About Expat in Holland

Expat in Holland is an independent guide for internationals living and working in the Netherlands. We cover the practical realities of Dutch life — banking, healthcare, taxes, housing, and administration — clearly and without jargon.

The Netherlands is one of Europe's most popular destinations for international workers and their families. It has excellent infrastructure, a high standard of living, and a large English-speaking population. It also has a bureaucratic system that can be baffling when you first arrive: the BSN, the DigiD, the eigen risico, the 30% ruling, iDEAL. The goal of this site is to explain these things clearly, so you can get settled and get on with your life.

Who writes these guides

Our guides are written and edited by the Expat in Holland editorial team — internationals who have themselves moved to the Netherlands and dealt first-hand with the same processes we write about: opening a bank account without a BSN, registering at the gemeente, choosing a health insurer, and applying the 30% ruling. We write from direct experience, checked against the official rules.

Our approach

We write for people who have just arrived or are about to arrive. We try to be practical rather than comprehensive — covering the things you actually need to know, not every possible edge case. Every guide is built on primary, official sources (the Dutch government, the Belastingdienst, the IND, the RDW, DUO and the relevant regulators), which we link at the foot of each article so you can verify every figure yourself. For the full detail of how we research, review and correct our content, see our editorial standards.

Independence and how we are funded

We are independent. We have no affiliation with any bank, insurer, estate agent, energy company or government body, and we do not receive referral fees or commissions for recommending one provider over another. The site is funded by advertising, which is kept strictly separate from our editorial judgements — no company can pay to be rated more highly.

Accuracy and limitations

We do our best to keep information current, but Dutch regulations change regularly — particularly in areas like the 30% ruling, health insurance premiums, and tax thresholds. Each guide carries a "Reviewed" date showing when we last checked it against the sources. Always verify critical financial, tax, or legal decisions with an official source or a qualified professional before acting on them. This site is a starting point, not a substitute for professional advice.

Contact

If you spot an error, have a question, or want to suggest a topic, please get in touch. We take corrections seriously and fix genuine errors quickly.