Moving to the Netherlands in 2026: what you must pay, what varies, and when cash is due

Treat this as a cash-flow plan, not one national price list. An official fee can be fixed but apply only to one route. A deposit is money you must have now but may receive back later. Flights, shipping, translations and furniture are market prices, so use written quotes rather than an unsupported average. This guide was checked in August 2026 and gives general planning information, not personal financial advice. For the recurring budget after arrival, use the cost of living guide.

Start on the IND fees page (Immigration and Naturalisation Service). The table gives common 2026 examples, not every route or exception. “Who pays the IND” and “who ultimately bears the cost” can also differ, so ask an employer or educational institution what it will charge you before you accept its budget.

IND fees change every 1 January. Lower or zero rates exist for some children, treaty cases and humanitarian or asylum routes, so the live fees page controls. On a combined TEV application (entry and residence), there is no second, separate MVV-only fee. An income requirement is an eligibility test, not a fee to add to the moving total. Use the permit overview or the MVV and family guide to identify the correct route first.

Students have a separate cash-flow issue. The €254 is only the application fee. In 2026, the study norm is €1,130.77 a month for higher professional education (HBO) or university and €928.58 for secondary or senior secondary vocational education (MBO). The IND requires proof for 12 months: €13,569.24 or €11,142.96, excluding tuition. The study-income rules allow several forms of proof, including money in your own account or a deposit with the institution. This is living money, not an IND fee. Ask the institution exactly how much it wants transferred, when, and how it releases or returns the money.

The basisexamen inburgering buitenland (Civic Integration Exam Abroad) is not a standard charge for every family move. The IND exemption list includes age, nationality, residence-purpose and diploma exemptions. If the IND says you must take it, the official Naar Nederland fee page lists €150 for the complete exam or €50 for one part or a one-part resit. Register and pay through DUO, then book the examination location. Do not add €150 until you have checked the requirement; the exam preparation guide explains the route and the three A1-level parts.

There is no Dutch nationwide price for this line. First ask the IND, municipality or institution which original documents it needs. The IND accepts documents in Dutch, English, French or German; other languages normally need a sworn translation. Legalisation or an apostille depends on the issuing country and document type. Use the IND translation rules and then select the issuing country on NetherlandsWorldwide. List the issuing fee, apostille or legalisation, translation, certified copies and secure postage separately. The €131 Consular Service Centre mediation example is not a general newcomer fee: that service is limited mainly to Dutch nationals and certain countries. The documents guide helps you avoid ordering the wrong version.

No Dutch authority sets a moving-company or airline price. Do not publish or rely on one commercial “average.” Get at least two like-for-like written quotes and record the validity date, payment schedule and cancellation terms. A low headline price is not comparable if it excludes bags, collection, customs handling, storage, insurance or VAT.

If household goods come from outside the EU, the Dutch Tax Administration says you usually do not pay tax on household effects when moving, but the relief has conditions and a customs declaration may still be needed. Ask the mover whether customs paperwork and port or terminal charges are included. Tax relief does not make transport free. Check the route in the pets and household goods guide before accepting a quote.

For a tenancy agreement dated 1 July 2023 or later, the legal deposit cap is two months’ bare rent. Bare rent (kale huur) excludes service costs. A maximum-cash planning formula is therefore three times the bare monthly rent—two months held as a deposit plus the first month’s rent—then add the first service-cost or utility advance. Use the actual contract amounts, not the 2026 social or mid-rent thresholds. The deposit is tied-up cash and should be shown separately from non-refundable costs.

If the landlord hired the letting agent, the agent may not also charge you mediation, contract or administration fees. You pay an agent only when you independently hired it to search for you. The two-month rule caps a deposit; it does not make every demand labelled “rent in advance” safe. Ask for each amount to be named in the written contract, verify the landlord and home, and pay by bank transfer so there is evidence. If a landlord appears to rename an excessive deposit, contact the municipality’s landlord-reporting office before paying. Use the rental guide and rental-scams checks.

If you will live in the Netherlands for more than four months, register in the BRP (Personal Records Database) within five days of arrival and receive a BSN (citizen service number). The national arrival checklist does not list a separate residence-style fee for this step; for example, The Hague lists first registration as free. Check your own municipality because certified extracts or replacement documents can cost extra. Budget the appointment travel and required foreign documents, not an invented national “BSN fee.” The registration guide lists what to bring.

Do not apply the €157 figure to every newcomer automatically. Adults who come to live or work and are insured under the Dutch system generally need basic insurance as soon as possible and within four months of the insurance-obligation date; coverage and premiums can run from that date, such as the first Dutch workday or the permit effective date. The 2026 government average is €157 a month, but each insurer sets its premium. Children under 18 pay no premium. Someone who only studies is normally not automatically insured under the Wlz long-term-care scheme, and cross-border situations also differ; ask the SVB for a Wlz assessment if unsure. The 2026 mandatory deductible is €385 per insured adult, but it is not paid upfront: it applies only when covered care subject to the deductible is used. Never assume healthcare benefit; eligibility depends on income, assets and other conditions. See the health-insurance guide.

This illustration assumes one adult partner, a required basisexamen, €1,100 bare monthly rent, the maximum deposit, a €150 first service-cost and utility advance, and Dutch basic insurance for that adult. Only the IND fee and exam fee are fixed charges. The deposit is derived from the legal cap; the rent and €150 advance are assumptions; €157 is the 2026 national average premium.

The €4,011 excludes document issue and legalisation, translation, travel, shipping, temporary accommodation, furniture and later local taxes. Subtract €150 if the exam does not apply and replace every assumption with the signed contract or policy amount. The deposit may return under the rules in the rental-contract guide, but it must still be available at move-in. Do not substitute €423 or €254 for another route without confirming whether an employer or institution pays it. Student proof of funds is also separate from this family example.

Add only the lines that apply to your household. They have no single national moving price, but leaving them out can create a cash gap after arrival.

• Municipal taxes in your arrival year. After you register at an address, the gemeente (municipality) sends yearly bills, such as afvalstoffenheffing (waste charge) and rioolheffing (sewer charge), and the waterschap (water board) sends its own tax bill. Each municipality sets its own rates every year. At a low income you can ask for kwijtschelding (a waiver); the gemeente then looks at your income and assets. Amounts and the waiver steps are in the municipal taxes guide.
• The driving licence. An EU or EFTA licence can be exchanged for a Dutch one if you meet the requirements. Most other licences cannot, apart from a short list of countries and special cases. You apply at your municipality and pay a fee that differs per municipality, as the RDW (the national vehicle authority) explains. If exchange is not possible, you take the Dutch theory and practical exams instead. The driving licence guide covers both paths and what they cost.
• Furnishing the home. Dutch rentals are let at very different levels of finish. A home listed as kaal (bare) or ongemeubileerd (unfurnished) can come with far less than you expect. Ask the landlord for a written list of what stays: flooring, curtains, lamps, appliances. Everything missing is yours to buy, so budget for it before you sign.
• Pets and household goods. Moving a pet or a container of used belongings has its own rules and costs. The pets and household goods guide covers them, including the customs relief for used household goods.
• Energy and water. Contracts for the new address start at move-in and bill a monthly advance from the first month. The utilities guide covers choosing and setting up the contracts.

Keep three subtotals: non-refundable costs, refundable or held cash, and uncertain quotes. That prevents a refundable deposit or student living-funds deposit from being mistaken for a fee. Recheck every official amount immediately before payment because IND fees change each January and municipal or provider prices follow their own dates.

This guide covers the cash needed around the move, not the full cost of living. Continue with the monthly cost guide, prepare originals with the documents guide, and put registration and insurance in order with the first 90 days checklist.