Moving to the Netherlands from Germany: A Practical Guide
Vathanakone Prakosay · Updated on
In short: Moving to the Netherlands from Germany needs no visa if you are an EU citizen. If you stay longer than four months, you register with your municipality within five days and take out Dutch health insurance within four months. The facts come from Dutch and German authorities as of 25 October 2026.
What do you need for moving to the Netherlands from Germany?
If you hold a German passport or ID card, you need no visa and no residence permit. The Dutch immigration service IND says EU, EEA and Swiss citizens do not need to register with it (IND, as of 10 July 2026). If you stay longer than four months, you register with your municipality and take out Dutch health insurance.
This guide follows the steps from the border to your first tax letter. Where a source page has no date, the text says "retrieved 25 October 2026".
Which documents let you enter the Netherlands?
The German Federal Foreign Office lists passport, provisional passport, ID card, provisional ID card and child passport (as of 25 October 2026). An expired document is still accepted for up to one year, except the provisional ID card, which must be valid.
Border controls take place on the land border between Germany and the Netherlands. Children need ID too. An ID card is not enough for the Caribbean territories, where you need a passport; Aruba and Curaçao also require a digital entry card. This does not apply to the European mainland.
How long can you stay without conditions?
For up to three months, a valid passport or ID card is enough (IND, as of 10 July 2026). EU law adds that a country may not ask for a residence document during these first three months. After that, it may ask you to register. A missed registration can lead to a fine, but not to expulsion on that ground alone (Your Europe, checked 1 July 2026).
What changes after three months?
Conditions depend on your situation, and the table shows them.
| Situation | Condition |
|---|---|
| You work | Real work: income of at least 50 percent of the social assistance norm, or at least 40 percent of a normal full-time week |
| You do not work | Income at least equal to the Dutch minimum wage including holiday pay |
| You study | Enrolment, Dutch health insurance and enough means |
| You look for work | Register with the UWV in the first six months; after six months, show good prospects of work |
Dutch government pages confirm that EU citizens need no residence permit and do not report to the IND (Government.nl, retrieved 25 October 2026). The IND names one exception: if you lived in the Netherlands lawfully before and the IND ended that stay, you report to it.
Do you need a work permit?
No. The IND states: "Your employer does not need a work permit." (as of 10 July 2026).
When and where do you register?
If you stay longer than four months, you register as a resident in the personal records database (BRP) at your municipality. The deadline is five days after arrival: "You must register within 5 days of arriving in the Netherlands." (Government.nl, retrieved 25 October 2026). Your partner and children go with you if they move too. You receive your citizen service number (BSN) at registration.
For stays under four months, you can enter the non-residents register (RNI) with your foreign address, which also gives you a BSN. According to the Tax Administration, the BSN application goes to a municipality with an RNI desk. It follows that not every municipality offers one. After registering, you can apply for DigiD at digid.nl. Registering with a general practitioner is advised, not required.
How does health insurance work?
Everyone who lives or works in the Netherlands must take out standard health insurance (Government.nl, retrieved 25 October 2026). You buy it from a Dutch insurer, and the basic package covers the GP and the hospital, among other things. The IND and the Rijksoverheid give four months from arrival, or from the start of work, for taking it out.
If you wait longer, you are uninsured until you sign and you pay your own bills. The premium starts on the day of signing. Your own-risk amount is 385 euros in 2026 (Zorginstituut Nederland). Insurers must accept you for the basic package, but not for additional cover. You switch insurers with effect from 1 January.
The collection agency CAK writes to uninsured residents and sets a three-month deadline. After two fines, it registers you and withholds twelve months of premium from your income at 110 percent of the average premium (Rijksoverheid, retrieved 25 October 2026). For the opposite direction, see health insurance when moving to Germany.
What is the 30 percent facility?
Your employer may pay up to 30 percent of your pay tax-free. It may, not must: "Your employer is not obliged to pay 30% of your salary to you untaxed." (Tax Administration, 2026 values). In 2026 the threshold is 48,013 euros, counted without the tax-free allowance. For people under 30 with a Dutch academic master's degree or an equivalent foreign title, it is 36,497 euros.
The maximum untaxed allowance in 2026 is 78,600 euros, which applies from a yearly pay of 262,000 euros. A decision is valid for up to five years, and the Tax Administration replies within eight weeks. You must have lived more than 150 kilometres (straight line) from the Dutch border for more than 16 of the last 24 months before your first working day. Living in Belgium, Luxembourg, parts of Germany, France or the United Kingdom rules this out.
Do you have to recognise your qualifications?
Only for regulated professions. For those, you apply for recognition at the competent authority (Government.nl, 9 June 2022; the page is older, so treat it as a pointer). You can check whether your profession is regulated in the EU database; choose the Netherlands. A profession missing from the list is probably not regulated (Nuffic, retrieved 25 October 2026).
The European Professional Card exists for pharmacists, physiotherapists and nurses. For non-regulated professions, you may work without recognition. A formal diploma evaluation costs money, and the source gives no amount.
What happens to your German pension?
If you move to an EU country, the German pension insurance (DRV) pays your pension in most cases at the same amount. In its words, "in den allermeisten Fällen" nothing changes (DRV, retrieved 25 October 2026). Report the move at least two months before to the Renten Service of Deutsche Post. Pensioners with a pension from another EU state and no pension or income in their country of residence can request an S1 form (Your Europe, checked 19 August 2026).
The sources checked here give no statement on taxation of pensions between Germany and the Netherlands.
What should you know about renting?
Landlords are supposed to sign written contracts only since 1 July 2023, though oral contracts stay valid. For contracts from 1 July 2023, the deposit is at most two months of basic rent without utilities (Rijksoverheid, retrieved 10 Nov 2026). Fixed-term contracts of up to two years end automatically. For social rent in 2026, the starting rent is below 932.93 euros; the free sector starts above 1,228.07 euros (Government.nl, 2026 values).
Rent increases are capped until 1 May 2029 at inflation plus 1 percent, and the cap is 4.4 percent for 2026. The sources give no verified information on buying a home.
What do you need to bring?
Ask your municipality for its current list of documents; it publishes the requirements for registration. You will need a valid passport or ID card for each person. For more than three months you also show proof of work, income or enrolment, and you need a Dutch health insurance within four months. The page registering in the BRP gives an overview.
- Valid passport or ID card for you and every family member.
- Proof of work, income or enrolment if you stay over three months.
- Dutch health insurance within four months of arrival.
Where do you go next?
Compare other destinations in the Countries overview. If you also want to know the rules for the opposite direction, read moving to Germany and registering your address in Germany.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a visa to move from Germany to the Netherlands?
No, not as an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen. The IND says you do not need to register with it (as of 10 July 2026).
When must I register in the Netherlands?
If you stay longer than four months, within five days of arrival at your municipality (Government.nl, retrieved 25 October 2026). You get your BSN then.
Is Dutch health insurance compulsory?
Yes, for everyone who lives or works in the Netherlands. The IND and the Rijksoverheid name four months from arrival.
Do I need a work permit?
No. The IND says your employer does not need one for EU citizens.
Will my German pension be paid in the Netherlands?
In most cases at the same amount (DRV, retrieved 25 October 2026). Report the move at least two months before.
Sources
- IND: Staying in the Netherlands as an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, 2026 (As of: 10 Jul 2026)
- Government.nl: As an EU citizen, how can I stay in the Netherlands for longer than three months?, 2026 (As of: retrieved 25 Oct 2026)
- Your Europe: Registering your residence, 2026 (As of: checked 1 Jul 2026)
- Auswärtiges Amt: Niederlande, Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise, 2026 (As of: retrieved 25 Oct 2026)
- Government.nl: When should I register with the Personal Records Database as a resident?, 2026 (As of: retrieved 25 Oct 2026)
- Government.nl: What do I need to arrange if I'm moving to the Netherlands?, 2026 (As of: retrieved 25 Oct 2026)
- Belastingdienst: What is a citizen service number?, 2026 (As of: retrieved 25 Oct 2026)
- Government.nl: Health insurance, 2026 (As of: retrieved 25 Oct 2026)
- Rijksoverheid: Moet ik een zorgverzekering afsluiten als ik in Nederland ga werken?, 2026 (As of: retrieved 25 Oct 2026)
- Zorginstituut Nederland: Zvw algemeen, hoe werkt de Zorgverzekeringswet, 2026 (As of: retrieved 25 Oct 2026)
- Rijksoverheid: Wat gebeurt er als ik niet verzekerd ben voor de zorgverzekering?, 2026 (As of: retrieved 25 Oct 2026)
- Belastingdienst: Coming to work in the Netherlands, 30% facility, 2026 (As of: 2026 values, retrieved 25 Oct 2026)
- Government.nl: Applying for recognition of EU citizens' professional qualifications for regulated professions, 2022 (As of: 9 Jun 2022)
- Nuffic: Working in the Netherlands with a foreign diploma, 2026 (As of: retrieved 25 Oct 2026)
- Deutsche Rentenversicherung: Rente im Ausland, Umzug, 2026 (As of: undated, retrieved 25 Oct 2026)
- Government.nl: Rented housing, 2026 (As of: 2026 values, retrieved 25 Oct 2026)
- Rijksoverheid: Mag mijn verhuurder een waarborgsom vragen?, 2026 (As of: undated, retrieved 10 Nov 2026)
General information, not legal advice. Rules change: check the linked official pages before you act.
Author: Vathanakone Prakosay · Updated on October 25, 2026
