Buying a house in the Netherlands as a foreigner

Can you buy a house in the Netherlands as a foreigner?

Yes. Dutch property law applies no nationality test and no residency test to ownership of a property. An EU citizen, a non-EU citizen on a temporary permit, and someone living abroad who has never set foot here can all appear on a deed of transfer.

The tax you pay differs by how you will use the property, and not by which passport you hold. You will read elsewhere that you need the legal right to live in the Netherlands before you can buy.

That is the test for a mortgage, not for ownership. If you are buying with cash, your residence status does not come into it. If you need to get yourself a mortgage, it's one of the first things a lender looks at and it shapes how much you can borrow.

What decides whether you can get a mortgage

Three things: where your passport is from, how secure your income is, and what your residence permit says on the back. Nationality on its own is never a barrier.

The combination of a non-EU passport, a temporary permit and a one-year contract is where lending gets difficult, and where advice early on saves you weeks of misplaced effort.

Before any of that, you will always need a citizen service number, registration with your local municipality and a Dutch bank account.

Lenders also run a credit check with the BKR register and will ask you to show that you have no outstanding debt abroad. None of this is difficult, but it takes time, and it is the part people start too late.

If you hold a non-EU passport

Lenders want to be sure you will not have to leave the country before the loan is repaid, so they look at your permit.

Most will want a valid residence permit whose stated purpose is not temporary, such as employment as a highly skilled migrant. A residence permit for an indefinite period removes the question entirely.

Expect a lower maximum loan. Many lenders cap borrowing for non-EU nationals on a temporary permit at around 90% of the property value, which means the remaining 10% plus all the buying costs has to come from your own savings.

Some will go further under conditions. Your own funds need to sit in a Dutch or European bank account.

If you are on a temporary contract

A one-year contract is not a problem on its own, as long as your income can be read as stable. The simplest route is an employer's statement with a declaration of intent,
in which your employer confirms in writing that they intend to move you to a permanent contract if your performance stays the same. Lenders then count your full current income.
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Without that declaration, lenders fall back on your income history. Most will ask for annual income statements covering the last three calendar years and use the average as the basis for your maximum loan.
A UWV employment record can serve as an alternative. Your income has to be paid in euros and taxed in the Netherlands.

If you have the 30% ruling

If you benefit from the 30% ruling, lenders will look at how long you have left on it. The remaining term forms part of the assessment, because it affects how your income is expected to develop.

Raise it at the first conversation rather than at the offer stage. An advisor who works with internationals every week will know which lenders handle it well.

How the Dutch buying process works

Finding a property and getting to a viewing

Almost everything on the market appears on Funda, and most of it sells fast. A viewing is arranged through the selling agent, and in a busy week the slots for a new listing can be gone within a day.

If you are still abroad, say so when you book: some agents will do a video walkthrough, others will not.

Making an offer, and what closed bidding means

You will not see what anyone else has bid. Dutch offers are made privately to the selling agent, who passes them to the seller, and nobody publishes the numbers afterwards.

That is why asking prices behave as a starting point rather than a ceiling, and why a first offer without local reference points is mostly guesswork.

An offer is more than a number. It also carries your proposed transfer date, any conditions you attach, and sometimes a short note about who you are.

In a competitive situation those parts can matter as much as the amount, because a seller is choosing certainty as well as price. A seller who needs to move in three months will weigh a matching transfer date heavily.

The financing clause, and what it costs you to keep it

Keeping a financing condition in your offer protects you: if the mortgage falls through, you can withdraw without forfeiting the deposit.

Dropping it makes your offer stronger and exposes you to the penalty set out in the contract, conventionally 10% of the purchase price. This is the hardest trade-off international buyers face here.

There is no general answer, and anyone who gives you one without seeing your mortgage position is guessing. What you can do is narrow the gap: get a firm indication from a lender before you view,
so that the condition you keep is short and specific rather than open-ended. A two-week financing period reads very differently to a seller than a six-week one.

Who writes the purchase agreement

The selling agent normally drafts it, not the notary. In practice a model purchase agreement is used and adapted where the property calls for it, and a notary is sometimes asked to check it rather than always.

You will see it described as a notarial document elsewhere; in the ordinary case it is not, and the distinction matters because it changes who you ask when a clause is unclear.

Read what the adapted clauses say. A model contract is standard until somebody changes it, and the changes are where the property's particulars live: an age clause on an older house,
a clause about what the seller does and does not know, an agreed transfer date, a list of what stays behind. That list is worth reading twice.

The cooling-off period

Once you have signed, you have three days in which you can pull out without giving a reason and without paying anything.

The period starts the day after you receive the signed contract, and at least two of the three days must not be a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday, so a day is added when they are.

You can agree a longer period with the seller if you both want to. You cannot agree a shorter one.

That first point is worth knowing before you sign, because it is a lever almost nobody asks for and it costs the seller nothing if they are not in a hurry. Use it to get a survey booked if the calendar is tight.

The structural survey

A survey is not compulsory. It is worth doing on an older property, where an independent inspector reports on the roof, the foundations, the woodwork and the installations, with an estimate of what any repairs would cost.

Expect €400 to €800 depending on the size and age of the house. In a fast market it often has to be arranged inside the cooling-off period.

The final inspection and the notary

On the day of transfer you walk through the property one more time, to check that it is in the state you agreed and that everything that was supposed to stay is still there.

You and the seller then sign the deed of transfer at the notary, the notary pays the seller, and the keys are handed over. From accepted offer to that moment is usually six to eight weeks.

What it costs on top of the purchase price

Existing homes in the Netherlands are almost always sold kosten koper, which means the buyer pays the costs of transfer on top of the agreed price.

Budget 4% to 6% of the purchase price if you are not claiming the starter exemption, and remember that none of it can be added to your mortgage. It comes out of savings.

Transfer tax

Which rate applies depends on how you will use the property, not on who you are. These are the 2026 rates:

• 2% if you will live in the property yourself for a longer period.
• 0% if you will live in it yourself, you are 18 to 34, and the property is worth no more than €555.000.
• 8% if you will not live in it yourself, for example a second home, a holiday home, or a property you intend to let.
• 10,4% for anything that is not a dwelling, including a separate garage box, an office or a shop.

The starter exemption, and its cliff edge

If you are 18 or over and under 35, will live in the property yourself for a longer period, have not used the exemption before, and the property is worth no more than €555.000, you pay no transfer tax at all.

All four conditions have to be met on the day the deed is signed. Age is measured at that moment, not at the offer. The value limit is a hard edge. At €555.000 you pay nothing; at €560.000 you pay 2% on the whole amount, not on the excess.
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Buying together does not split it either: if two buyers under 35 purchase a €600.000 house, neither gets the exemption, because the test looks at the value of the property rather than each share.

You are not obliged to use it. You can choose to pay 2% now and keep the exemption for a later purchase, which can be worth more if you expect to buy something more expensive while still under 35.

Whichever you choose, a signed declaration has to reach the notary before the transfer. The notary usually includes it in the deed.

If you plan to let part of the house

Letting out a room changes the calculation. The part you let is taxed at 8%, or 10,4% if it is let for business use, while the part you live in keeps the low rate.

There is one exception: if you let no more than 10% and live in 90% or more yourself, the low rate applies to the whole property. Worth checking before you commit to a house with a separate studio.

The other costs

Beyond the transfer tax, expect the following. Quotes differ between providers, so it is worth asking three.

• Notary, deed of transfer — €700 to €1.000
• Notary, mortgage deed — €700 to €1.000, only if you are borrowing
• Valuation report — €500 to €750, required by the lender
• Mortgage advice and arrangement — €1.500 to €4.000, usually more through a broker than through a bank
• Structural survey — €400 to €800, optional, advisable on an older property
• Buying agent — 0,5% to 1,5% of the purchase price, sometimes a fixed fee instead
• NHG guarantee — 0,4% of the mortgage, only below the NHG limit

How long it takes

From accepted offer to keys is usually six to eight weeks. The part nobody can put a number on is what comes before: the search.
Depending on your budget, the area and how specific your requirements are, that can be a fortnight or the better part of a year. Arriving with your financing prepared is the single biggest thing that shortens it.

Is it worth buying if you are here for a few years?

It depends on your horizon and your tolerance for the costs at both ends. You pay 4% to 6% going in and an agent's fee going out,
so a short stay has to be carried by either price growth or the difference between your mortgage payment and the rent you would otherwise pay. Neither of those is guaranteed(!).

There is a third option people forget: you do not have to sell when you leave. Keeping the property and letting it out is possible, though it changes your tax position and brings a set of landlord obligations with it.

That decision is worth working through before you buy, not after. It can change which property you should be looking at.

Buying a property in The Hague

The Hague draws people to the courts, the embassies and the international organisations, and the housing market has shaped itself around that.

Some neighbourhoods turn over quickly as postings begin and end; others barely come up for sale. Which one suits you usually comes down to the school run and the commute.

If you want to see what is on the market, start with the homes we currently have for sale. If you would rather have someone else handle the search, the viewings and the bidding,
here is what working with us on a purchase involves. Either way, it starts with a conversation about what you are looking for and when you need to be in.

Frequently asked questions

Can I buy a house in the Netherlands without living here?

Yes. Ownership carries no residency requirement, so you can buy from abroad and you can keep a Dutch property after you leave.
Financing is often times the constraint: most lenders want you registered and working in the Netherlands, so a purchase from abroad usually has to be funded in cash or through a lender abroad.

Can I get a Dutch mortgage on a temporary contract?

Usually yes, if your income reads as stable. The easiest route is an employer's statement with a declaration of intent to make your contract permanent.
Without one, lenders will look at annual income statements from the last three calendar years and work from the average, which lowers your maximum if your income has been rising.

Do I need to speak Dutch to buy a house here?

No, but you will be signing documents in Dutch. The deed of transfer is drawn up in Dutch and the notary will want to be satisfied that you understand what you are signing,
which in practice means an interpreter or a sworn translation if your Dutch is limited. Agents and mortgage advisors generally work in English.

How much of my own money do I need?

Enough to cover the buying costs, which a mortgage cannot include. That is 4% to 6% of the purchase price for most buyers, less if you qualify for the starter exemption.
Non-EU buyers on a temporary permit are often capped at around 90% of the property value, so add another 10% on top of that. Plan it before you start viewing.

What does kosten koper mean?

It means the buyer pays the costs of transfer on top of the agreed price. Existing homes are almost always sold this way,
so an asking price of €500.000 kosten koper will cost you somewhere between €520.000 and €530.000 in total.

New-build is usually sold the other way, with those costs included. The Dutch term for that is vrij op naam.

Sources used

• Transfer tax rates: Belastingdienst, Het tarief van de overdrachtsbelasting and Laag tarief
• Starter exemption and the €555.000 limit: Belastingdienst, Wanneer kunt u de startersvrijstelling krijgen?, updated 6 January 2026
• Cooling-off period: Rijksoverheid, Hoeveel bedenktijd heb ik na het kopen van een woning?, updated 6 August 2026
• Bank guarantee: Consumentenbond
• Lender requirements for non-EU nationals and temporary contracts: Kredieter
• Cost ranges: Vereniging Eigen Huis, ABN AMRO, Viisi

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