Living in the Netherlands starts with the same sequence for everyone. Your residence permit, your registration with the municipality, your citizen service number, your bank account, your health insurance and your housing search arrive in that order, and the registration is the step that unlocks everything else. Where people diverge is settling in, and a family adds schooling and childcare to the list. This guide sets out each step in the order you will meet it, with separate settling-in advice for individuals and for families.

Living in the Netherlands in 2026: What to expect

The Netherlands is one of the most straightforward destinations in Europe for English speakers, with high English proficiency, efficient digital government services and a well-connected transport network. Most administrative processes are handled online once you have your identification number and digital identity. The single genuine difficulty is housing, where supply is tight in Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam, The Hague and Eindhoven, and rents have risen sharply.

For everything to organise before and after the move in a structured, phase-by-phase format, see our expat checklist.

Work visas and residence permits for the Netherlands

A residence permit is your legal basis to live and work in the Netherlands, and most professional routes run through the highly skilled migrant scheme, which requires the employer to be a recognised sponsor. Citizens of the European Union, the European Economic Area and Switzerland do not need a permit.

For a detailed breakdown of each pass category, eligibility requirements and application timelines, see our work permits for Netherlands guide.

Route	Who it is for and what to know
Highly skilled migrant	The main employer-sponsored route, with no labour market test where the employer is a recognised sponsor. In 2026 the minimum gross monthly salary is 5,942 euros for applicants aged thirty and above and 4,357 euros for those under thirty, excluding the eight per cent holiday allowance.
Reduced threshold for recent graduates	A lower threshold of 3,122 euros gross a month in 2026 applies to those who recently graduated in the Netherlands or completed an orientation year.
EU Blue Card	For highly qualified professionals with a higher education qualification, allowing onward mobility within the European Union. A reduced threshold of 4,754 euros gross a month applies to recent graduates in 2026.
Intra-corporate transfer	For employees moving from a group company outside the European Union. The age-based highly skilled migrant thresholds apply, and the employer and its immigration lawyer manage the filing.
Orientation year	A one-year permit for recent graduates of Dutch or designated international universities to find work, with free access to the labour market during that year.

Municipal registration, BSN and banking

Registering with your municipality is the step that everything else depends on, and appointments should be booked as soon as you have a move-in date. You register in person with your passport, permit or entry documents, rental agreement and, in most cases, legalised birth and marriage certificates, which are far easier to obtain before you leave than afterwards. Registration produces your citizen service number, the BSN, which is needed for your salary, bank account, health insurance and every dealing with government.

Finding somewhere to live in the Netherlands

The rental market is the hardest part of a move to the Netherlands, and good properties in the larger cities are let within days. Treat the search as a competitive process: prepare documents first, set up alerts on Funda and Pararius, and be ready to view and decide quickly. Landlords typically ask for proof of income of around three to four times the monthly rent, an employment contract, a copy of your passport and a deposit of one to two months of rent.

For a full breakdown of how international household goods moves work, see our guide on moving household goods internationally.

Healthcare and insurance in the Netherlands

Health insurance is compulsory in the Netherlands and must be arranged within four months of becoming insurable, with cover backdated to your start date, so delay creates a bill rather than a saving. You choose your own insurer for the standard basic package, which is defined by government, with optional additional cover for dental and physiotherapy. An annual own risk amount applies before most non-primary care is reimbursed.

For a broader guide to the full range of insurance products expats need when living abroad, see our guide on insurance for expats.

Understanding Dutch tax basics

Income tax in the Netherlands is deducted from salary, and income is assessed in separate categories covering employment, substantial shareholdings and savings and investments. Annual returns are filed online through the tax authority portal using DigiD. The expat facility, widely known as the thirty per cent ruling, allows employers to pay part of the salary of a qualifying employee recruited from abroad free of tax for up to five years. The allowance remains at thirty per cent through 2026 and reduces to twenty-seven per cent for new rulings from January 2027.

For a detailed guide on how expatriate tax compliance works across jurisdictions, see our expatriate tax compliance guide.

Cost of living in the Netherlands in 2026

Cost of living in the Netherlands is dominated by rent, and the gap between Amsterdam and the smaller cities is wide. Mercer, ECA International and AIRINC publish cost of living research used by mobility teams to compare locations, and the ranges below are indicative for 2026.

Cost area	Indicative monthly range in 2026
Rent, one-bedroom in Amsterdam	Frequently above 2,000 euros in central areas, the most expensive market in the country
Rent, one-bedroom in Utrecht, The Hague or Rotterdam	Around 1,400 to 1,900 euros, with Rotterdam the more affordable of the three
Rent, one-bedroom in Eindhoven, Groningen or smaller cities	Around 1,100 to 1,500 euros
Groceries, single person	Around 250 to 400 euros
Transport	A bicycle covers most daily journeys, with rail season tickets often supported by employers

Culture and daily life in the Netherlands

Dutch working culture is direct, egalitarian and consensus-driven, and this combination is what most new arrivals notice first. Feedback is given plainly and is intended as clarity rather than criticism, hierarchy is flat, and everyone in a meeting is expected to contribute regardless of seniority. Planning matters, since social and professional life runs on diaries and invitations are made in advance. Cycling is genuine daily transport rather than recreation, and learning the rules of the cycle lanes is part of settling in.

For more on how organisations can support expatriate wellbeing throughout an assignment, see our guide on promoting work-life balance for expatriates.

Settling in as an individual

Settling in alone is mostly a question of city, housing cost and how quickly you build a routine. Amsterdam has the largest international community and the strongest social scene at the highest cost, Rotterdam offers a more affordable and design-focused alternative, and Utrecht sits centrally with fast connections in every direction. Eindhoven has a substantial technology and engineering community, and The Hague hosts international organisations and a large diplomatic population. Sharing a home is common and helps considerably with the housing market.

For more on the mental health dimension of international assignments and what organisations should be providing, see our guide on expat mental health during international assignments.

Settling in as a family

Settling in as a family brings schooling and childcare into the planning early. Public schooling is free and of a high standard with lessons in Dutch, and many municipalities run newcomer classes that prepare children for entry into the mainstream system. International schools and the subsidised Dutch international streams offer continuity in English, with fees that vary widely and places that fill quickly, so apply as soon as your move is confirmed.

For a full breakdown of how dependent visa applications work and what rights family members hold in the host country, see our guide on what happens to your dependent’s visa when you relocate for work.

Moving to the Netherlands as a company assignee

Where an employer relocates you to the Netherlands, most of the steps in this guide are coordinated rather than left to you to arrange alone. If you are still weighing whether to accept the offer, our guide on should you accept an international assignment? covers the questions worth raising before you decide.

Companies commonly work with a relocation management company that brings together the immigration lawyer, the tax adviser, the destination services provider and the household goods provider, so that your permit, municipal registration, home search and shipment connect in the right order.

The MOVEPLUS™ platform gives the mobility team a single view of key dates, documents and approvals through our relocation service coordination and the MOVEPLUS™ dashboard shows where each step sits at any point, which matters where COMPASS is reassessed in full at every renewal and where a qualifying salary increase can affect an existing assignment.

Get in touch to find out how MovePlus can support your Netherlands relocation.

Frequently asked questions

1. What is the first thing to do when I arrive in the Netherlands?

Book an appointment to register with your municipality as soon as you have a move-in date. Registration produces your citizen service number, the BSN, which you need for your salary, your bank account, your health insurance and every dealing with government, so a delay here holds up everything that follows.

2. What is the salary threshold for a highly skilled migrant permit in 2026?

In 2026 the minimum gross monthly salary is 5,942 euros for applicants aged thirty and above and 4,357 euros for those under thirty, excluding the eight per cent holiday allowance. A reduced threshold of 3,122 euros applies to recent graduates in the Netherlands. Thresholds are indexed annually.

3. Is the thirty per cent ruling still available in 2026?

Yes. The expat facility remains at thirty per cent through 2026 and reduces to twenty-seven per cent for new rulings from January 2027. A minimum taxable salary of 48,013 euros applies in 2026, with a reduced figure for those under thirty holding a qualifying master’s degree.

4. Why is finding housing in the Netherlands so difficult?

Supply is tight in Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam, The Hague and Eindhoven, and good properties are let within days. Prepare income evidence, an employment contract and a deposit in advance, and confirm before signing that the address permits municipal registration, since a property you cannot register at blocks every later step.