Netherlands vs India for Expats 2026

Moving from India to the Netherlands requires a comparison tailored to your origin city, household careers, permit route and destination. This guide covers what can be checked against official sources: the permit route, income tax in both countries, the 30% ruling, the tax treaty, health insurance and first steps. We leave out rent levels, salary averages and lifestyle claims, because we have no official source for single figures; compare those for your own city and job.

Last checked: 6 October 2026.

At a glance

Sources: Belastingdienst, Income Tax Department of India, Rijksoverheid.

Permit route for Indian knowledge migrants

Most Indian professionals come on the highly skilled migrant (kennismigrant) permit. Your employer must be a recognised sponsor and applies for you. The IND’s target decision period is 2 weeks if a recognised sponsor submits a complete application; the legal maximum is 90 days (IND). Indian nationals are not on the IND’s list of nationalities exempt from the entry visa (MVV), so plan for the entry-visa step. The 2026 salary criteria are €5,942 gross per month for age 30 and over and €4,357 for under 30. Read the highly skilled migrant visa guide for the full process.

Income tax

Dutch income tax in 2026 (box 1)

Source: Belastingdienst. Compare take-home pay with the salary checker rather than headline rates, because allowances and the 30% ruling change the result.

Indian income tax

The Income Tax Department lists the new tax regime as the default regime for individuals. For assessment year 2026-27 its rates are: nil up to INR 4,00,000; 5% to INR 8,00,000; 10% to INR 12,00,000; 15% to INR 16,00,000; 20% to INR 20,00,000; 25% to INR 24,00,000; 30% above INR 24,00,000. Surcharge applies at higher incomes and 4% health and education cess is added on top. An old regime with different slabs remains available by option (incometaxindia.gov.in). Your Indian tax position depends on your residential status, so confirm it for your own case.

The 30% ruling

If you are recruited from abroad and meet the conditions, your employer can pay up to 30% of your salary tax-free for up to 5 years. The 2026 salary norm is €48,013 taxable salary (about EUR 68,590 gross), or €36,497 (about EUR 52,139 gross) if you are under 30 with a qualifying master’s. The salary cap is €262,000. The percentage is 30% in 2026 and falls to 27% from 1 January 2027, with a transitional rule for existing holders (Rijksoverheid). The Belastingdienst says it informs you within 8 weeks of receiving the request, which you complete together with your employer. Use the 30% ruling calculator.

The tax treaty

The Netherlands and India have a treaty on avoiding double taxation, signed in New Delhi on 30 July 1988 (wetten.overheid.nl). If you keep Indian income such as rent or deposit interest, the treaty and the domestic rules of both countries decide who taxes what. A one-off consultation with an expat tax adviser in your first year is often worthwhile.

Foreign assets and box 3

Partial foreign tax liability, which let people on the 30% ruling keep box 2 and box 3 income out of Dutch tax, is no longer available from the 2025 tax return. If you used the ruling before 2024, you can still use it until your 2026 tax return under transitional law (Belastingdienst). Otherwise your Indian savings and investments fall under the normal box 3 rules from day one: the 2026 deemed return is 1.28% on bank balances (provisional) and 6.00% on other assets, taxed at 36%. See the Dutch tax system guide.

Healthcare

Everyone who lives or works in the Netherlands must take out basic health insurance no later than 4 months after arriving, with cover from the day you arrive (government.nl). In 2026 the average basic premium is €157 a month and the mandatory deductible (eigen risico) is €385 a year. Dental care for adults is not part of the basic package, so check supplementary policies if you want cover. See the Dutch health insurance guide.

For a gap in cover while you are travelling or between countries, you can compare policies such as SafetyWing. A travel policy does not replace Dutch basic insurance once you live here.

Work culture

Dutch workplaces are often described as flat and direct, with disagreement openly voiced in meetings. This varies by company and team. Holiday days are 4 times your weekly hours, and holiday allowance is at least 8% of your gross salary of the year before (Rijksoverheid). Part-time work is common: in 2025, 48.6% of employed people aged 15 to 74 worked part-time, meaning under 35 hours a week (CBS).

Practical next steps

Before you arrive

1. Make sure your employer, as a recognised sponsor, applies for your highly skilled migrant permit.
2. Ask your employer to apply for the 30% ruling together with you; check the deadlines in our 30% ruling guide.
3. Arrange temporary accommodation for the first weeks, and avoid signing a long lease remotely. See finding housing.
4. Compare transfer options for money between the euro and the rupee. Compare a Wise transfer to India

In your first weeks

5. Register with the municipality within 5 days of arriving if you stay more than 4 months (RvIG). This leads to your BSN; DigiD follows. See the BSN registration guide.
6. Open a Dutch bank account; see best bank accounts for expats.
7. Take out health insurance within 4 months of arriving.
8. Get a bicycle; see the cycling guide.

In your first months

9. Start learning Dutch; see best Dutch language courses.
10. File your Dutch tax return when it is due, with your 30% ruling confirmed.
11. Use the Salary Checker and Cost of Living Calculator to calibrate your own financial position.

How the Netherlands compares with other destinations

See our direct comparisons: Netherlands vs Germany, Netherlands vs UK and Netherlands vs USA.

Want to understand the financial side in more detail? Start with the 30% Ruling Calculator and our Dutch Tax System Guide.