How to send money to the Netherlands in 2026: euros in 10 seconds with a recipient name check

In 2026 money is sent to the Netherlands (Holland) in euros to your own Dutch account: instantly from EU countries and in 1-3 business days from other countries. The account is opened after municipal registration and a citizen service number, and a resident's savings are taxed at 36% on deemed income above $67,000 per person.

Money can now be sent to the Netherlands by an ordinary euro transfer to an 18-character Dutch account: from an EU country an instant transfer arrives in 10 seconds around the clock, and from other countries an international transfer takes 1-3 business days. You start with registration at the municipality: it gives you a citizen service number, and with it a bank opens an account through its app in a few days. Large sums are most often sent for a home deposit and for living costs after a work move, and on 1 January each year a resident's savings fall under the tax on deemed income.

Dollar sums are converted at the European Central Bank rate for 7 October 2026, 1.1177 dollars per euro, and rounded up; we checked the table of routes on 8 October 2026.

Municipal registration is the key to a transfer to a Dutch account

Anyone who comes to the Netherlands (Holland) for more than 4 months registers at an address with the municipality within 5 days and receives a citizen service number. With it you sign a lease, receive a salary and insurance and open an account: the application is filed in the bank's app with a photo of the passport, and the card and online banking arrive a few days after approval. The bank will ask about income, the source of the money and tax residence.

Those who do not live in the country receive a number through non-resident registration at municipalities with a special desk. With this number the bank reviews the application, and a non-resident account is opened when the person has a clear link with the Netherlands: work, study or buying a home.

Deposits at Dutch banks are insured up to $120,000 (100,000 euros) per depositor at one bank. There are no state fees for an account, and the bank charges a monthly fee for a package.

Moving for work and wondering where to send money before registration? A manager will suggest how best to send it in the first weeks.

An 18-character account number and the recipient name check

A Dutch account number is in international format and has 18 characters: the country code, 2 check digits, a 4-letter bank code and a 10-digit account number. Since 9 October 2025 EU banks check the recipient's name against the number before a euro transfer and show the result: a match, a close match or no match. Dutch banks checked the name against the number even before the common EU rule, so landlords and employers are used to it: the name is written exactly as at the bank, without abbreviations.

EU banks carry out instant euro transfers around the clock and for no more than an ordinary transfer, so a flat deposit or the first month's rent from another EU country arrives in seconds. A transfer from a non-EU country goes through a correspondent bank, and the Dutch bank checks the details on crediting.

A home deposit: 2% or 8% transfer tax and the notary's account

A foreigner buys a home in the Netherlands without separate permits, and the main cost on top of the price is the transfer tax. It is 2% if you live in the flat yourself, 0% on a first purchase for yourself at the age of 18-35 within the annual threshold, and 8% for letting or as a second home, from 2026 instead of 10.4%. The buyer sends the money to a special notary account, and the notary checks its source before the deal.

Mortgages are given to non-residents on stricter terms, so the deposit and documents on its source are prepared in advance, and a financing condition is written into the preliminary contract. How to choose a flat and complete the deal is covered in the article on buying a flat in the Netherlands, and properties for investment are in our catalogue.

Need to get the deposit in by the notary date? We will suggest how best to send the sum so that the notary accepts it the first time.

Salary and the 30% ruling for skilled migrants

Most people moving to the Netherlands receive money not by transfer from abroad but as salary to a Dutch account. For a specialist hired from abroad, the employer pays up to 30% of pay tax-free as compensation for relocation costs, for up to 5 years, if for 16 of the 24 months before starting work they lived more than 150 km from the Dutch border. In 2026 the ruling applies with a taxable salary from $54,000 a year. The application is filed together with the employer within 4 months of starting work, and then the ruling applies from the first month. From 1 January 2027 the rate for rulings granted since 2024 is 27%.

So the first months are covered by a transfer of savings, and then expenses come from salary, and a large transfer from abroad is needed for a home or capital.

The savings tax: what a transfer of capital to the Netherlands changes

A resident of the Netherlands pays tax not on the real income from savings but on deemed income. On 1 January each year the tax office takes deposits, shares and other assets, assigns a deemed income, in 2026 1.28% for deposits and 6% for other investments, and taxes it at 36%. The tax-free allowance is about $67,000 per person. Capital sent into the country and capital left abroad are counted the same way: a resident declares assets worldwide.

An example: $560,000 in shares and $120,000 on deposit give a deemed income of about $35,000; after the tax-free allowance about $32,000 is taxed, and the tax is about $12,000 a year, 1.7% of the capital. So a large sum is arranged before the move with the 1 January date and the type of investment in mind. Details are on the taxes in the Netherlands page.

Up to 10,000 euros, up to 100,000 and more: what a Dutch bank asks

• Up to $12,000 (10,000 euros): rent, a deposit, expenses. The bank checks the recipient's name and the purpose; for an instant transfer within the EU this is enough.
• $12,000-120,000: savings for living costs, a home deposit. With the first large receipt the bank asks about the source: statements, an income certificate or a property sale contract will do.
• From $120,000 (100,000 euros): capital and buying a home. This is above the deposit guarantee at one bank, so the sum is held at two banks or in investments, and the notary and the bank will ask for a full package on the source of funds.

If a bank along the way holds up a euro payment, there are usually more options than it seems: tell a manager about your situation. How to move capital as a whole is covered in the capital relocation section and in the article on sending a large sum abroad.

From the Netherlands to Germany, Spain and back

From an account in the Netherlands money moves around the EU in euros without exchange: to Germany, to Spain and to Poland, by instant transfer or within one business day. A Dutch salary and account history also help with renting in neighbouring countries.

Sending money to neighbouring countries

• Germany: an instant euro transfer
• United Kingdom: an account with a British address
• Luxembourg: a large sum and a home
• Czech Republic: koruna or euros to your own account
• Belgium: a short account number and a deposit to the notary
• Denmark: the krone next to the euro and an account for payouts

All destinations for moving capital, by region, are in the capital relocation section.

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