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In this guide
For the broader banking landscape including ABN AMRO and ING, see our best banking for expats pillar. For two-way comparisons, see Bunq vs N26, Wise vs Revolut, and ING vs Rabobank.
Quick answer: For a Dutch salary and Dutch bills, bunq is the only one of the three that gives you an NL IBAN as standard and lets you start before you have a BSN. N26 has the simplest free plan. Revolut has the most paid-plan extras. Plan prices below were checked on 6 October 2026.
What each one is
bunq is a Dutch bank. bunq says it was founded in March 2012 by Ali Niknam, received an EU banking permit in 2014 and describes itself as Europe’s second-largest neobank with more than 22 million users (bunq.com, About).
N26 is run by N26 Bank SE in Berlin, according to the legal notes on its own site, and offers Standard, Smart, Go and Metal plans.
Revolut offers its banking services in the Netherlands through the Dutch branch of Revolut Bank UAB, which Revolut says is authorised by the Bank of Lithuania and the ECB. Its plans run from Standard to Ultra.
IBANs in the Netherlands
bunq: a Dutch (NL) IBAN as standard.
N26: N26 Bank SE is based in Berlin, so check which IBAN country code N26 shows for your account in the app. A Dutch employer or company may not refuse a euro IBAN from another EU/EEA country: under the SEPA Regulation such IBANs must be accepted (De Nederlandsche Bank).
Revolut: Revolut says customers resident in the Netherlands are migrated to its Dutch branch and receive a Dutch IBAN, subject to documentation and country of residence. Check the IBAN shown in your own app.
Opening an account as an expat
bunq: bunq states that “All EEA citizens who reside in one of our supported EEA countries can sign up for bunq”, and that people outside the EEA can start signing up from anywhere and finish once they move to a supported EEA country (bunq Help, checked 6 October 2026). You can start without a BSN and add your tax ID in the app within 90 days. There is a free plan, bunq Free at €0.00 a month, alongside the paid plans.
N26 and Revolut: onboarding depends on your residence, identity verification and the current product terms. Check their own pages before you rely on either of them without a BSN.
Plan prices
Prices checked on 6 October 2026.
bunq
Per bunq Help: What plans are available:
- bunq Free: €0.00 a month. Up to 3 bank accounts (Money Pockets) with their own IBAN, 1 digital card, no physical card.
- bunq Core: €3.99 a month. Up to 5 accounts with their own IBAN, 1 physical and 1 digital card.
- bunq Pro: €9.99 a month. Up to 25 accounts with their own IBAN, 3 physical and 25 digital cards.
- bunq Elite: €18.99 a month. Up to 25 accounts with their own IBAN, 3 physical and 25 digital cards.
- bunq Pack: €28.99 a month for 4 Pro Personal accounts, or 3 Pro Personal plus 1 Pro Business account (€7.25 a month per person).
N26
Per the N26 pricing page (n26.com, checked 6 October 2026):
- Standard: free. Free virtual debit card, 2 free euro ATM withdrawals a month; a physical card costs €10.
- Smart: €4.90 a month. Free physical card and up to 10 Spaces sub-accounts.
- Go: €9.90 a month. Adds free ATM withdrawals outside the eurozone, 1% cashback while travelling and travel insurance.
- Metal: €16.90 a month. Adds 1.5% annual interest on savings, a metal card, mobile phone insurance and purchase protection, and a free airport lounge pass.
Revolut
Per Revolut’s plans page for the Netherlands (revolut.com, checked 6 October 2026):
- Standard: free.
- Plus: €3.99 a month.
- Premium: €10.99 a month.
- Metal: €19.99 a month.
Ultra is also on offer. Check Revolut’s plan page for its current price and what each plan includes.
Currency exchange and cash
Revolut: under its Personal Fees (Standard), effective 1 September 2026, exchanges on weekdays within your plan’s limit carry no fee. On weekends (5pm Friday to 6pm Sunday, New York time) a 1% fee applies. Above the monthly exchange limit a fair usage fee applies: EUR 1,000 and 1% on Standard, EUR 3,000 and 0.5% on Plus, no limit on Premium, Metal and Ultra. ATM withdrawals are free up to 5 withdrawals or EUR 200 per rolling month on Standard; after that a fee of 2% (minimum EUR 1) applies.
N26: card payments worldwide are free. ATM withdrawals in euros: 2 free a month on Standard, 5 on Go and 8 on Metal. Outside the eurozone, ATM withdrawals cost 1.7% on Standard and are free on Go and Metal (n26.com, checked 6 October 2026).
bunq: check the current foreign-card and ATM terms for your plan on bunq’s plan pages; they differ per plan.
For larger transfers abroad or receiving foreign-currency income, Wise is built for the purpose and gives you local account details in several currencies. Compare the live quote for your amount and route before you choose.
Savings interest
Rates are variable and change often, so check the figure in each app on the day you decide. On its plan page (6 October 2026) N26 lists 0.25% p.a. on Standard, 0.55% on Go and 1.5% on Metal. Revolut and bunq publish their own rates on their plan and savings pages, sometimes with conditions or balance limits. Dedicated savings platforms such as Raisin show rates for many partner banks; its Dutch site (6 October 2026) advertised variable rates of up to 3.05% and fixed-term rates of up to 3.85%. Rates and terms change, and fixed-term money is locked for the term.
Which one for which situation
- Receiving a Dutch salary and paying Dutch bills: bunq, for the NL IBAN as standard. The other two also work, because a Dutch employer may not refuse a euro IBAN from another EU/EEA country.
- A new arrival before the BSN has arrived: bunq lets you start without a BSN and add your tax ID within 90 days.
- A simple free account: N26 Standard is free, with a €10 charge for a physical card.
- Travel: compare the Go and Metal plans of N26 and the Premium and Metal plans of Revolut for the insurance and exchange terms that matter on your trips.
- Foreign-currency income and larger transfers: Wise.
- Sub-accounts for budgeting: bunq gives each account its own IBAN (3 on Free, 5 on Core, 25 on Pro and Elite); N26 offers Spaces from the Smart plan.
Tax reporting
For Box 3 you need your balances on 1 January. Check in each app which year-end overview it provides and whether it shows the 1 January balance, and check the Belastingdienst information on box 3 for the rules. For freelancers, see our tax filing as a freelance expat guide, or a tax advisor.
A common combination
Many expats combine accounts. One example: bunq as the main account for salary, rent and Dutch bills, a second card from N26 or Revolut for travel, and Wise for foreign-currency receipts and larger international transfers. A broker such as DEGIRO is for investing, not for everyday banking. Investing involves risk of loss.
Deposit protection is limited per bank (N26 states up to EUR 100,000 on its plan page), so large savings are usually spread over more than one institution.
For the broader Dutch banking comparison including ABN AMRO, ING and Rabobank, see the pillar best bank account for expats and the first year in the Netherlands guide. If you have settled on bunq, how to open a bunq account as an expat walks through sign-up and the 90-day tax-ID rule, and Bunq vs Revolut is the head-to-head. More: Bunq review, N26 review, Revolut review, Wise vs Revolut vs Bunq.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which has the most useful Dutch IBAN for expats: N26, bunq or Revolut?
bunq's standard IBAN is Dutch (NL). N26 is run from Germany, so check which IBAN country code N26 shows for your account in the app before you rely on it. Revolut says customers resident in the Netherlands are migrated to its Dutch branch and receive a Dutch IBAN, subject to its documentation requirements. A Dutch employer or company may not refuse a euro IBAN from another EU/EEA country (De Nederlandsche Bank), so an NL IBAN mainly saves you the discussion.
Which has the best savings interest rate?
Rates are variable and change often, so check the figure in the app on the day you decide. On its plan page (checked 6 October 2026) N26 lists 0.25% p.a. on Standard, 0.55% on Go and 1.5% on Metal. bunq and Revolut publish their own rates on their plan and savings pages. For pure savings yield, dedicated savings products can pay more than a neobank account.
Can I use any of these without a BSN?
bunq: yes. You can start without a BSN and add your tax ID (the BSN for Dutch residents) in the app within 90 days, and you must live in a supported EEA country. For N26 and Revolut, check their own onboarding pages before you rely on them. See the [BSN application guide](/blog/expat-bsn-application-guide/).
Which is best for receiving a Dutch salary?
Any of the three can receive a salary, because a Dutch employer may not refuse a euro IBAN from another EU/EEA country (De Nederlandsche Bank). If you want an NL IBAN to avoid any discussion with payroll, bunq gives one as standard; Revolut offers one to customers resident in the Netherlands.
Which neobank has the best app?
App preference is subjective. Compare current plan features, fees, Dutch payment support and support access, then try the interface that fits your needs.