Moving abroad?

Tell your local council what country you are moving to (i.e. your new country of residence) and give them a forwarding address . Make sure you do this within the last five days (not sooner) before your departure. The local council will then proceed to cancel your registration at your old address. Your change of address will automatically be passed on to other government bodies, such as the Social Insurance Bank (SVB) and the Dutch tax authorities. You will receive proof of cancellation of your registration right away. Hang on to this document, as you will need to show it when registering with the authorities in your new country of residence. If you don’t know your new address yet, leave a temporary postal address and possibly the name of a contact person. You can then submit your new address online later.

The DigiD , a digital proof of ID for all residents of the Netherlands, lets you log into Dutch government websites. If you do not have a DigiD yet, request one. Authorities abroad may require that you submit Dutch documents, such as a marriage certificate. Given that Dutch documents do not automatically have legal effect abroad, you can get them legalised. This also applies to diplomas obtained in the Netherlands. Contact DUO to get your diplomas legalised for use abroad. link

If you are planning on taking your car with you on your move abroad, you must register your car and get local number plates in your new country of residence. Don’t forget to notify the Netherlands Vehicle Authority ( RDW ) so that they can cancel your car’s registration in the Netherlands. Only then will you cease to be liable for the car and no longer pay road tax for it in the Netherlands.

Most EU countries do not require that you declare your personal effects. If you are moving to a country that does, simply fill in an inventory list. If your pets are moving with you, check the rules first and make sure they are up to date on all their vaccinations. Cancel your memberships and subscriptions, as well as your energy, internet and phone contracts. When selling your home, get an estate agent involved on time. If you live in a rented house or flat, terminate your lease and get your deposit back.

While living or working in the Netherlands, you generally build up entitlement to a pension under the General Old Age Pension Act (AOW). This is the basic state pension. Your AOW pension age depends on your date of birth. Your AOW pension will start on the day you reach your AOW pension age.  Check with the SVB . To get a full state pension (100%), you need to have lived in the Netherlands in the 50 years before your AOW pension commences. The AOW will be cut by 2% for every year you miss. For example, if your AOW age is 66, the accrual of your AOW starts at 16 years. This is regardless of your nationality; all that matters is that you live in the Netherlands. When you move abroad, your state pension will be cut by 2% for every year that you are not insured.

If you have built up a private pension in the Netherlands, ask your pension insurer about the arrangements you need to make. Also ask about pension options in your new country of residence, as pension schemes differ from country to country.

If you no longer live and work in the Netherlands, you cannot have Dutch health insurance either, so be sure to let your health insurer know 2 months in advance that you are moving abroad. Take out new health insurance for you and your family in the country where you will be living. This may be different when emigrating to a , in which case the health insurer will settle medical bills incurred in your country of residence with the Netherlands.

When you are no longer registered in the Netherlands and have taken up abroad, you are liable to pay taxes there. There are exceptions to this rule, depending on your personal situation and arrangements between the Netherlands and your new country of residence. If, for example, you still have income from or property in the Netherlands, you will still have to file tax returns in the Netherlands. Ask the authorities in your new country of residence about the rules. Your tax return for the year in which you emigrate can be filed only using an M tax form , i.e. not online.

As a bank, we are required by law to disclose your details to the Dutch tax authorities . If your new country of residence has joined the , the Dutch tax authorities will forward your details to the tax authorities in your new country of residence. If you do not want that to happen, you will have to close your Dutch bank account.

When you move abroad, you might want to close your account or we may ask you to terminate the banking products you have with us. Please contact us for details.

The information on this page is a brief explanation. No rights can be derived from this information.