Change description : 2022-03-11 14:29:00: Important information in the Working in the Netherlands, and National insurance sections if you work in the Netherlands, even it if it is for an employer based in the UK. [Foreign, Commonwealth & Development OfficeGuidance and regulation]
This guide sets out essential information for British citizens moving to or living in the Netherlands. Read about how our British embassy in The Hague can help.
This information is provided as a guide only. You should get definitive information from the Dutch authorities. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is not liable for any inaccuracies in this information.
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If you were living in the Netherlands before 1 January 2021
Some parts of this guide only apply if you were living in the Netherlands since before 1 January 2021. You should read these in addition to the rest of the guidance in each section.
You should also read our Living in Europe page for detailed guidance about citizens’ rights under the Withdrawal Agreement.
Coronavirus
Follow the advice of the Dutch government and your local authority. You should also read the Netherlands travel advice.
For information on getting a COVID-19 vaccine as a UK national in the Netherlands, read our coronavirus travel advice.
Visas and residency
You must tell the UK government offices that deal with your benefits, pension and tax if you are moving or retiring abroad.
Read the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) guidance on the types of residence permit you can apply for as a ‘third country national’ who wants to move to the Netherlands. You are a ‘third country national’ if you moved to the Netherlands after 1 January 2021 and you do not have EU, EEA or Swiss nationality.
In the Netherlands, by law, you must always carry photo ID, for example your passport or residence permit.
Citizen service number (BSN)
Everyone living in the Netherlands must have their own citizen service number, referred to as a BSN (burgerservicenummer). You need a BSN for many administrative procedures in the Netherlands, including working, opening a bank account, arranging health insurance, visiting a doctor or hospital, or applying for benefits. Read the Dutch government’s guidance about BSNs.
Within 5 days of arriving in the Netherlands, you must make an appointment with your local municipality (gemeente) to request registration in the Personal Records Database BRP (Basisregistratie Personen). Your local municipality’s website provides information on how to book an appointment and what documentation you will need. You will get a BSN when you are registered in the BRP.
You must be registered in the BRP at the correct address. The IND and other government bodies will use the BRP to contact you. If you move house, you must register with the municipality that you move to.
If you leave the Netherlands to become resident elsewhere, you must deregister from the BRP before you leave. If you move back to the Netherlands, you will need to register at your local municipality and you will be given the same BSN again.
Working for an international organisation
If you work for an international organisation, you must check with your organisation’s HR department for advice about your stay in the Netherlands. Each international organisation has an agreement with the Dutch government about their staff. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has a general protocol guide with practical information based on their interpretation of the rules for privileged persons.
Visas and residency if you were living in the Netherlands before 1 January 2021
If you applied for your new residence document (‘Article 50 TEU (Treaty on European Union) residence document’) by 30 September 2021, your rights are protected by the Withdrawal Agreement, pending a decision on your application. There are 2 types of residence status:
If you have a temporary Article 50 TEU residence document, you can apply for a permanent residence document after living lawfully for 5 consecutive years in the Netherlands. You do not need to wait for your temporary residence document to expire, as it is valid for 5 years from when your residence status was granted. Permanent residency status provides additional rights, so you should apply as soon as you can demonstrate 5 years of lawful residence in the Netherlands.
Decision on your application and biometrics
When you apply for an Article 50 TEU residence document, you will receive a letter from the IND. This letter is your ‘certificate of application’, which you should carry with you, especially when travelling.
The IND will contact you if they need more information about your application. When a decision has been made, you will receive a further IND letter about making an appointment to have your biometrics taken.
If your application for a new residence document is refused, you will be notified about the appeals process. Read the Dutch government’s advice on how to appeal a residency decision. This includes information about time limits for submitting an appeal and what happens while you wait for a decision.
The deadline for applying for an Article 50 TEU residence document was 30 September 2021. If you were living in the Netherlands before 1 January 2021 and have not applied, the Dutch authorities will treat you as being in the country illegally. There are serious consequences for your rights and ability to access benefits in the Netherlands.
The Dutch Government’s flexible policy means you can still apply for an Article 50 TEU residence document until 1 October 2022. If you have not yet applied, you should do so as soon as possible. If your application is approved, your rights are reinstated retrospectively and you can continue to live lawfully in the Netherlands.
If you have not applied for an Article 50 TEU residence document for your children, you should apply on their behalf as soon as possible, and before 1 October 2022. After this date, children can only apply for their own Article 50 TEU residence document when they turn 18 years old.
If you have questions about making an application contact the IND.
Family members
If you have been granted an Article 50 TEU residence document, your close family members continue to be able to join you and settle in the Netherlands at any pointtime in the future. Find more information on who this applies to in the Living in Europe guidance.
Family members with UK nationality may travel to the Netherlands and then apply for a residence document as your family member. Nationals of certain non-EU countries may need a visa before travel. The Dutch authorities should issue family reunion visas free of charge.
After they receive a letter from the IND to acknowledge receipt of their residence document application, your family members can register in the Personal Records Database (Basisregistratie Personen or BRP) at the town hall.
Family members with EU, EEA or Swiss nationality do not need a residence document or permit to live and work in the Netherlands and do not need to report to the IND.
Your former EU residence document (duurzaam verblijf) is no longer valid. If you had one, you should have exchanged it for an Article 50 TEU residence document. You can apply for this residence document until 1 October 2022.
Other forms of residence
You do not need an Article 50 TEU residence document if you:
have Dutch citizenship or EU citizenship with a valid Dutch national residence document, or
work for an international organisation, as long as you remain employed by that organisation. Your residence rights, and your privileges and immunities under the relevant host agreement do not change. However, if you wish to apply for an Article 50 TEU residence document, consult your legal and HR departments, as this may affect your privileges and immunities. If you wish to apply for an Article 50 TEU you should do so by 1 October 2022.
If you have a Type II residency document issued under the Aliens Act, you have additional residency status under the Withdrawal Agreement. The IND will provide more information on this at mijnind.nl. Whilst you can have 2 statuses, you can only have 1 residence document. You can either:
keep your Type II permanent residence document, if it has not expired, or
exchange it for an Article 50 TEU residence document, provided it has not been withdrawn. You will need to pay a fee to exchange it
Always carry your passport when travelling within the Schengen area. If you have citizenship of an EU or European Free Trade AreaAssociation (EFTA) country, in addition to your British citizenship, you should enter and leave the Netherlands using your EU or EFTA passport.
If you stay in the Netherlands with a Dutch residence permit or long-stay visa, this time does not count towards your 90-day visa-free limit for the Schengen area.
If you visit other Schengen area countries outside the Netherlands, make sure you do not exceed the visa-free 90 days in any 180-day period. You are responsible for counting how long you stay under the Schengen visa waiver, and you must comply with its conditions.
If you were living in the Netherlands before 1 January 2021
When you traveltravel, carry your Article 50 TEU residence document or frontier worker permit issued under the Withdrawal Agreement, in addition to your valid passport.
You must proactively show your residence document, or other evidence of residence status, if you are asked to show your passport at border control. If you have applied for, but not yet received, your residence document, show your certificate of application.
If you cannot prove that you are a resident in the Netherlands, you may be asked additional questions at the border to enter the EU. Your passport may be stamped on entry and exit. This will not affect your rights in the country or countries where you live or work. If a passport is stamped, the stamp is considered null and void when you can show evidence of lawful residence.
If you have rights under the Withdrawal Agreement, you can enter and exit your host country with a valid passport. You do not need any additional validity on the passport beyond the dates on which you are travelling.
If you move to the Netherlands, you must arrange health insurance within 4 months of your arrival. The basic Dutch health insurance (basis verzekering) covers general medical care, such as visits to a local GP and hospital care.
If you live in the Netherlands and were regularly commuting to work in another EU or EFTA country before 1 January 2021, read our guidance for frontier workers.
Professional qualifications
You may need to get your professional qualification recognised if you want to work in a profession that is regulated in the Netherlands.
If you were living in the Netherlands before 1 January 2021
If the relevant regulator in the Netherlands officially recognised your professional qualification before 1 January 2021, or you started the recognition process by this date, make sure you understand the terms of your decision. You should get advice from the relevant regulator.
Studying in the Netherlands
If you plan to study in the Netherlands, you must meet all visa requirements before you travel.
Contact the relevant higher education provider in the Netherlands to check what fees you may have to pay.
You cannot renew or replace your UK, Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey or Isle of Man licence if you live in the Netherlands. Read the guidance on what you must do to drive legally in the Netherlands:
Exchanging your UK, Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey or Isle of Man licence
You must exchange your licence within 185 days of becoming a resident. You should exchange your licence at your local council (gemeente). You cannot use an International Driving Permit (IDP) instead of exchanging your licence.
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Read the guidance on returning to the UK permanently which includes information on, amongst other things, bringing family members, tax and access to services.
Published 17 May 2013
Last updated 2011 DecemberMarch 20212022
+ show all updates
Important information in the Working in the Netherlands, and National insurance sections if you work in the Netherlands, even it if it is for an employer based in the UK.
Guidance reviewed and updated throughout, with new information on visas and residency, passports and travel, healthcare, working, tax, benefits, pensions, driving, births deaths and marriages, pets, and returning to the UK.
Visa and residency section updated after the 30 September 2021 residency application deadline for people living in the Netherlands since before 1 January 2021. There is new information about ongoing and late residency applications, appeals and family members' applications.
Professional qualifications section updated for British citizens who are moving or moved to the Netherlands after 1 January 2021 and those living there since before 1 January 2021. Guidance reviewed for sections including passports and travel, healthcare, and working and studying in the Netherlands.
Guidance reviewed and updated for Money, tax and banking, Benefits, Births, deaths, marriages and civil partnerships, and Useful information sections.
28 June 2021
Working in the Netherlands section updated: new guidance for frontier workers.
2 June 2021
Visas and residency section updated: further guidance on Type II residency documents and extended deadline for residency applications
28 April 2021
Driving section updated with new information on when you must exchange a UK driving licence for a Dutch one. If you were resident before 31 January 2020 you must do this by 1 May 2021.
19 April 2021
Healthcare section updated including guidance on the S1 form and applying for EHIC and GHIC cards; working in the Netherlands section updated with links to Department for International Trade (DIT) guidance on working or providing services and DIT guidance on recognition of professional qualifications.
17 February 2021
Coronavirus section updated with a link to guidance on vaccines.
31 December 2020
Updated as the transition period ends with new information on driving, pet travel and moving to the Netherlands.
18 December 2020
Additional guidance on how to get the new residency document and healthcare access if you are a student. Passport and travel section updated on carrying proof of residence when travelling.
10 November 2020
Healthcare section updated on how to apply for a new UK EHIC as a student or S1 holder. Working section updated with information on frontier workers
16 September 2020
Visas and residency section updated to include details of changes to the new residency system.
7 September 2020
Passports and travel section updated to include information on passport validity and entry requirements when travelling to other European countries from January 2021.
5 August 2020
Visas and residency section updated with further information on the new residency system
24 January 2020
Brexit update: includes further details on passport validity, healthcare rights and State Pension uprating if the UK leaves the EU with a deal.
23 September 2019
Brexit update: healthcare section updated to reflect transitional arrangements announcement
3 September 2019
Brexit update: Pensions section updated to include further details on State Pension uprating.
13 June 2019
EU Exit update: updated information in the Passport & Travel, Pensions, and Returning to the UK sections.
9 April 2019
EU Exit update: updated information on EU Exit in healthcare, visas and residency, driving and working sections
13 March 2019
We have updated the contact details you need to apply for an S1 form.
22 February 2019
EU Exit update: Updated information on passports. You must use the checker tool to see if your passport is still valid for your trip.
20 February 2019
EU Exit update: Updated information on double taxation following EU Exit in the money and tax section
29 January 2019
EU Exit update - Updated information on access to healthcare
18 January 2019
EU Exit update: updated information on pensions and driving.
11 January 2019
EU Exit update: Latest Brexit information from the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) added to the EU Exit and Visa and Residency sections.
22 November 2018
EU Exit update: New information in residency and visa section on draft withdrawal agreement in principle between the UK and EU. Plus information on travelling with pets in Europe in Pets section.
24 April 2018
Complete revision of guidance to ensure it's up to date and accurate.
8 May 2017
Updated information on healthcare entitlement
28 March 2017
Addition of energy and services comparison website
12 September 2016
added more links re: health insurance in the Netherlands
14 December 2015
added information about health insurance for students and expats.