Moving to the Netherlands from India (2026): Complete Guide

Short answer: three things shape the Indian move more than anything else. You need an MVV entry visa that Americans and Britons do not, your Indian driving licence may not be exchangeable unless the 30% ruling applies to you (check the RDW list), and your Indian financial life — savings, accounts, property income — has to be restructured for non-resident status rather than simply left behind.

For most Indian knowledge migrants the route runs like this: an IND-recognised sponsor files your permit, you collect an MVV, you land, you register. The four areas below are where Indian movers often need extra preparation.

For the “should I move” question — salaries, cost of living, work culture — read Netherlands vs India for expats. This guide is the execution.

Your Timeline: Three Months Out to Month One

Three months before. The employer confirms it is an IND-recognised sponsor and starts the combined MVV-plus-permit application. Simultaneously, request the documents that take longest from India: birth certificate and marriage certificate with an apostille, and a police clearance certificate if your employer or sector asks for one. India is a party to the Apostille Convention, so an apostille from the competent Indian authority normally replaces embassy legalisation — verify the requirement for your specific document with the Dutch mission, since the rules differ by document type. Our apostille and legalisation guide explains what the gemeente will accept.

Two months before. Permit approved, book the MVV appointment at the Dutch mission. Start the housing search in parallel. Read finding housing and rental scams, because applicants who cannot view a property in person should be careful with advance payments.

One month before. Collect the MVV. Convert your Indian accounts to NRE/NRO status with your bank, or at least get written confirmation of the process. Plan the first large remittance under the LRS route. Book a gemeente appointment as soon as you have an address; waiting times differ per municipality, and you must register within 5 days after arrival if you stay longer than 4 months (Rijksoverheid).

Arrival week. Gemeente registration and BSN, residence card collection, TB test appointment at the GGD if it applies to you, DigiD.

First month. Dutch bank account, basisverzekering, and the 30% ruling application. Follow the first 30 days checklist.

Difference 1: The MVV Step Nobody Else in the Tech Team Has

The IND’s MVV-exemption list is short and India is not on it. So while a colleague relocating from Austin or Manchester simply books a flight once the permit is approved, you have an extra consular stage: the MVV sticker, collected at the Dutch mission in India. The IND describes it as an entry visa for stays of more than 90 days (IND).

Plan for it rather than around it. The application is filed by your employer as a combined application, so you are not chasing two separate processes, but the appointment slot at the mission can be a scheduling constraint, so ask the mission about availability early.

Salary criteria. For the highly skilled migrant permit in 2026, the IND’s gross monthly salary criteria excluding holiday allowance are €5,942 for applicants aged 30 and over, €4,357 for under-30s, and €3,122 under the reduced criterion. Check the category and amount on the IND page before signing; see the highly skilled migrant guide and salary checker.

Difference 2: The 30% Ruling Is Also Your Driving Licence

For Indian movers the 30% ruling can also matter for your driving licence. The RDW exchanges licences from the EU/EFTA and from countries with which the Netherlands has an agreement, so check the RDW’s list for India before you plan around an exchange. The exception, in the RDW’s words: if you are in the Netherlands for work (highly skilled migrant) and the expat scheme applies to you, you can exchange a driving licence from any country (RDW).

So the sequence matters. You can use your Indian licence for 185 days after you start living in the Netherlands (RDW). If your 30% ruling is granted, exchange the licence inside that window. The 30% request should be filed within 4 months after you start work for the ruling to apply from the start of employment (Belastingdienst). If the ruling is refused or you are not eligible, you are on the CBR route: theory exam, practical exam and lessons. Both routes are set out in the licence exchange guide and the CBR guide.

Eligibility, briefly. The 30% ruling has nothing to do with nationality. One condition is that you lived more than 150 kilometres (as the crow flies) from the Dutch border for more than 16 of the 24 months before your first working day in the Netherlands (Belastingdienst). A residence in India meets the distance test, so the other conditions, such as being recruited from abroad and meeting the salary norm (€48,013 in 2026), are the ones to check. If you lived in the Netherlands before, count those months carefully. See the eligibility guide.

Difference 3: Diploma Evaluation and Regulated Professions

For many engineering and IT roles employers assess your degree themselves. A formal step is needed in these cases:

• Regulated professions (for example medicine, nursing and teaching) require a Dutch recognition procedure before you may practise; see our diploma recognition guide.
• Dutch master’s or PhD admission often requires a formal comparison of your bachelor’s degree.
• Integration and some public-sector roles require a credential evaluation as a document.

IDW is the body that issues these evaluations: a comparison of your foreign diploma with the Dutch education system, stating which Dutch level it corresponds to. IDW’s own conditions are worth knowing before you apply — the diploma must be nationally recognised, the programme at least 1,000 hours, one diploma per application, and no evaluation of work experience or short courses. IDW warns of longer processing times because of the number of applications, so if your plan depends on the document, start early. Bring your original degree certificates and transcripts with you.

Difference 4: Restructuring Your Indian Finances

Your Indian finances need attention before you leave.

Residency status. Once you move, your Indian status changes and your resident accounts normally have to be converted to NRE or NRO accounts, which have different rules for sending money abroad. Ask your bank for the conversion process and the rules for each account type.

The remittance route out. Sending savings from India to the Netherlands runs through the RBI’s Liberalised Remittance Scheme, which limits the amount a resident individual may remit per financial year and can attract tax collected at source. Ask your bank for the current limit and tax treatment.

Indian income after you leave. Rental income from an Indian flat, interest on Indian deposits and Indian capital gains do not stop existing when you become a Dutch tax resident. The India–Netherlands double taxation avoidance agreement determines which country taxes what, and Dutch box 3 wealth taxation may bring the Indian assets into scope. The Dutch tax system guide and the box 3 guide explain the Dutch side; the treaty interaction is worth an adviser in year one.

The INR corridor: sending money home

The cost of an EUR-to-INR transfer sits in two places: the stated fee, and the exchange rate compared with the mid-market rate. Compare the amount that actually lands in the Indian account, not only the fee.

Wise offers EUR account details with a non-Dutch euro IBAN, which can help you receive a first salary while your Dutch bank application is in progress. Check Wise’s current eligibility for your situation.

Compare EUR to INR at the mid-market rate with Wise →

Affiliate link — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. See the Wise review for the limits (it is not a bank (Wise Europe SA, a payment institution authorised by the National Bank of Belgium), and iDEAL is not native) and the international money transfer guide for the alternatives.

Healthcare and Insurance

Check whether your Indian corporate cover continues once you live in the Netherlands. Dutch basic health insurance must be taken out as soon as possible and no later than 4 months after arrival, and coverage applies from the day of arrival (Government.nl).

You pay a monthly premium and an annual mandatory deductible (€385 in 2026), and adult dental care is largely outside the basic package (Rijksoverheid). Read Dutch health insurance for expats and then compare premiums across insurers.

Integration and Language

Whether you have an integration (inburgering) obligation depends on your residence permit. Check your own status with DUO or your gemeente rather than assuming, and read the inburgering guide and the Dutch nationality guide.

Many knowledge-migrant roles are in English, but daily life outside work often needs Dutch. One-to-one online tutoring is one option — Preply lets you filter tutors by rate and availability (affiliate link; we may earn a commission). Compare approaches in how to learn Dutch.

What It Costs

IND fees are set per year. Confirm on ind.nl before paying.

The Mistake Indian Movers Make Most Often

Leaving the Indian side untouched. Your employer may help with the Dutch side, but the NRE/NRO conversion, the remittance planning, any Indian rental income and your degree certificates are your own to arrange. Do them before you fly, while you are still in India.

Related Guides

• Netherlands vs India for expats — cost of living, salaries, work culture
• Highly skilled migrant visa — the permit in detail
• 30% ruling eligibility — including the 150 km rule
• Exchange your driving licence
• Complete guide to moving to the Netherlands