Banking in The Netherlands
Its important that you have your finances in order from an early stage when starting an expatriate assignment. Your life and work will run much smoother if you can easily pay all the necessary costs and bills which come your way. You'll obviously need a bank account in order to receive your salary, to pay for rent, etc...
Banking in The Netherlands
Fortunately, it is relatively easy for an expatriate to open a bank account in the Netherlands but you do need to follow the correct procedures and have all the right paperwork to hand. For expats, this paper works consists of a:
Passport and/or permit to reside in the Netherlands
Burgerservicenummer (BSN)
Some kind of proof of address such as a rental contract or utility
You may also need evidence of income for certain types of account
Since there may be some delay between your arrival and you having a bank account, make sure you have access to cash in the meantime. Your employer may be able to supply a cash loan or you can simply withdraw money from the cashpoint, but you may incur additional charges so these are just short-term measures.
With the right documents in hand you should be able to open a bank account with the same level of ease that you can in your own country. You'll find that most of the banks in the Netherlands offer a good standard of service and have online banking which will make it easier for you. The largest banks in the Netherlands are ABNM-AMRO, Rabobank and ING bank, but there are other banks to consider and its important that you shop around before choosing your bank as some may have better offers than others and may be better suited to expats. To help you choose a bank, we have prepared a directory and description of the main banks in the Netherlands, which you can find here.
Banking in the Netherlands
Copywrite Together Abroad