Moving from India to the Netherlands (2026): Relocation Guide
Key takeaways
- Dutch Customs (Douane) grants relief from import duty and 21% BTW (VAT) on your used household goods under the verhuisboedel (removal-goods) exemption if you have lived outside the EU for at least 12 months and have owned and used the items for at least 6 months.
- India is not on the EU’s list of approved third countries for pets, so a dog or cat needs a rabies antibody titration test (blood drawn at least 30 days after vaccination, result at least 0.5 IU/ml) followed by a mandatory three-month wait before EU entry. This is your longest-lead task, so plan pets first, around four to five months ahead.
- Before leaving India, settle your tax position, obtain an income-tax clearance if required, close your FRRO registration where relevant, and get an AQCS export health certificate for any pet.
- Within five days of arrival you must register at your gemeente (municipality), which issues your BSN (citizen service number).
- Most Indian nationals need an MVV entry visa and an IND residence permit arranged before travelling.
- Sea freight from Nhava Sheva (Mumbai) or Chennai to Rotterdam is the standard channel; air freight suits a small, urgent shipment.
1. Leaving India: what to close out
An India-to-Netherlands move has an Indian export half and a Dutch import half. Handling the Indian side cleanly makes Dutch customs and registration far smoother.
Begin with immigration and tax. Indian citizens moving abroad long term should, where they hold a resident registration with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), close it properly. If you have taxable income in India, check with a chartered accountant whether you need an income-tax clearance certificate before departure and, more importantly, when you cease to be an Indian tax resident for the year, because that determines how your Indian and Dutch income are taxed. This is worth doing early, as your Dutch tax position can hinge on the exact date you leave.
Then plan the household export. India charges no export duty on used personal effects, but the consignment must be packed, inventoried and cleared for export. Prepare your passport, a valued packing list showing purchase dates, a packing list of electronics, and a signed declaration. Keep clear evidence that you have owned and used the goods, because Dutch Customs applies the same ownership-and-use test at the other end. Restricted goods, such as firearms, certain wildlife products, large amounts of gold and Indian antiquities, either cannot be exported or need permits, so flag anything unusual to your mover at the outset.
If a pet is coming, its timeline (Section 5) sets your whole schedule. The Indian export side runs through the Animal Quarantine and Certification Service (AQCS), which issues the export No Objection Certificate shortly before travel, but the EU-side titre test and three-month wait must be organised months in advance.
2. How your household goods ship to the Netherlands
The standard route is a sea container from Nhava Sheva (Jawaharlal Nehru Port, serving Mumbai) or Chennai to Rotterdam, Europe’s largest port and the natural gateway for goods bound for the Netherlands. You can book a full container (a 20-foot or 40-foot unit) for a whole home, or a shared groupage service where you pay only for the space you use, which suits smaller consignments.
Treat transit time as an estimate, not a promise. Sailings from western India to North-West Europe have historically run around four to five weeks port to port, but routing choices via the Suez Canal or around the Cape of Good Hope, plus transhipment and port congestion, can push this out. Add a buffer of a few weeks for the full door-to-door timeline once Dutch customs clearance and inland delivery are included.
Air freight is the fast alternative for a limited set of essentials, such as clothes, a laptop, kitchen basics or children’s items. It costs far more per kilogram, so keep it to a few boxes and let the bulk travel by sea. Whichever mode you use, a detailed inventory and photographs of valuable items protect you for both customs and insurance.
3. Netherlands customs & transfer-of-residence relief
The Netherlands applies the EU removal-goods relief, known as the vrijstelling voor verhuisboedel. It removes import duty and the 21% BTW on used household goods, which is a substantial saving on a full container.
The conditions are clear. You must have lived outside the EU for at least 12 months before leaving your country of departure, you must be coming to live in the Netherlands, you must have owned and used the goods for at least 6 months before the move, you must import them within 12 months of your arrival, and you must keep using them and not lend, rent, pawn or sell them for 12 months after they clear customs. Alcohol, tobacco, commercial vehicles and non-portable items for professional use are excluded from the exemption.
A helpful feature of the Dutch system is that your mover can file the customs declaration and claim the verhuisboedel exemption on your behalf, rather than you having to attend customs in person. You supply the supporting evidence: your passport, proof you are relocating (such as your residence permit or MVV and your gemeente registration), a detailed inventory, and documents showing ownership and use. Because the exemption depends on you taking up residence, coordinate the container’s arrival with your own so the goods are not sitting at the port accruing storage charges.
4. Arriving: registration, residence, driving, healthcare
Most Indian nationals are third-country nationals for Dutch purposes and generally need permission arranged before travel. The usual route is an MVV (machtiging tot voorlopig verblijf, the provisional residence visa that lets you enter for a long stay) together with a residence permit from the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND). Common categories include the highly skilled migrant permit arranged by a recognised employer-sponsor, the EU Blue Card, study permits and family reunification. Your category shapes what you can do and how you renew, so confirm it before booking flights.
The single most important arrival step is registration. Anyone intending to live in the Netherlands for more than four months must register at their gemeente (municipality) within five days of arrival. Registration in the Basisregistratie Personen (BRP) produces your BSN, the citizen service number needed for work, banking, healthcare and almost everything else. You cannot get a BSN from the IND; it comes only from the municipality, so book the appointment before you land and bring your birth certificate (often legalised or apostilled and translated), passport and residence document.
For driving, a non-EU licence is valid for 185 days after you register in the BRP, after which you need a Dutch licence to keep driving. India is not on the general exchange list, so most Indian nationals must retake the Dutch theory and practical tests, unless they qualify for the 30% ruling (or its successor), which allows a straightforward exchange. A non-Dutch, non-English, non-German, non-French licence needs a sworn translation, and non-EU exchanges require an approved CBR health declaration.
Healthcare is compulsory: once you live and work in the Netherlands you must take out Dutch basic health insurance (basisverzekering), usually within four months of arrival, and you may be entitled to a healthcare allowance depending on income.
5. Pets
Read this section first, because it dictates your timeline. India is not on the EU’s list of approved (listed) third countries for pet movements, which places it in the higher-risk, unlisted category and triggers the full entry sequence for a dog or cat.
The order cannot be shortened. Your pet is first fitted with an ISO-standard microchip. It is then vaccinated against rabies (the microchip must already be in place). At least 30 days after that vaccination, an authorised vet draws a blood sample, which goes to an EU-approved laboratory for a rabies antibody titration test; the result must be at least 0.5 IU/ml. From the date the blood was drawn, there is a mandatory three-month wait before your pet may enter the EU. Only then, close to travel, do you obtain the EU animal health certificate and, on the Indian side, the AQCS export health certificate and No Objection Certificate.
Because the titre test happens at least 30 days after vaccination and is followed by a three-month wait, realistically allow four to five months from the first vet visit. Start this before you finalise flights or book the container. If the wait is not complete by your travel date, your pet cannot fly with you and must follow once the three months have elapsed.
6. Money, banking & tax basics
A Dutch bank account is much easier to open once you have your BSN, so registration at the gemeente is effectively the gateway to banking, salary payments and rent. Some banks accept applications with proof of a pending BSN, but most want the number in hand.
On tax, you become a Dutch tax resident broadly when your main home and life move to the Netherlands, after which Dutch tax applies to your income. Coordinate your departure date from India with the end of your Indian tax residency so the same income is not taxed twice; the India-Netherlands double-taxation treaty provides relief where overlaps occur. If you move for skilled work, ask whether you qualify for the expatriate tax facility (the 30% ruling or its 2026 successor), which can reduce tax and, usefully, also enables a straightforward driving-licence exchange.
Keep every certificate, inventory and receipt from the move together. The documents that satisfy customs also support your tax filing and any insurance claim.
How Flyto handles your India to the Netherlands move
Flyto Relocation runs the whole India-to-Netherlands corridor as a single managed project. We coordinate export packing and customs in India, book sea or air freight from Nhava Sheva or Chennai to Rotterdam, and file the Dutch declaration with the verhuisboedel exemption so your goods clear duty- and BTW-free where you qualify, with our team handling the paperwork so you do not have to attend customs. Because we operate our own hubs across Northern, Central and Southern Europe, the Dutch leg, delivery and unpacking stay under one roof. We plan the pet timeline backwards from the titre test and three-month wait, and we brief you on the five-day gemeente registration and BSN before you land. Get a quote and we will map your move end to end.
Frequently asked questions
Do I really need a rabies titre test for my dog or cat, and how far ahead should I start?
Yes. Because India is an unlisted third country, a dog or cat entering the EU needs a rabies antibody titration test drawn at least 30 days after vaccination with a result of at least 0.5 IU/ml, followed by a three-month wait from the blood-sampling date. Allow four to five months and start before booking travel. See European Commission.
How quickly must I register after arriving in the Netherlands?
If you plan to stay more than four months, you must register at your gemeente within five days of arrival, which is how you receive your BSN. See Dutch Customs and your municipality.
What are the conditions for duty-free removal goods?
You must have lived outside the EU for at least 12 months, owned and used the goods for at least 6 months, import them within 12 months of arrival, and keep using them for 12 months after clearance. See Dutch Customs.
Do I need a visa or permit before I move from India?
Usually yes. Most Indian nationals need an MVV entry visa and an IND residence permit, often via a recognised employer-sponsor. See IND.
Can I keep driving on my Indian licence?
Your Indian licence is valid for 185 days after BRP registration. After that most Indians must pass the Dutch tests, unless they qualify for the 30% ruling and can exchange. See Rotterdam.info.
Can my mover clear the goods without me attending customs?
Yes. In the Netherlands your mover can file the customs declaration and claim the verhuisboedel exemption on your behalf, provided you supply the supporting evidence. See Dutch Customs.
Related moves
Sources
- European Commission — Bringing a pet into the EU from a non-EU country
- Dutch Customs (Douane) — Moving to the Netherlands from a non-EU country
- IND — Provisional residence permit (MVV)
- Rotterdam.info — Exchange your driving licence
- AQCS India — Requirements for export of pets (dog and cat) out of India
- Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (India) — Customs
- Income Tax Department (India) — Tax clearance and residency
- Your Europe — Travelling with pets in the EU
Hiring an international mover? See our full International removals to India service — Flyto’s own European hubs, vetted local partners and one English-speaking coordinator, door to door.