How to Send Money Home from the Netherlands in 2026

If you send money outside the euro zone every month, the gap between a Dutch bank transfer and a specialist such as Wise adds up. On €1,000 to a US account, ABN AMRO’s published tariffs come to about €17.50 before any intermediary deductions, while Wise says it charges the mid-market rate plus a small upfront fee, which you can check in its calculator for your corridor.

If you’re sending money home from the Netherlands regularly and you’re not using a specialist transfer service, this article is for you. This article covers how the main options work, where the hidden costs are.

For a broader look at digital banking options in the Netherlands, see our guide to the best banking options for expats in the Netherlands.

What Is SEPA and When Should You Use It?

SEPA stands for Single Euro Payments Area. It’s a payment integration initiative that makes euro-denominated bank transfers across participating countries as fast and cheap as domestic ones.

The SEPA zone covers (see the European Payments Council’s list for the full set, which also includes some smaller countries):

• All 27 EU member states
• Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein (the EEA countries outside the EU)
• Switzerland
• The United Kingdom — yes, even after Brexit, the UK remains part of SEPA

That last one surprises people. Despite Brexit, UK banks still participate in SEPA, which means sending euros from your Dutch ING or ABN AMRO account to a euro-denominated UK account is still a SEPA transfer — fast, free, and straightforward.

SEPA transfers use the standard IBAN and BIC (SWIFT code) format. Your Dutch bank account has an IBAN that starts with NL. Your recipient’s account in France, Germany, Spain, or the UK will have its own country-specific IBAN. You enter those details, confirm, and the money typically arrives quickly; check your bank’s cut-off times.

When to use SEPA:

• Sending euros to a family member in France, Germany, Belgium, or another eurozone country — free and fast
• Sending euros to a recipient in Switzerland or Norway (they hold EUR accounts)
• Sending from your Dutch account to a UK account that holds euros (many UK expats keep a euro account at Starling or Monzo)

The limitation of SEPA: it only works in euros. If you want to send money to a UK recipient’s GBP account, or to anyone in a non-SEPA country (USA, India, Philippines, Nigeria — anywhere outside the zone), you’re outside SEPA territory and you need a different approach.

Most Dutch banks — ING, ABN AMRO, Rabobank — offer SEPA transfers for free or a very small flat fee (often zero). Check your bank’s fee schedule, but within the SEPA zone the cost is usually zero or small.

What Is SWIFT and Why Is It So Expensive?

SWIFT is a messaging network — it stands for Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication. It’s not a transfer system itself. It’s the system banks use to send each other messages about transfers. When your Dutch bank sends money to a recipient in the Philippines, it doesn’t send euros directly to that Filipino bank. Instead, it sends a SWIFT message through a chain of correspondent banks, each of which has accounts with each other and moves money along the chain.

That chain is where the costs come from.

Each correspondent bank in the chain can deduct a fee. If your Dutch bank sends via SWIFT and the message passes through two correspondent banks before reaching the destination bank, each of those banks may take a small cut. Your recipient can therefore receive less than you sent, and the deductions are not itemised in your bank’s tariff.

On top of correspondent bank fees, Dutch banks apply their own foreign exchange margin. When ABN AMRO converts your euros to US dollars or Indian rupees, they don’t use the mid-market rate. They use a buying or selling rate with a markup. ABN AMRO publishes its markup: 0.85% for USD, GBP and other major currencies, and 0.95% for currencies such as INR, PHP, MAD and TRY (abnamro.nl, checked 24 September 2026). For transfers to the United States specifically, Wise’s USD route converts at the mid-market rate.

Here’s the actual math on a €1,000 transfer from the Netherlands to a USD account in the USA via ABN AMRO:

• ABN AMRO fee for an online transfer in foreign currency: €9
• Exchange-rate markup of 0.85% on the EUR/USD conversion: €8.50
• Potential correspondent bank deductions: these vary by route and are not in the tariff
• Total: €17.50 plus any intermediary deductions on a €1,000 transfer (abnamro.nl tariffs, checked 24 September 2026)

Banks publish their tariffs and exchange-rate markups, but the markup is separate from the flat fee, so add the two together as above.

Compare that to Wise on the same corridor: Wise’s calculator shows the fee and the amount your recipient gets before you confirm.

The 5 Options Compared

1. Wise — Mid-Market Rate and an Upfront Fee

Wise (formerly TransferWise) uses the mid-market exchange rate — the same rate you see on Google or XE.com. They charge a small upfront fee, which varies by currency corridor and payment method. Use Wise’s price calculator for your own corridor.

The fee is shown before you confirm. The rate is locked at the moment you confirm. There are no hidden margins added on top. What you see is what your recipient gets.

You fund a Wise transfer from your Dutch bank account, for example by bank transfer or card. Wise shows an estimated delivery time for each payment method when you set up the transfer.

For a detailed comparison of Wise versus Revolut, see our piece on Wise vs Revolut for expats in 2026.

2. Revolut — Good for Existing Users

Revolut is competitive, but with important caveats.

Revolut’s Dutch help centre (checked 24 September 2026) sets a monthly fair usage limit for currency exchange, which resets on a rolling monthly basis:

• Standard: €1,000 a month without an extra fee, then 1% on the excess
• Plus: €3,000 a month, then 0.5%
• Premium, Metal and Ultra: no exchange limit and no fair usage fee

On top of that there is a weekend fee on exchanges between 17:00 Friday and 18:00 Sunday, US Eastern Time: 1% on Standard and 0.5% on Plus; Premium, Metal and Ultra pay no weekend fee. If you’re sending on a Saturday, factor that in. Revolut changes these terms from time to time, so check the fee page for your plan in the app before a large transfer.

Revolut is a strong option if you’re already using it as your day-to-day account in the Netherlands and your monthly transfer amount is within your plan’s free limit. For larger or less frequent transfers, Wise’s fee structure usually wins.

See also: N26 vs Bunq vs Revolut for expats in the Netherlands.

3. Dutch Bank SEPA (Within SEPA Zone Only)

For transfers within the SEPA zone in euros, your Dutch bank is fine. ING, ABN AMRO, and Rabobank all offer free or near-free SEPA transfers. Fast, simple, and no hidden margin (because there’s no currency conversion involved).

Use this for sending euros to family in France, Germany, Belgium, Spain — anywhere that uses euros and participates in SEPA. It’s the right tool for that job.

4. Dutch Bank SWIFT (Outside SEPA Zone) — Avoid for Regular Transfers

For any country outside SEPA — USA, India, Philippines, Nigeria, Canada, Australia — Dutch banks use SWIFT, and it’s expensive.

The math, again, on sending €1,000:

• ABN AMRO: €9 per online transfer + 0.85% markup for USD or GBP (€8.50) = €17.50; for INR or PHP the markup is 0.95%, so €18.50
• ING and Rabobank: both charge a per-transfer fee plus a currency markup; check the current tariff page of your bank
• Wise: the mid-market rate plus an upfront fee that you can check in its calculator

If you send money every month, compare the total cost of your bank’s published tariff with Wise’s quote for the same amount before each transfer.

5. Western Union / MoneyGram — Only for Cash Pickup

These services make sense in one specific situation: your recipient doesn’t have a bank account and needs to collect cash at a physical location. In some countries — parts of Nigeria, the Philippines, rural India — Western Union’s cash pickup network is genuinely useful.

For bank-to-bank transfers, never use them. Their exchange rates include a margin and their fees come on top, so compare the total amount your recipient receives with a bank-to-bank quote.

Corridor Comparison: €1,000 Sent from the Netherlands

Fees on a €1,000 transfer, paid into a bank account in the destination country. ABN AMRO figures are its published fee plus its published exchange-rate markup (abnamro.nl, checked 24 September 2026). Wise’s fee depends on the corridor and payment method, so check a live quote on Wise before sending.

On the bank route, intermediary (correspondent) banks can deduct extra fees, so the recipient may get less than the table suggests. Wise converts at the mid-market rate; the fee is the full cost in its quote.

How to Send Money Home via Wise: Step by Step

Step 1: Create your account

Go to wise.com and sign up with your email. Wise will ask you to verify your identity with a photo of a government-issued ID, and sometimes proof of address; Wise tells you in the app how long the check takes. For larger amounts Wise may ask for more documents later.

Step 2: Add a recipient

Click “Send money” and add your recipient’s bank details. The fields vary by country:

• UK: sort code + account number
• USA: routing number + account number (ACH)
• India: IFSC code + account number
• Philippines: bank name + account number
• EU countries: IBAN + BIC

Wise will guide you through exactly what’s needed for each country. Save the recipient for future transfers — you won’t have to enter details again.

Step 3: Enter the amount

You can enter either the amount you want to send in euros or the amount you want your recipient to receive in their currency. Wise shows you both in real time as you type.

Step 4: Review everything before confirming

Wise shows you:

• The mid-market exchange rate being used
• The exact fee in euros
• The amount your recipient will receive
• The estimated delivery time

The rate is locked the moment you confirm. Even if the transfer takes a day to arrive, your recipient gets the rate you saw.

Step 5: Fund via SEPA transfer

After confirming, Wise gives you their Dutch bank account details and a reference number. You go into your ING, ABN AMRO, or Rabobank online banking, create a SEPA transfer to Wise’s account with that reference number, and send. The SEPA transfer from your Dutch bank to Wise is free.

Wise receives your euros, converts at the agreed rate, and sends to your recipient.

Step 6: Track the transfer

You’ll get email notifications at each stage: money received by Wise, conversion complete, sent to recipient. You can also track in the Wise app.

After your first transfer: Wise keeps your details and your recipient’s details, so later transfers are quicker to set up. Wise shows an estimated delivery time for each payment method when you set up the transfer.

For larger amounts, Wise may ask for source-of-funds documents, such as a payslip or tax return. This is standard anti-money-laundering compliance, not specific to Wise.

How to Send Money Home via Revolut: Step by Step

Revolut is slightly simpler if you’re already using it as your main account.

1. Open the Revolut app and tap Transfers
2. Add a new recipient or select an existing contact
3. Enter the amount and choose the destination currency
4. Check the screen carefully: on Standard and Plus, exchanges between Friday 17:00 and Sunday 18:00 (US Eastern Time) carry a weekend fee of 1% or 0.5%. If you can wait until the weekend window closes, do so.
5. Confirm — the transfer is funded from your Revolut balance

If your Revolut balance is in euros and you’re sending to a GBP account, Revolut converts in-app at their current rate. If you’ve hit your monthly fair usage limit, a fee applies on the excess: 1% on Standard, 0.5% on Plus.

Practical Timing Tips

Don’t send on Friday afternoon. If you initiate a SWIFT transfer at 3pm on Friday, your Dutch bank may not process it until Monday. That’s three extra days your money is sitting somewhere. With Wise, you’re less affected by this because you’re doing a SEPA transfer to Wise (which processes on weekdays), but initiating on Friday afternoon still means your funding transfer arrives at Wise on Monday morning.

Wise locks your rate when you confirm. This is genuinely useful. If you confirm a transfer at 9am on Wednesday and EUR/GBP moves against you by the time the money arrives Thursday afternoon, you still get the rate you confirmed. Your recipient’s amount is guaranteed.

Revolut weekend fee: on Standard, an exchange on Saturday costs an extra 1% (0.5% on Plus). On €1,000 that’s €10 extra on Standard — not catastrophic, but worth knowing.

Large transfers: for anything over €5,000, check both Wise and Revolut on the day. The rates are usually very similar, but Wise occasionally has a slightly better rate on specific corridors. Check both before confirming.

Transfer Limits

Revolut:

• Standard plan: €1,000/month without a fair usage fee, then 1% above that
• Plus plan: €3,000/month, then 0.5%
• Premium, Metal and Ultra: no exchange limit
• Source: Revolut Netherlands help centre, checked 24 September 2026

Dutch banks: technically no hard limit on SWIFT transfers, but large international transfers may trigger anti-money-laundering checks under Dutch law. Your bank may ask for documentation on the purpose of the transfer. This is normal and not specific to sending money abroad — it applies to all large outgoing transactions.

Is Sending Money Home Taxable in the Netherlands?

No. Transferring your own earned money from the Netherlands to a foreign bank account is not a taxable event.

Here’s the logic: your income was taxed in the Netherlands when you earned it (Box 1 income tax). Moving that post-tax money from your Dutch account to your account in another country is simply moving your own funds. The Netherlands doesn’t tax you on what you do with money you’ve already paid tax on.

Your Dutch tax return doesn’t have a field for “money transferred abroad” because transfers aren’t taxable events. You declare income, deductions, and assets — not what you did with your spending money.

The one nuance: if you’re investing abroad and receiving income from those investments, that investment income may be taxable in the Netherlands depending on your situation. But regular remittances home — supporting family, paying a mortgage abroad, moving savings — are not taxable.

Cryptocurrency is more complicated. Crypto held by Dutch residents is a Box 3 asset. If you sell crypto to fund a transfer, that sale may trigger a Box 3 recalculation. For more on this, see our guide to crypto tax in the Netherlands for expats.

A Note for Freelancers Sending Money Regularly

If you’re a ZZP’er (Dutch freelancer) and you regularly send money internationally — to pay suppliers, split income with a partner abroad, or support family — your needs are slightly different from an employed expat.

If you’re just starting out in the Netherlands as a freelancer, our guide to ZZP registration in the Netherlands covers the admin side, and side hustles and passive income in the Netherlands is worth reading if you’re building income streams across multiple countries.

The first year in the Netherlands is its own adventure — for a complete overview of what to set up and when, see our first year in the Netherlands expat guide.

Opening a Dutch Bank Account (If You Haven’t Already)

To use Wise from the Netherlands, you fund your transfers from a bank account or by card. If you are still sorting out your Dutch banking, see the guide on how to open a Dutch bank account without a BSN: bunq, for example, gives you 90 days after signup to add your tax ID.

the editorial recommendation

Use Wise as your default for international transfers from the Netherlands. It’s genuinely cheaper than the alternatives for almost every corridor, the rate transparency is real (not marketing), and the process is simple once you’ve verified your account. The mobile app is well-designed and you get notifications at every stage.

Use Revolut as a backup if you’re already a customer and sending smaller amounts within your monthly free limit. Just don’t send on weekends if you can avoid it.

Stop using Dutch bank SWIFT transfers for anything outside SEPA. The maths don’t work in your favour, and the banks are counting on you not noticing the FX margin.