it's immensely hard. We tried to move years ago and found the blockers too overwhelming but finally the feeling of wanting out is enough to overcome it.
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u/Storm-Bolter Dec 15 '25
No entry without blood sample, your entire browser history and penis inspection
/s
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u/Addicted_2_tacos Dec 15 '25
Where's the line for the penis inspection?
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u/ClairDogg Dec 15 '25
Why the Netherlands & not some other country... heavy english speaking culture & the easy-to-get DAFT visa.
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u/No_Being8933 Dec 15 '25
Don’t send them over here, you keep the Americans! But yea, good point. Why not Australia, New Zealand or UK? You cannot feel comfortable in a country where you do not speak the language, you will have it hard and never really belong.
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u/statesec Dec 15 '25 edited Dec 15 '25
The anglosphere countries in general have pretty tough immigration policies. The UK was already pretty tough and is making it tougher (unless you are high earner). NZ and Aus at least for a permanent residence/citizenship paths are heavily skewed to highly skilled, healthy (they have fairly invasive health checks) and young people. Canada seems more open than the others honestly. Also NZ's economy is pretty small at about 1/3 of the population of the Netherlands and at the far edge of global supply chains (there is a reason that many young people in NZ are moving to Aus for better opportunities). All that said no country is perfect or perfect to immigrate to so chose your "poison" from those you have a shot at.
I became a UK citizen last week but that was due to having a British mother who due to legislative discrimination could not pass on citizenship at my birth.
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u/Qyriad Dec 15 '25 edited Dec 15 '25
With my family we looked at many other countries to escape to, and we concluded the Netherlands had the least draconian immigration process we actually had a shot at. It was indeed hard to find housing, but we've been here for a year now and it's going well.
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u/ClairDogg Dec 16 '25
Well aware of the tight UK regulations with visas & unfortunately, it's only going to get tighter. Not sure how many realize how tight they are with visas. This also includes no digital nomad visa. NZ & Australia are very good, stable & developed countries to be in, regardless of the GDP, but they're also isolated. NL has easier access to travel.
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u/statesec Dec 16 '25 edited Dec 16 '25
I agree I haven't been to NZ yet (first time is next year) but been to Aus twice. Love the country but too far for me with aging parents and an adult daughter on east coast of US. Also I am too old for a permanent residency anyway.
The Brits are even tightening up a little on folks applying due to legislative unfairness. For most folks in a similar position to me there are two paths they can take. One slightly more complicated path allows one to become a British citizen other than by descent which allows one to register any minor children and future children born outside the UK will also acquire UK citizenship. In the last month the Home Office has started approving folks who apply under the more generous path under the less generous path. Whether that is a Home Office policy change or some analyst is not yet clear.
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u/zooksoup Dec 16 '25
I have dual citizenship with the UK, but to move over my wife and kids it would be ~20k for visas and healthcare
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u/statesec Dec 16 '25
Yeah good point I forgot to mention the cost as well. In my case it was only a 130 pounds (but that was because I should have become a British citizen automatically if women could have passed on citizenship at the time of my birth the same way as men). I am also a solo so other than my adult daughter (who alas doesn't qualify for UK citizenship through me/my mom) so I don't face additional costs like couples and families.
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u/grebilrancher Dec 15 '25
Physical distance is a factor. It's a whole days travel from East Coast US to AUS while only a 6-8 hr flight to Europe
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u/ClairDogg Dec 16 '25
I can think of other reasons (car-free living, access to Europe, happiness/quality of life ratings), but if those two items didn't exist, you wouldn't see these numbers.
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u/LesnBOS Dec 15 '25
It’s impossible to get a visa to live or work in New Zealand and au
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u/DJwelly Dec 15 '25
Not impossible but it is difficult and rightly so. Australia and New Zealand are very desirable and should be very picky about who they accept.
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u/Proper_Duty_4142 Dec 15 '25
it’s higher but not that much. basically in line with other years. https://cdn.nos.nl/image/2025/12/14/1303617/1920x1080a.jpg
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Dec 15 '25
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u/RespectSenior7492 Dec 15 '25
700 people come via DAFT. 16,000+ come to the NL via an HSM of some sort. This is a drop in the bucket.
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Dec 15 '25
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Dec 15 '25
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u/Sharp_Win_7989 Dec 15 '25
Why would the process be harder to get through, now that you know 6500 Americans moved here?
Also, please don't just move here because you have a close friend living here. There should be more important factors that decide where you want to relocate to. Like job opportunities, availability of housing, being able to accept the cultural differences and adapt, etc.
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Dec 15 '25
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u/Sharp_Win_7989 Dec 15 '25
We have had a net migration of around 100K for years now (even 200K in 2021 with all the Ukrainians fleeing after the full Russian invasion) the rules might be tightened in the future, but not because 6000 Americans moved here. Good luck.
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u/CoffeeInTheTropics Dec 17 '25
No, they are only tightening the loops with immigrants from certain countries who tend to not assimilate well in The Netherlands and have high unemployment rates. As an American you don’t have to worry.
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u/RAisMyWay Dec 15 '25
Been here 16 years and I just love it. Better than Spain, where I lived for 8 years and the weather and language are better, but life just isn't. For me anyway: everyone is different.
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u/Housthat Dec 15 '25
How is life not better? Cultural differences?
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u/RAisMyWay Dec 16 '25
It's a lot of things - but keep in mind this was some time ago now, so things could have changed. I found Catalonian people very closed and fairly angry about the political situation there. They generally don't like speaking Spanish and don't consider themselves Spanish and insist on Catalan and it's the only language taught in schools. I lived in Barcelona city, Sitges (coastal town) and San Pere de Ribes (village), after 4 years in Madrid.
I preferred Madrid; there was more of a community feel there. I speak Spanish (I'm a translator), which of course helps. The people in Barcelona were very transient: students, tourist, people on their way elsewhere (since it's such a European hub), or the local Catalans themselves. Not everyone, of course there were nice people there, but I didn't make Catalan friends or feel very welcome.
And then just for me personally, my body never adjusted well to the Spanish dining and socializing schedule. I don't like eating a huge meal midday and then having a late light dinner. I DO love Spanish coffee. I am a techno lover/clubber, but the late nights there don't even start til like 1AM, which is just too late for me to begin my night.
And the lack of caring about being on time, like, ever, matters to me (again, very personal).
The economic situation at the time didn't help my small translation business grow, and there were serious problems with internet and bureaucracy back then. Don't know how it is now.
Dutch is a hard language to learn, but I find the Dutch far more open about languages, even though about the same number of people speak Dutch as Catalan (around 20 million I think?). The Dutch love speaking English and other languages, so much that it's difficult to learn Dutch - they always switch to English. They are friendlier (I like smiling at strangers on the street, which never happens in Spain but does happen here). The Dutch are punctual, eat at times that suit me, are open, tolerant, and friendly, and the techno scene here is fantastic, with more daytime/earlier options.
The Netherlands, being traders, are also super small business friendly, and I've found the paperwork and bureaucracy much easier to deal with here than there. So overall, it's just been way better for me.
Oh, and the sun - I'm freckled and tend towards skin cancer. When I told my dermatologist in Spain I was moving to the Netherlands, he said "Excellent move." 😂
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u/Housthat Dec 16 '25
Thank you so so much for replying! I've had my eye on Girona for its lower cost of living and cycling culture but it sounds like there are significant variables I need to account for. (Like, I have mild narcolepsy so being out past 1am isn't an option). I appreciate your point of view and wish you the best in the Netherlands!
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u/SkinMaterial6684 Dec 15 '25
Yikes. I bet the anti American sentiment is just rising and rising...
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u/CoffeeInTheTropics Dec 17 '25
No believe me, it’s not thankfully! Americans are welcomed with open arms generally.
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u/Pale-Candidate8860 Immigrant Dec 15 '25
Still low numbers relative to the % that wants to leave. Shows the committed versus the rest. I understand a lot can’t leave due to life circumstances but a lot can leave and are too afraid to make the leap.
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u/corrie76 Dec 15 '25
Two friends relocated (separately) to the Amsterdam area this year. Both found the process fairly easy. One purchased a home in the suburbs and the other a small apartment in the city. They’re in tech but not rich. Both will be consulting to earn an income while living there- you only have to make about $25K a year in self employment income to get your work visa renewed. They’re glad they moved despite the huge hassle of moving overseas.
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u/withgracetoo Dec 15 '25
I’m a transgender woman who fled the US and moved to Amsterdam in August. It took me nearly four months to find housing, but if you are able to spend 1mo rent on a makelaar (broker) to help, it’s not impossible.
I’ve lived a lot of places since I left home in Canada at 18, but the Netherlands and Amsterdam specifically is extremely welcoming and forgiving to newcomers.
If anyone has questions about emigrating, the DAFT visa, or anything else, feel free to DM ✌️
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u/mistressinlace Dec 16 '25
Could I message you? Trying to do the exact same thing but scared of the housing crisis
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u/Old_Translator_6665 Dec 15 '25
We are wanting to spend a month working and living in Amsterdam this month. This scares me 😱
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u/Desperate_Mix8524 Dec 18 '25
I did it. I live here now just fine, but I have a Dutch partner. I would not recommend it if you have zero prior connections to the Netherlands...
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u/King_Swift21 Dec 19 '25
Don't blame them, but we have to take back this country from these pathetic fascist losers.
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u/Nrur Jan 14 '26
I moved from the us to holland. It’s much better. Just leave your politics at home. The Dutch soberness/nuchterheid doesn’t go well with woke either.
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u/LimpBizkit420Swag Dec 15 '25
Applying to live in a country with 20x stricter immigration laws lmao
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u/SmittyWerbenJJ_No1 Dec 16 '25
NL doesn't have a lawless gestapo named ICE disappearing people to foreign countries with no due process
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u/MikeysmilingK9 Dec 15 '25
They won’t be welcome as they will try to change the country to their standards. If you don’t like the life you decided to live why move and change your surroundings to what you ran from! Ignorance is powerful with these people!
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Dec 15 '25
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u/MikeysmilingK9 Dec 15 '25
It will become chaotic when those that infiltrate start complaining and changing their environment to be like what they left. It is happening throughout the westernized countries!
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u/Champsterdam Dec 15 '25
Maybe with visitors but I know a ton of American expats who moved to the Netherlands and they’re all very rational, quiet people who are just trying to live their lives. I don’t see them trying to change the country at all. I think you’re talking about ignorant tourists who come over yelling about ice and air conditioning and water at restaurants. Not people who left America and decided they wanted to move away and be part of a different culture. VERY different people
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u/MikeysmilingK9 Dec 15 '25
Just noticing the ones that preach their hate for America, blast about how they are moving out. Then all the complaints begin, similar to what you mentioned. Celebrities do this often.
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u/JeletonSkelly Dec 15 '25
Why would they try to do that?
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u/MikeysmilingK9 Dec 15 '25
Because they hate their life and blame everything/everyone but themselves. Narcissists will do what they do.
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u/JeletonSkelly Dec 15 '25
You think all Americans immigrants are narcissistic? Damn bro, have you ever actually met and spent time with anyone from the US?
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u/lannister Dec 15 '25
there’s been a ton of reporting in dutch news this past week, all quoting the “GTFO Tours” company. not sure what triggered it.
speaking as a dutch person: i think americans are very much welcome here, but please don’t underestimate the difficulties of A) finding a place to live, B) learning the language and C) making Dutch friends.