At a glance
Can you file the customs declaration for your household goods yourself?
No. Dutch customs says a household moving to the Netherlands from outside the EU cannot make the import declaration for its goods itself. A removal or transport company makes it through customs’ declaration system, once you have handed over the documents customs asks for: a signed inventory list and proof that you live, or will live, in the Netherlands. Customs’ pages saying so were published on 1 September 2026. The five steps
The four time conditions for importing removal goods tax-free
Dutch customs calls them removal goods (verhuisgoederen). The relief is for a move from a country outside the EU to live in the Netherlands, transferring your normal place of residence, and it rests on four conditions timed around the day you move in.
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12 months
Lived outside the EU
You lived outside the European Union for at least twelve consecutive months.
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6 months
Owned and used the goods
You have had the goods in your possession, and in use, for at least six months.
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12 months
Imported after the move
You import the goods within twelve months after you have gone to live in the Netherlands. Customs’ pages state no window for importing them earlier.
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12 months
Kept after import
Counted from the date of import: you do not lend, pledge, hire out or transfer the goods within twelve months.
How the declaration is made: customs’ five steps
To import your goods tax-free you declare them to customs, and the declaration goes through a removal or transport company. Customs’ five steps cover what you arrange and which documents you give the company.
- Arrange a removal or transport company. You cannot file this declaration yourself. A removal or transport company arranges it for you through customs’ declaration system.
- Draw up an inventory list. Make an inventory list of all the personal goods you bring to the Netherlands or have transported there, and sign it.
- Prove that you live, or will live, in the Netherlands. Preferably with proof of registration with your municipality in the Netherlands, which shows the date you settle there. The documents
- Evidence for study, marriage or inheritance. Sometimes extra documents are needed, depending on why you are importing the goods and which goods they are.
- The transport company files the declaration. Hand all the documents to the removal or transport company. The company submits the import declaration.
Proof of residence
Customs prefers proof of your registration with the municipality in the Netherlands, because it shows the date you settle there. If you do not have it yet, send proof of your deregistration from the country you are leaving, together with one of these, showing that you are settling in the Netherlands:
- an employment contract
- an employer’s statement
- a work permit
- the rental or purchase contract for the home you will live in
Studying, marrying or inheriting
Goods brought for study need proof of enrolment at an educational institution in the Netherlands. Goods brought on a marriage need proof that you are married, or that you have taken official steps to marry. Inherited goods need a statement from a notary, or similar, that the goods come from an inheritance, with the date of death and the date you finally acquired them. Each has further conditions, set out on customs’ exemptions page.
If some documents are missing
In some cases the company can start the application anyway. You then hand the missing documents to the company as soon as possible.
Who can import removal goods tax-free
Household goods come into the Netherlands free of import taxes on a move when all of Dutch customs’ conditions hold:
- You move to live in the Netherlands. You move from a country outside the European Union to the Netherlands, go to live there, and so transfer your normal place of residence to the EU.
- Twelve consecutive months outside the EU. You lived outside the European Union for at least 12 consecutive months.
- Six months’ possession and use. You have had the goods in your possession, and in use, for at least six months.
- The same purpose. You have used the goods and will use them again for the same purpose.
- Twelve months to import. You import the goods within twelve months after you have gone to live in the Netherlands.
- Twelve months after import. You will not lend, pledge, hire out or transfer the goods within twelve months of the date they were imported.
The full rules on the relief are in the Dutch customs handbook (Douanehandboek).
Not a move? Customs’ separate reliefs for studying, marrying or inheriting
Dutch customs sets three reliefs apart from the one for a move, each with conditions of its own on its exemptions page:
- Students may bring clothing, household linen, used furniture for a student room, and study materials.
- On a marriage, the goods may be imported from 2 months before to 4 months after the wedding; imported earlier than that, customs asks for security.
- Inherited goods are imported within 2 years of the date you finally acquired them, with a statement from a notary, or similar.
What counts as removal goods, and what does not
Removal goods are everything intended for the personal use of you or your household. Customs gives these examples:
- small pets and riding animals
- movable goods such as furniture and other objects
- portable instruments for practising a profession
- household provisions for normal household use
Goods the exemption does not cover
- alcoholic products
- tobacco and tobacco products
- commercial vehicles
- equipment for professional use, other than portable instruments for the arts and crafts
Bringing a car or motorcycle
Extra rules and conditions apply to a car, motorcycle or other vehicle. When you import one, the transport company files a separate declaration for it, and it may ask you for a copy of:
- the vehicle’s registration certificate;
- proof of its purchase or ownership.
On a move, a car or motorcycle can come in under the import exemption. Imported for study, or around a marriage, it never does.
If you receive the import exemption for a car or motorcycle, you may also be able to apply to the Belastingdienst, the tax administration, for exemption from bpm, the Dutch tax on cars and motorcycles. The bpm form may need the export copy (wegvoeringsexemplaar) of the import declaration attached. Customs refers specific questions about cars and motorcycles to the BelastingTelefoon Auto.
An older source
The English brochure is from 2003
On 5 October 2026 the Belastingdienst, the Netherlands’ tax administration, was still serving an English PDF brochure, “Moving to the Netherlands”, whose file dates from 2003. If you come across it, its procedure is not today’s.
| Question | The 2003 brochure | Customs’ pages, 1 September 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Who declares the goods | You, to customs, on the Single Administrative Document (Enig Document) form | A removal or transport company, through customs’ declaration system; you cannot file it yourself |
| A licence | You apply for one at the local customs office | Not among customs’ five steps |
The brochure’s EU is also the EU of 2003: it names fourteen other EU countries, the United Kingdom among them. Follow customs’ current pages, in Dutch: moving goods from outside the EU.
Frequently asked questions
Can I file the Dutch customs declaration for my household goods myself?
No. A removal or transport company arranges it for you through customs’ declaration system.
What does the removal company need from me?
A signed inventory list of all the personal goods you bring or have transported, and proof that you live or will live in the Netherlands: preferably proof of registration with your municipality, or else proof of deregistration from the country you are leaving together with an employment contract, an employer’s statement, a work permit, or the rental or purchase contract for your new home.
Do I pay import taxes on my household goods when I move from the US to the Netherlands?
Not on goods that qualify for the exemption. The conditions are twelve consecutive months outside the EU, six months’ possession and use, the same use after the move, import within twelve months after you go to live in the Netherlands, and no lending, pledging, hiring out or transfer for twelve months after import.
What if I do not have all the documents yet?
Customs says that in some cases the company can start the application anyway, and you hand in the missing documents as soon as possible.
Can I bring alcohol or tobacco with my household goods?
Not under this exemption. Alcoholic products and tobacco products are excluded from it, as are commercial vehicles and professional equipment other than portable instruments for the arts and crafts.
Can I bring my car?
Extra rules apply. The transport company files a separate declaration for the vehicle, and it may ask you for a copy of its registration certificate and proof of purchase or ownership. On a move it can come in under the import exemption, never when imported for study or around a marriage. With the exemption, you may also be able to apply to the Belastingdienst for exemption from bpm.
Can I lend or rent out furniture after I arrive?
One condition of the exemption is that you do not lend, pledge, hire out or transfer the goods within twelve months of the date they were imported.
Is the Belastingdienst’s English brochure still current?
No. The “Moving to the Netherlands” brochure dates from 2003. It names the United Kingdom as an EU country and describes a declaration the household makes itself; today a removal or transport company files it.
Sources and review date
Everything this page says about the rules comes from these official pages. Last checked: .
- Spullen verhuizen van buiten de EU (Moving goods from outside the EU)Douane Nederland (Dutch Customs)In Dutch. The household cannot file the declaration itself: a removal or transport company files it through customs' declaration system. The five steps and the documents: the signed inventory list, proof of residence, extra evidence for study, marriage or inheritance. Published 1 September 2026.Accessed .
- Verhuisgoederen en vrijstellingen (Removal goods and exemptions)Douane Nederland (Dutch Customs)In Dutch. What counts as removal goods, the conditions for relief from import taxes, the goods excluded, and the extra documents for a vehicle. Published 1 September 2026.Accessed .
- Moving to the NetherlandsBelastingdienst (Netherlands Tax and Customs Administration)Not a source for the rules on this page. Cited only for what it is: an English brochure whose file dates from 2003, which names the United Kingdom among the EU countries and describes an older procedure, a licence and a declaration made by the household itself.Accessed .
Rules and fees change. Before acting, confirm with the official source. This page explains the procedures; it is not legal or customs advice. Customs decides how your goods are treated.
Where Ruby International fits
We move households door to door from the United States, by full container, shared container or air freight.
- When your goods ship
- Customs gives you twelve months after you go to live in the Netherlands to import the goods. Tell us your moving date and what you are shipping, and we will quote the move around it.
- Who files the declaration
- A removal or transport company, never the household. When you ask for a quote, ask who will file the Dutch import declaration for your shipment.
- What you prepare
- The signed inventory list, your proof of residence and, for a vehicle, its registration certificate and proof of purchase or ownership.
We do not give legal, tax or customs advice. Whether your goods qualify is decided by Dutch customs.
Planning a move to the Netherlands?
Tell us where you are moving from, where in the Netherlands you are going, and when you plan to move. We will follow up with a brief call, then send a quote for your shipment.