How to move your household goods in NL

Whether this is an administrative task at all depends on one thing: where you are moving from. Inside the European Union, free movement of goods means there is no customs declaration to make for your belongings. From outside it, your belongings are an import, and there is relief available for goods that genuinely belong to your household. Douane calls those verhuisgoederen. The important practical point is that you do not deal with Douane yourself: Douane states that you cannot file this declaration and that a removal or transport company arranges it for you.

Establish whether the country you are leaving is in the EU customs territory, and do not reach for the EEA instead. They are not the same thing, and Switzerland is neither an EEA state nor in the EU customs territory. Then work out the date you will settle in the Netherlands and register with a municipality, because most of the relief conditions are counted from that date. Get quotes from removal companies early, because the one you choose is the party that files the declaration.

These are different customs routes with different conditions, not variations on one procedure.

• From another EU country

  Douane states that if you come to the Netherlands from another EU country you do not have to make a customs declaration for your things. Free movement of goods applies within the EU. Limited quantities of alcohol and tobacco for personal use can be brought without paying excise duty, cars and motorcycles have their own BPM rules, and the country you are leaving may have requirements of its own that you have to settle before you go.

• From outside the EU, as a normal relocation

  This is the verhuisgoederen relief. Douane's conditions include that you have lived outside the EU for at least 12 consecutive months, that you have owned and used the goods for at least 6 months, that you will keep using them for the same purpose, that you import them within 12 months of settling in the Netherlands, and that you will not lend, pledge, rent out or transfer them for 12 months after import.

• From outside the EU, to study here

  Douane runs a separate student route with its own conditions and its own, narrower list of goods: clothing, linen, used movable goods needed for the normal furnishing of a student room, and study materials for your own use during your studies. Do not apply the 12, 6 and 12 month formula from the ordinary relocation route to it, and note that Douane states there is never an exemption for a car or motorcycle on the study route.

• You are bringing a vehicle

  Cars and motorcycles are governed separately from household goods, on both routes. Take that question to Douane and the RDW rather than folding it into the removal.

1. 1

   Establish which customs route you are on

   Everything downstream depends on whether you are moving from inside or outside the EU customs territory. Douane states that if you come to the Netherlands from another EU country you do not have to make a customs declaration for your things, because free movement of goods applies within the EU. From outside it, your belongings are an import and the question becomes whether they qualify for relief. Do not use the EEA as the boundary: it is not the same as the EU customs territory, and Switzerland is not an EEA state either.

   Do this: Confirm whether the country you are leaving is in the EU, and note the date you will settle in the Netherlands.

   Documents needed

   • Your moving date
   • Proof of where you have been living

   Processing time

   10 minutes

   Common mistake: Reaching for the EEA instead of the EU is the common error, and it puts people on the wrong route from the start.

   Official source

   Douane · Moving your things to the Netherlands from an EU country
2. 2

   Check your goods against the relief conditions

   For an ordinary relocation from outside the EU, Douane's conditions include that you have lived outside the EU for at least 12 consecutive months, that you have owned and used the goods for at least 6 months, that you will continue to use them for the same purpose, that you import them within 12 months of moving to the Netherlands, and that you will not lend, pledge, rent out or transfer them for 12 months after import. Douane's definition of verhuisgoederen is everything intended for personal use by you or your family, and it names small pets and riding animals, movable goods such as furniture and objects, portable instruments for the exercise of a profession, and household supplies for normal household use.

   Do this: Go through your inventory against the 12, 6 and 12 month conditions and mark anything that falls outside them.

   Documents needed

   • A draft inventory of what you are shipping

   Processing time

   An hour or two

   Common mistake: Buying furniture shortly before the move. The 6 month ownership and use condition can put brand new purchases outside the relief.

   Official source

   Douane · Household goods and exemptions, with the conditions for the relief
3. 3

   Appoint a removal or transport company to file the declaration

   This is not optional and it is the part most people get wrong. Douane states that you cannot make this declaration yourself, and that a removal or transport company arranges it for you, requesting the exemption from Douane with an import declaration through the customs declaration system. Choosing the company is therefore also choosing who handles your customs position, so ask each quote what it covers.

   Do this: Get written quotes and confirm with each company that it files the import declaration and requests the verhuisgoederen exemption.

   Documents needed

   • Your inventory
   • Your arrival date and destination address

   Cost

   Removal and shipping charges are set by the company and vary widely

   Processing time

   Book well ahead of the shipping date

   Common mistake: Assuming you can present the goods yourself at the border. Douane is explicit that a removal or transport company does this.

   Official source

   Douane · Moving to the Netherlands from a non-EU country
4. 4

   Assemble the evidence your remover needs

   The company filing the declaration needs a signed inventory and proof that, and when, you established residence in the Netherlands. Douane names municipal registration as that proof, and states that where you do not have it you can send proof of deregistration from the country you are leaving. Where documents are still missing, Douane allows the removal company to request the exemption for household goods conditionally.

   Do this: Send your remover the signed inventory and your proof of settling here, and tell it immediately if the municipal registration is not yet done.

   Documents needed

   • Signed inventory list
   • Proof of municipal registration, or of deregistration abroad
   • Employment or housing evidence, where asked

   Processing time

   Before the shipment is declared

   Common mistake: Leaving the inventory vague. It is the document Douane assesses the relief against, so a box listed as 'miscellaneous' invites questions.

   Official source

   Douane · What the removal company needs from you
5. 5

   Handle pets, vehicles and students separately

   Three things sit outside the ordinary relocation route. Pets can fall inside the customs concept of verhuisgoederen, since Douane's definition names small pets and riding animals, but the veterinary requirements are separate and are the NVWA's: for a dog or cat coming from outside the EU these involve a chip, a valid rabies vaccination and, from high-risk countries, a blood test with a waiting period, which can mean starting months in advance. Cars and motorcycles are governed separately on both routes. Students have their own Douane route, covering clothing, linen, used goods needed to furnish a student room and study materials, and Douane states there is never an exemption for a car or motorcycle on it.

   Do this: If a pet, a vehicle or a student move is involved, open the specific page for it and treat it as its own task with its own lead time.

   Documents needed

   • Pet passport and vaccination record
   • Vehicle documents
   • Proof of enrolment, on the student route

   Processing time

   Pet preparation can need several months before departure

   Common mistake: Treating a pet as furniture because customs classifies it as household goods. The customs classification says nothing about the veterinary rules.

   Official source

   NVWA · Bringing a dog or cat from a country outside the EU
6. 6

   Keep the paperwork for a year after import

   The relief comes with a condition that outlives the move: Douane requires that you do not lend, pledge, rent out or transfer the goods for 12 months after the date they were imported. Keep the declaration, the inventory and your remover's paperwork for at least that long, because they are what shows which goods came in under the relief and when.

   Do this: File the customs paperwork with your other move documents and set a reminder for 12 months after the import date.

   Documents needed

   • The import declaration and exemption confirmation
   • The final inventory

   Processing time

   12 months from the date of import

   Common mistake: Selling relieved goods in the first year. The no-transfer condition runs for 12 months after import, not from when you moved.

   Official source

   Douane · The conditions attached to the household goods relief

• A signed inventory list of everything being shipped
• Proof that you have settled in the Netherlands, normally your municipal registration
• Proof of deregistration from the country you are leaving, where you do not yet have Dutch registration
• Evidence supporting the move, such as an employment contract or a rental or purchase agreement for your home
• Proof of enrolment at a Dutch institution, on the student route
• Documents for anything in a special category, such as pets, a vehicle or inherited goods

• Where the relief applies and the conditions are met, the goods come in free of import duty and VAT. The relief is the saving, not a charge.
• Removal and shipping charges are set by the company you hire and vary widely with volume, distance and whether you use sea or air freight, so compare written quotes.
• The declaration is filed by the removal or transport company, and some include that in the quote while others bill it separately. Ask which.
• Storage, insurance, port or handling charges, and any duty on goods that fall outside the relief, are all separate again.

The relief is bounded by the 12 month window after you move to the Netherlands, so the practical schedule is set by shipping and by your remover rather than by a customs deadline. Douane's current process for relocation from outside the EU was published on 1 September 2026. Where you do not yet hold proof of Dutch municipal registration, Douane allows a removal company to request the exemption conditionally, so a gap in your paperwork does not have to stop the shipment.

Requirements depend on your situation. Check the latest requirements with the relevant authority.

• Trying to file the import declaration yourself. Douane states that you cannot do this and that a removal or transport company arranges it through the customs declaration system.
• Thinking of the boundary as the EEA rather than the EU. EEA membership is not the same as being in the EU customs territory, and Switzerland is not an EEA state either.
• Assuming pets cannot travel as part of a household move. Douane's own definition of verhuisgoederen includes small pets and riding animals. That is a customs classification and it does nothing about the veterinary rules, which are the NVWA's and can require preparation months in advance.
• Buying furniture just before the move. The ordinary relief requires that you have owned and used the goods for at least 6 months, so new purchases can fall outside it.
• Selling or lending relieved goods soon after arrival. Douane's condition is that you do not lend, pledge, rent out or transfer them for 12 months after import.
• Using the ordinary relocation conditions on the student route. It is a separate route with a narrower list of goods and no exemption for a car or motorcycle.

• Register with your municipality as soon as you can, because the proof of registration is what your remover needs and the 12 month import window runs from your move.
• Give your remover the inventory and the supporting documents in one go, since it is the party that has to satisfy Douane.
• Keep the customs paperwork for at least a year, because the no-transfer condition runs for 12 months after import.
• If a pet is coming, use the moving-with-your-pet guide early, because NVWA animal-health requirements can need preparation well before departure.
• Handle a vehicle as its own project, with Douane and the RDW, rather than as part of the household shipment.