How to Enter the Netherlands from Canada - 05

2005-01-28T09:38:00Z

Yesterday my cell-phone purchasing adventure did not go well. There was a nifty Sharp V902 (the other first 2-megapixel camera phone in Europe that I wanted to get from Vodafone. €249 with a 2-year contract. A bit expensive, but it has a real flash.

Unfortunately they wouldn’t accept my foreign passport to get a contract. They wanted my resident permit. The problem is my temporary resident permit is only for 6 months, and that is no good for a 2 year contract. But when I do get my resident permit it will be for 2 years from january. If I get it in a couple weeks, then it still won’t be good for 2 years from the date I purchase my phone.

I think on Saturday I will make a last ditch effort and offer to pay for my 24 month’s of service up front. It is no worse than when I gave AT&T a $1 000 deposit to get service from them. But perhaps Vodafone is a large inflexible company and will not take my offer. In that case I’ll just have to get the cheapest pre-paid phone I can get, and buy a digital camera.

Things to do/get:

  1. sign employment contract - requires: sofi-number, employment contract
  2. mobile-phone - requires: bank account
  3. health insurance - requires: sofi-number, doctor
  4. take dutch classes
  5. get paid - requires: sofi-number, signed employment contract, bank account
  6. internet connection at home - requires: cable modem, router
  7. non-temporary resident permit - requires: legalized birth certificate, landlord’s passport

Accomplished:

  1. place to sleep
  2. got moving expenses
  3. temporary resident permit
  4. sofi-number
  5. bank account
  6. landlord’s passport

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Russell O’Connor: contact me