What it costs to move a family to Netherlands

The IND lists this line as 'Work as a self-employed person (including Dutch-American Friendship Treaty or Dutch-Japanese Trade Treaty)'. The same EUR 423 applies to a first application and to an extension. US citizens are exempt from the provisional residence permit (MVV), so there is no separate consular visa charge (IND, MVV exemptions, checked 2026-08-26). IND fees change every 1 January.

Gross profit per month including holiday allowance. The IND states this amount is valid from 1 July 2026 up to and including 31 December 2026 and must be evident from the business plan. Separately, an applicant relying on the Dutch-American Friendship Treaty must invest substantial capital in the business: the IND requires a minimum of EUR 4,500 for most business forms, and the business must be registered with the Chamber of Commerce and the investment made within 6 months of receiving the permit (IND, Residence permit self-employed person, checked 2026-08-26).

Gross SV salary per month with holiday allowance, valid 1 July 2026 to 31 December 2026. Without holiday allowance the figure is EUR 2,337.00. This is a total for the sponsor, not an amount added per person: the IND table sets the required amount by the sponsor's family situation and lists no separate increment for children. A single parent must show EUR 1,766.77 with holiday allowance.

First application, change in purpose of stay and extension are all EUR 423. The employer must be an IND recognised sponsor.

Gross per month for 2026, excluding holiday allowance. A highly skilled migrant under 30 needs EUR 4,357.00. The reduced salary criterion, which applies after a Dutch orientation year or within 3 years of graduating, is EUR 3,122.00. The European Blue Card criterion is EUR 5,942.00, or EUR 4,754.00 reduced. These amounts change every 1 January.

The Dutch permit fee covers the residence document itself; there is no separate card charge on arrival. A child under 18 joining a parent pays EUR 85. Replacing a lost, stolen or damaged permit costs EUR 171, or EUR 85 for a child under 18.

At extension the IND asks for annual accounts and a balance sheet or income statement to check that the business has been active and that the invested capital stayed in it.

Article 40 of the Wet op het primair onderwijs states that admission to a school may not be made dependent on lawful residence under the Aliens Act, nor on a payment by the parents, and that a child may be registered from the day it turns 3, at least 10 weeks before the requested start date (wetten.overheid.nl, WPO consolidated to 2026-08-01, checked 2026-08-26). Rijksoverheid states that parents pay no tuition for primary school and that the parental contribution is always voluntary (checked 2026-08-26).

These state funded international schools charge a fraction of private international tuition. The Amsterdam International Community School, which states that it is officially recognised by the Dutch Ministry of Education and that the ministry contributes funds, publishes total school fees for 2026-2027 of EUR 6,025 a year for primary Group 1 to 5, EUR 7,178 for secondary MYP1 to MYP4 and EUR 9,168 for the final IB Diploma year, plus a EUR 200 registration fee and a EUR 500 deposit (school's own fee table at https://aics.espritscholen.nl/home/admissions/tuition-and-financial-matters, checked 2026-08-26). Funding of a department ends if it has fewer than 30 pupils on 1 October for 3 consecutive school years.

The British School of Amsterdam publishes 2026-27 annual fees of EUR 20,461 for Reception and Year 1, EUR 21,077 for Years 2 to 6, EUR 22,583 for Years 7 to 9 and EUR 22,976 for Years 10 to 13. The International School of Amsterdam publishes 2026-27 tuition of EUR 27,710 for Grades 1 to 5, EUR 30,880 for Grades 6 to 8, EUR 31,895 for Grades 9 and 10 and EUR 32,755 for Grades 11 and 12 (https://www.isa.nl/fees/, checked 2026-08-26). ISA states on that page that it is not financially subsidised by the Dutch government. Neither figure includes the bus service.

The British School of Amsterdam charges a non-refundable enrolment fee of EUR 750 for a family joining Nursery or Reception and EUR 2,000 for Years 1 to 12, plus a non-refundable EUR 250 application fee due when the application is submitted. A family moving from Reception to Year 1 is invoiced an additional EUR 1,250. The state funded Amsterdam International Community School charges EUR 200 registration and a EUR 500 deposit instead (school's own page, checked 2026-08-26).

The 4 month deadline and the warning that you are uninsured until you sign up are on Rijksoverheid's page for people coming to work in the Netherlands (checked 2026-08-26). The EUR 385 compulsory deductible for 2026 and the exemptions are on Rijksoverheid's eigen risico page (checked 2026-08-26). The IND requirement list is at https://ind.nl/en/requirements-that-apply-to-everyone (checked 2026-08-26); US nationals are on the IND's appendix of nationalities exempt from the TB test.

Rijksoverheid states the average premium people pay their insurer in 2026 is EUR 1,884 a year, an average of EUR 157 a month. This is a government average, not a quote: every insurer sets its own premium and the amount a given family pays will differ. Children under 18 pay no premium. On top of the premium, an income-dependent contribution is collected through the tax system.

Calculated, and the assumption is stated so you can check it. NVM and VGM NL published on 30 July 2026 that Amsterdam is the most expensive rental market in the Netherlands at an average of EUR 25.70 per square metre a month for free-sector lettings. The same report gives the average size of a rented apartment as 88 square metres. EUR 25.70 x 88 = EUR 2,261.60, rounded here to EUR 2,262, and read as a two-bedroom flat. The square metre price is Amsterdam; the size is the national average for a rented apartment in the same report. These are new-letting prices from professional letting agents and property managers, mostly unfurnished, and they exclude service charges and utilities. No government body publishes Dutch rent levels by bedroom count.

Calculated on the same basis. NVM and VGM NL give Amsterdam at EUR 25.70 per square metre a month for free-sector lettings in the second quarter of 2026, and the average size of a rented house as 121 square metres. EUR 25.70 x 121 = EUR 3,109.70, rounded here to EUR 3,110, and read as a three-bedroom home. The square metre price is Amsterdam; the size is the national average for a rented house in the same report. New-letting prices, mostly unfurnished, service charges and utilities excluded.

The deposit may be at most twice the rent. The landlord must refund it within 14 days of the tenancy ending, or within 30 days where there is damage or unpaid rent or service charges, and must give the tenant a full written breakdown of anything deducted. Charging a higher deposit also breaches the Wet goed verhuurderschap, which municipalities enforce.

The United States, and American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, are listed under Article 17(1)(a) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131, so no rabies antibody titration test is required (European Commission, Listing of territories and non-EU countries, checked 2026-08-26). NVWA says preparations can need to start more than 4 months before departure. NVWA publishes no fee for a non-commercial pet arrival; the veterinary and certificate costs are charged by the US vet.

The Ministry of Finance updates this treaty list every quarter. A treaty allocates taxing rights; it does not by itself tell you what you owe.