Expat Investing Netherlands 2026: Platforms, ETFs, Box 3

Can expats actually invest in the Netherlands?

What you need:

• the right to live in the Netherlands: EU/EEA and Swiss citizens need no permit, others need a valid residence permit (any type);
• a registered Dutch address (in the BRP, the municipality register);
• a bank account in your own name in the SEPA area;
• a BSN (citizen service number).

With those four, you can open an investment account with a platform available in the Netherlands, subject to each platform’s own conditions (DEGIRO, for example, does not accept US persons). Sign-up is online or in an app.

If you’re still sorting out your first bank account, see our guide on best banking options for expats in the Netherlands. You’ll need that before you can open an investment account.

The investment platforms

1. DEGIRO: order fees per transaction

Costs and range, from DEGIRO’s Dutch fee schedule (Tarievenoverzicht at degiro.nl/tarieven, rates from 1 January 2026; checked 29 September 2026). DEGIRO’s fees can vary depending on the account culture, that is the country your account is held in, so the fee schedule for your own account’s country is the one that applies:

• ETF Kernselectie. Access to the full range of ETFs, ETCs and ETNs on the Tradegate exchange, more than 1,000 products, for €0 commission and a €1 handling fee per transaction. Currency or external product and spread costs may apply.
• Other exchanges. ETFs on other exchanges, and shares on Euronext Amsterdam, cost €2 commission plus €1 handling per transaction. For exchanges outside Euronext Amsterdam and Brussels, an exchange connectivity fee of €2.50 per exchange per calendar year may apply (not for the ETF Kernselectie). Currency or external product and spread costs may apply.
• Range. A broad range of instruments, including ETFs, shares and bonds on international exchanges.
• Deposits. Dutch accounts can deposit via iDEAL as well as by bank transfer.

The limitations:

• No interest on uninvested money at the moment. DEGIRO points out that overnight-interest ETFs exist to park uninvested money; these are investments with transaction fees and risk of loss.
• Support is by phone on weekdays from 08:00 to 22:00 and by email 24/7 (DEGIRO website, checked September 2026). DEGIRO says email support can sometimes be slow, although it has improved; there is no in-app chat.

DEGIRO is an execution-only broker and does not provide investment advice. Investing involves risk of loss.

flatexDEGIRO Bank Dutch Branch, trading under the name DEGIRO, is the Dutch branch of flatexDEGIRO Bank SE. flatexDEGIRO Bank SE is primarily supervised by the German financial regulator (BaFin). In the Netherlands, flatexDEGIRO Bank Dutch Branch is registered with DNB and supervised by AFM and DNB.

2. Meesman: no orders to place, different cost model

Meesman is a Dutch investment fund provider rather than a broker. You invest directly in Meesman’s own index funds. You set up a monthly contribution and Meesman invests it; you don’t choose individual ETFs.

Meesman charges yearly fund costs of 0.4% on its world equity fund (0.35% to 0.5% on its other funds) plus 0.2% transaction costs on each purchase and sale, with no transaction costs on the Rentefonds or above €500,000 invested (meesman.nl, checked 25 September 2026). Whether that works out more or less expensive than a broker depends on your portfolio size and how often you buy; our Meesman vs DEGIRO comparison works through examples.

3. Trade Republic: fractional amounts

Trade Republic is a German platform that has grown in the Netherlands. Its main draw is fractional shares: you can invest small fixed amounts in ETFs and shares, which helps if you’re starting small.

Trade Republic pays interest on uninvested cash at a variable rate; DEGIRO does not. Its cost model uses a flat fee per order, with savings plans for regular investments. We did not verify its current rates for this update, so check its own pricing page. For a side-by-side view, read our DEGIRO vs Trade Republic comparison; which fits depends on your investment size and frequency.

4. eToro: built around stock picking and copy trading

eToro is easy to use but built more around stock picking and copy trading than a simple fund strategy. What you save in commission you may pay in spreads, and currency conversion costs apply if you fund in euros and buy dollar-denominated assets.

5. Interactive Brokers: many markets and currencies

Interactive Brokers is used by investors with larger portfolios and by anyone who needs US-listed ETFs, which is particularly relevant for American expats dealing with PFIC rules. It offers a very wide range of markets and instruments and multi-currency accounts. The main interface is complex, though there are simpler web and app versions.

For the full comparison, see our ETF platforms for expats in the Netherlands article.

How ETFs differ: what to look at before you choose

Which ETF you buy is your own decision and depends on your goals, horizon and risk tolerance. We don’t recommend specific funds. The examples below only illustrate how ETFs differ. This is not investment advice.

Costs. Each ETF has an annual ongoing charge, deducted inside the fund and listed in its key information document. Check the current figure with the provider.

Accumulating or distributing. Vanguard’s FTSE All-World ETF, for example, comes as VWRL (distributing: dividends are paid to your account) and VWCE (accumulating: dividends are reinvested inside the fund).

What the index covers. The iShares Core MSCI World ETF (ticker IWDA on Euronext Amsterdam, SWDA on the London Stock Exchange) covers developed markets only. The iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets IMI ETF (EMIM) covers emerging markets. A global index covers both in one fund.

Domicile. These funds are UCITS ETFs domiciled in Ireland. Domicile affects how withholding tax on the fund’s dividends is handled, and US persons face PFIC rules on non-US funds.

Exchange and currency. The same fund can be listed on several exchanges and in several currencies. That affects your order costs, the spread and whether currency conversion is needed. Currency fluctuations can impact your returns.

How Box 3 taxes investments in 2026

The Netherlands does not tax your investment gains or dividends as such. It taxes a deemed return on your net assets.

Every year, on 1 January, the Belastingdienst (Dutch tax authority) looks at your total net assets: savings accounts, investment portfolios, second properties, crypto holdings, minus debts. This is your Box 3 base.

The tax-free allowance in 2026 is €59,357 per person (€118,714 for fiscal partners, i.e. registered couples). If your total net assets are below that threshold, you pay no Box 3 tax on your investments.

If you’re above the threshold, a deemed (fictional) return is applied to the excess. For 2026, the deemed return rate for investments is 6.00% (for bank balances it is 1.28%, provisional). That fictional return is then taxed at 36%.

So: if you hold €80,000 in investments and nothing else in Box 3 (€20,643 above the allowance), the deemed return is about €1,239 (6.00% × €20,643), and you’d pay 36% of that, roughly €446 in Box 3 tax for the year, regardless of whether your portfolio actually returned 6.00%.

This means:

• If your total net assets stay below €59,357, you pay no Box 3 tax
• The tax applies to the snapshot on 1 January, not to profits realised during the year
• You must declare all assets, Dutch and foreign

Tax treatment depends on your individual circumstances and may change. Please consult a tax adviser.

A note on the ongoing Box 3 legal situation

Following rulings by the Dutch Supreme Court, taxpayers whose actual return was lower than the deemed return can show this and be taxed on the actual return (the counter-evidence rule). That requires complete statements for the whole year. A bill to tax actual returns, the Wet werkelijk rendement box 3, targets 1 January 2028, but the Eerste Kamer postponed its vote on 30 June 2026 and the bill is on hold (status 24 September 2026). The deemed-return system applies for 2026 and, under the Belastingplan 2027 as presented on 15 September 2026, also for 2027.

The 30% ruling and investments: a common misconception

Many expats with the 30% ruling assume it exempts them from Dutch investment taxes. It doesn’t.

The 30% ruling lets your employer pay up to 30% of your salary tax-free, which lowers your Box 1 income tax. It has no direct effect on Box 3.

There used to be an option called partial non-residency (partieel buitenlandse belastingplicht / keuzerecht), which treated you as a non-resident for Box 2 and Box 3. Under that status Box 3 only covered Dutch real estate and a few related rights, so savings and investments, including those at a Dutch platform, fell outside it. It was abolished per 1 January 2025. Only expats who were already using the ruling before 2024 may still elect it, up to and including 2026 (Belastingdienst, checked 25 September 2026).

For more detail on recent changes to the ruling, see our 30% ruling guide.

Personal investing vs. your employer pension

When you work in the Netherlands, your employer usually contributes to a pension fund (pillar 2). This is separate from your personal investments and is generally not something you control directly: your employer chooses the fund and contributions are made automatically.

If you might leave the Netherlands, it gets more complicated: pension built up in Dutch pension funds is often not easily transferred when you move countries. You can usually claim it at retirement age wherever you live, but the rules vary by fund.

For what happens to Dutch pension arrangements when you relocate, see our article on Dutch pension transfer for expats.

How to open a DEGIRO account: step by step

1. Download the DEGIRO app. DEGIRO says registration can only be completed in the app, so you need a smartphone.

2. Enter your email address and choose a password.

3. Personal details. Full name, date of birth, current address, phone number, occupation and your geo-location.

4. Tax identification number. For Dutch tax residents this is your BSN.

5. Identity verification. Take a photo of your passport or EU ID card and a selfie with your phone camera.

6. Bank account linking. Link a bank account in your own name in the SEPA area. DEGIRO only allows deposits from and withdrawals to verified bank accounts.

7. Account profile. DEGIRO offers Basic, Active, Trader and Day Trader profiles. According to DEGIRO’s help centre, you complete a few short knowledge tests when you switch to an Active or Trader profile. Some products or profiles may require an appropriateness test and sufficient knowledge and experience. The old Custody account is no longer offered to new clients.

8. Deposit funds. With a Dutch account you can deposit via iDEAL or bank transfer. There’s no minimum deposit. Transaction fees, handling fees and currency, connectivity or external product and spread costs may apply; see DEGIRO’s fee schedule.

Securities lending at DEGIRO is always opt-in. If you choose to take part: investing involves risk of loss, and borrowers may not act in your interest.

Funding your investment account: moving money in efficiently

If your salary or savings are in another currency, banks’ exchange-rate markups on conversion can add a noticeable cost, especially if you convert every month.

If you’re converting large amounts, compare the total cost (including any Wise fees) against your bank’s rate before you transfer.

Common mistakes

Mistake 1: leaving home-country investments untouched

If you have investments in your home country, check your country’s tax treaty with the Netherlands. In many cases the treaty prevents double taxation, but you do have to declare everything. Tax treatment depends on your individual circumstances and may change. Please consult a tax adviser.

Mistake 2: buying US-listed ETFs without checking the consequences

EU retail investors generally cannot buy US-listed ETFs because those funds do not publish the EU key information document required under PRIIPs rules. American expats face the opposite problem: non-US funds count as PFICs. Know which group you are in before you pick a platform.

Mistake 3: not thinking about dividend withholding tax

Dividends paid by companies are often subject to withholding tax in the source country, and for ETFs part of this is handled at fund level. How this works depends on the fund’s domicile and on whether it distributes or accumulates dividends. Check the fund documents for the details.

Mistake 4: reacting to every price move

Prices of investments go up and down, sometimes sharply. Buying and selling in response to short-term moves adds order costs and spreads each time, and can mean selling at a loss.

Crypto: a brief note

If you hold crypto, it’s also subject to Box 3 wealth tax in the Netherlands. The Belastingdienst requires you to declare the value of your crypto holdings as of 1 January each year, using the value on that date. Crypto assets are highly volatile. The value can fluctuate significantly, and there is a risk of losing the entire invested capital.

The rules here are evolving; see our crypto tax guide for expats in the Netherlands for the current state of play.

Supervision

Before you deposit money anywhere, check that the platform appears in the register of the supervisor. The AFM (Authority for the Financial Markets) publishes registers of firms allowed to provide investment services in the Netherlands.

Deposit guarantee and investor compensation schemes each have their own limits and conditions, and which scheme applies depends on the institution and the country where it is licensed. Check the details with the platform and the relevant supervisor rather than relying on general statements.

For DEGIRO: flatexDEGIRO Bank Dutch Branch, trading under the name DEGIRO, is the Dutch branch of flatexDEGIRO Bank SE. flatexDEGIRO Bank SE is primarily supervised by the German financial regulator (BaFin). In the Netherlands, flatexDEGIRO Bank Dutch Branch is registered with DNB and supervised by AFM and DNB. Supervision does not remove investment risk.

A checklist before you start

1. Check which platform fits your amounts and habits, for example DEGIRO, Meesman, Trade Republic or Interactive Brokers, and read their current fee schedules.
2. Decide how much you can set aside each month without touching your emergency buffer.
3. Read the key information document of any product before you buy it: costs, index, accumulating or distributing, domicile.
4. Keep track of your order costs, spreads and currency costs.
5. Declare your holdings in Box 3 each year (snapshot: 1 January).

If you’re an American expat with PFIC concerns, look at platforms that accept US persons, such as Interactive Brokers, and speak to a tax adviser first. This is not investment advice. Investing involves risk of loss.

If you’re using foreign income to fund your investments, compare the conversion cost of your bank with Wise before each transfer.