Moving from Vietnam to the Netherlands (2026): Relocation Guide
Key takeaways
- Start with your pet. Vietnam is not an EU-listed third country, so a dog or cat entering the Netherlands needs a microchip, rabies vaccination, and a rabies antibody titration test (blood drawn at least 30 days after vaccination at an EU-approved laboratory, result at least 0.5 IU/ml), then a three-month wait before EU entry. It is the longest-lead item in the move.
- Dutch removal-goods relief is real but your mover must file it. The verhuisboedel exemption waives import duty and 21% BTW (VAT) if you have lived outside the EU for at least 12 consecutive months and have owned and used the goods for at least 6 months — but the declaration is submitted by your removal company through Customs’ AGS system, not by you.
- Register fast on arrival. If you will live in the Netherlands for more than four months you must register in person with your municipality (gemeente) within five days of arrival to be entered in the BRP and receive your BSN.
- Sea freight from Cat Lai or Hai Phong to Rotterdam typically takes around 30-40 days port to port, plus packing and clearance. Air freight is the fast, pricier alternative.
- Third-country nationals need an IND residence permit first; the municipality wants to see it (or proof it has been applied for) before completing your registration.
- Your Vietnamese driving licence cannot be exchanged. You may use it for 185 days after registering; after that you must pass the Dutch driving exam.
1. Leaving Vietnam: what to close out
Moving from Vietnam to the Netherlands is a non-EU-to-EU relocation, so both sides run formal customs and immigration processes. On the Vietnamese side, two threads need early attention: your immigration status and your pet’s documentation.
Immigration and your residence card. If you hold a Temporary Residence Card (TRC), you may have to cancel it before leaving Vietnam permanently. The Immigration Department (Cục Quản lý xuất nhập cảnh) applies a rule in some provinces (including Hanoi and Dong Nai) requiring TRC holders to cancel the card before a permanent exit and then obtain a separate exit visa, during which your passport may be held for around seven business days. Begin the cancellation at least three to four weeks before departure. Holders of long-term visas, or cards issued in other provinces, should confirm the exact process with the issuing office.
Customs export of your belongings. Your household goods leave Vietnam as an export shipment. Your international mover files the export declaration with Vietnam Customs (Tổng cục Hải quan), prepares the packing inventory and books the vessel. Keep copies of your passport, visa or TRC, and a valued inventory — the Dutch side will need the inventory again for clearance.
Pet export certificate. Independently of the EU entry rules in section 5, Vietnam’s Department of Animal Health (Cục Thú y, DAH) must endorse the export/health paperwork for your dog or cat. The EU animal health certificate used to enter the Netherlands must be officially endorsed by the DAH shortly before travel, so schedule a DAH-authorised vet visit in your final week.
2. How your household goods ship to the Netherlands
Nearly all moves from Vietnam to the Netherlands go by sea container. The main loading ports are Cat Lai in Ho Chi Minh City (best for the south) and Hai Phong in the north (best for Hanoi and surrounding provinces), with Da Nang serving central Vietnam. The natural destination is Rotterdam, one of the largest ports in the world and the standard gateway for Asia-to-Europe cargo, from which your goods are trucked to your Dutch address.
Transit time. Direct ocean transit between Vietnam and the Netherlands typically runs 25-35 days port to port; because most services from Cat Lai or Hai Phong transship at a hub such as Singapore, Port Klang or Tanjung Pelepas, plan for roughly 30-40 days on the water. Add packing and export clearance in Vietnam and Dutch customs at Rotterdam, and a realistic door-to-door window is eight to twelve weeks.
Container, groupage or air. A 20-foot container suits a one- to two-bedroom home; a 40-foot container suits a larger family. For a partial load, groupage (LCL) shares a container with other shipments — cheaper, but with a slightly longer, less predictable schedule. If you need a small volume of essentials quickly, air freight from Tan Son Nhat or Noi Bai reaches Amsterdam Schiphol in days, at several times the per-kilo cost of sea, so most people fly only the must-haves and ship the bulk.
3. Netherlands customs & transfer-of-residence relief
Goods arriving in the Netherlands from outside the EU are normally subject to import duty and 21% BTW (Dutch VAT). People genuinely relocating can bring their used household effects in free of both under the removal-goods exemption (vrijstelling voor verhuisboedel), administered by Dutch Customs (Douane).
The core conditions. To qualify when moving from a non-EU country you must have lived outside the European Union for at least 12 consecutive months, you must be transferring your normal place of residence to an EU member state, and you must have owned and used the goods for at least 6 months. The goods must be imported within 12 months of your change of residence.
You cannot file it yourself. This is the crucial procedural point: the verhuisboedel declaration must be submitted by your removal company through Customs’ AGS declaration system, using the correct relief code so the shipment clears without import duties. Choose a mover experienced on the Vietnam-to-Netherlands lane and give them your documents in good time.
Documents you will typically need: your passport; proof you lived in Vietnam for at least a year (residence card, tenancy contract, utility bills, employer letter); proof you are settling in the Netherlands (rental contract, employment contract, or IND residence permit); and a detailed valued inventory of the shipment. Certain goods (alcohol, tobacco, vehicles) have their own rules and may not benefit from the exemption in the same way.
4. Arriving: registration, residence, driving, healthcare
Residence permit first. As a Vietnamese citizen (a third-country national) you need a residence permit from the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) — arranged, for most categories, before you travel, often via an employer or sponsor (for example the highly-skilled-migrant route). The municipality will ask to see your residence permit, or proof that it has been applied for, when you register.
Register with the gemeente (BRP and BSN). If you will live in the Netherlands for more than four months, you must register in person with your municipality within five days of arrival. Registration enters you in the Personal Records Database (BRP) and gives you a citizen service number (BSN), which you need for work, banking, healthcare and tax. Bring your passport, birth certificate (often legalised/apostilled and translated), your residence permit or IND proof, and your rental contract. (If you will stay less than four months, you register instead in the Non-residents Records Database, RNI, at one of the designated RNI municipalities.)
Healthcare and insurance. Dutch health insurance (zorgverzekering) is mandatory for most residents and must usually be taken out within four months of becoming insured/registered, backdated to your start date. You need your BSN to arrange it, so sort your registration promptly.
Driving. Vietnam is not on the Dutch list of countries whose licences can be exchanged. You may drive on your Vietnamese licence for up to 185 days after you register in the BRP; after that you must obtain a Dutch licence, which means passing the Dutch theory and practical driving exam (via the CBR) and then applying through the RDW. If you are eligible for the 30% tax ruling as a skilled migrant, a more favourable exchange route can apply, so check your situation.
5. Pets
Begin here, because the timeline is biological and cannot be shortened. Vietnam is an unlisted third country for EU pet travel, which means the full route applies. In order, your dog or cat needs:
- Microchip — an ISO 11784/11785 compliant chip, implanted before or at the same time as the rabies vaccination and recorded on every document afterward.
- Rabies vaccination — a valid rabies shot given after the microchip.
- Rabies antibody titration test — a blood sample taken at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination, sent to an EU-approved laboratory, with a result of at least 0.5 IU/ml.
- Three-month wait — the pet may only enter the EU three months (90 days) after the date the successful blood sample was drawn, not the date results arrive. From a standing start the whole microchip-vaccinate-wait-test-wait sequence takes roughly four to five months minimum, so this is the item that sets your earliest possible arrival date.
- EU animal health certificate — issued and officially endorsed by Vietnam’s Department of Animal Health, with a signed owner’s declaration of non-commercial movement, shortly before travel. It is valid only for a limited window, so it is done last.
Point of entry. Pets from unlisted countries must enter the EU through a designated Traveller’s Point of Entry (TPOE) for checks — Amsterdam Schiphol is the obvious one for the Netherlands. Confirm your flight lands at a TPOE. Given the titre timeline, many families use a specialist pet-relocation service and fly the animal separately from the household shipment once every deadline is met.
6. Money, banking & tax basics
Banking. Most Dutch banks require your BSN (and proof of address) to open a current account, so registration comes first. A few banks and fintechs open accounts on a passport initially, bridging the gap while your BSN is issued.
Tax residence and the 30% ruling. Living in the Netherlands generally makes you a Dutch tax resident, taxed on worldwide income. Incoming skilled migrants may qualify for the 30% ruling (a tax advantage on part of salary) if conditions are met — worth checking with your employer before arrival, as it also affects the driving-licence exchange route.
Currency and costs. Converting Vietnamese dong to euros carries exchange risk and transfer costs; compare a specialist transfer service with your bank, and keep documentation for large inbound transfers, which banks may query for anti-money-laundering purposes. Budget too for the shipping, marine insurance, destination charges at Rotterdam, the pet’s veterinary and flight costs, and administrative fees for the IND permit, registration and driving exams.
How Flyto handles your Vietnam to the Netherlands move
Flyto Relocation runs the whole corridor for you — export booking and clearance from Cat Lai or Hai Phong, the sea (or air) leg to Rotterdam, the verhuisboedel declaration filed correctly through the AGS system so your goods clear without duty or BTW, and final delivery to your Dutch home. Because we operate our own hubs across Northern, Central and Southern Europe, your shipment stays inside one coordinated network instead of being passed between unconnected agents, and we schedule the pet’s titre-test timeline alongside the freight so no deadline is missed. Send us your dates, your origin city and your inventory and we will build one plan and one price. Get a quote and we will lay out your Vietnam-to-Netherlands move step by step.
Frequently asked questions
How early should I start the rabies titre test for my pet?
At least four to five months before arrival. The blood sample must be taken at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination and show at least 0.5 IU/ml, and the pet can only enter the EU three months after that successful draw. See the European Commission’s rules on bringing a pet into the EU from a non-EU country.
Do I pay import duty and BTW on my household goods?
Not if you qualify for the verhuisboedel exemption: at least 12 months living outside the EU and goods owned and used for at least 6 months, imported within 12 months. Your removal company files it through AGS. See Dutch Customs (Douane).
How quickly must I register after arriving?
Within five days of arrival, in person at your municipality, if you will live in the Netherlands for more than four months. This gives you your BRP entry and BSN. See NetherlandsWorldwide — when to register.
How long does the sea shipment take?
Typically around 30-40 days port to port including a transshipment stop, plus packing and customs at both ends — realistically eight to twelve weeks door to door.
Can I exchange my Vietnamese driving licence in the Netherlands?
Generally no. You may drive on your Vietnamese licence for 185 days after registering, then you must pass the Dutch driving exam, unless a special route (such as the 30% ruling) applies. See RDW — exchanging a foreign driving licence.
Do I need to cancel my Vietnamese residence card before leaving?
If you hold a Temporary Residence Card, you may need to cancel it and obtain an exit visa before permanently departing, which can take a week or more. Start three to four weeks ahead and confirm with the Vietnam Immigration Department.
Related moves
Sources
- European Commission (Food Safety) — Bringing a pet into the EU from a non-EU country
- European Commission — Non-commercial movement of pets from non-EU countries (legislation)
- Dutch Customs (Douane) — Moving things from a non-EU country
- Government of the Netherlands (NetherlandsWorldwide) — When to register in the BRP
- Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) — Residence permits
- RDW — Exchanging a foreign driving licence
- Vietnam Immigration Department (Ministry of Public Security)
- General Department of Vietnam Customs
- Vietnam Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Department of Animal Health)
Hiring an international mover? See our full International removals to Vietnam service — Flyto’s own European hubs, vetted local partners and one English-speaking coordinator, door to door.