Which formalities matter after arriving in the Netherlands?

In Berlin you deregister within two weeks of moving out if you keep no home in Germany. In the Netherlands you register with the Gemeente within five days of arrival and receive your BSN. Then come DigiD, a bank account and basic insurance. With a car, the BPM exemption and RDW inspection are added.

What does a move to the Netherlands cost?

The costs depend on volume, floors, furniture lift and additional services; the route from Berlin, at around 660 km to Amsterdam, is largely fixed. After a survey we quote a fixed price . For small loads a shared load can be cheaper. More on costs is in the guide on costs and planning; enquiries on 01625978461.

Do I have to re-register my car when moving to the Netherlands?

Yes. After you register with the Gemeente the car gets Dutch number plates; before that the RDW inspects it. BPM does not apply to removal goods if you have owned and used the car for at least six months; you submit the application before the inspection. Your German EU driving licence remains valid, an exchange is not required.

How long does a long-distance move to Holland take?

From Berlin it is around 660 km to Amsterdam and just under 700 km to The Hague; for a removal lorry this is a long day's drive close to the daily driving time limit. Often the lorry is loaded and driven on the first day and unloaded the next morning. There are no customs forms, so no waiting time at the border either. We agree the exact process with you.

Do I need Dutch health insurance?

As a rule, yes: anyone who lives or works in the Netherlands must take out the Dutch basic insurance . You have four months to do so; it applies retroactively from the start of the insurance obligation, so the premium is paid in arrears. If you continue to work in Germany, clarify your case with your health insurer beforehand.

How do I find a flat in the Netherlands?

The housing market in Amsterdam, Utrecht and The Hague is very tight. Start searching early and use several portals and estate agents. To register with the Gemeente you need a residential address and proof of it, such as the tenancy agreement. Only give notice on your Berlin flat once it is signed, and set the moving date after that.

What is the BSN number and how do I apply for it?

The BSN (Burgerservicenummer) is the personal citizen service number in the Netherlands. You receive it automatically when you register in the population register (BRP) at the Gemeente. Employers, banks, health insurers and the tax authority ask for it. With the BSN you can then apply for DigiD, the access for online official matters.

Can I organise my move to the Netherlands as a shared load?

Yes, for small moving volumes there is the shared load : your household goods travel towards the Netherlands with other consignments, and you pay your share of the cargo space. This suits students, single people or one room. Instead of a fixed delivery day you get a time window; the statutory liability of €620 per cubic metre also applies here.

Which documents do I need for the move to the Netherlands?

For the Gemeente: passport or identity card and proof of your residential address, such as the tenancy agreement; depending on the Gemeente, also a birth or marriage certificate. For the car: vehicle documents and proof of ownership and use for at least six months for the BPM exemption. An inventory list is not needed for customs, but is useful for you and your contents insurance.

Does Beste Umzug Unternehmen also offer private moves to the Netherlands?

Yes, our private move also applies to moves from Berlin to the Netherlands: dismantling, packing on request, transport and reassembly. We quote the fixed price after the survey in Berlin. For your removal goods we are liable under § 451e HGB at €620 per cubic metre; for valuable items additional insurance is worthwhile.

Where does the move to the Netherlands start from?

We are based in Berlin-Moabit (Stromstraße 21) and handle moves that start in Berlin. The lorry travels via the A2 and the A30 to the border at Bad Bentheim and from there to your new address. We do not have a location in the Netherlands; you handle the official matters there yourself. Contact us on 01625978461 for a quote.

STRESS-FREE MOVING

Moving to the Netherlands: customs formalities and process

There is no customs duty when moving to the Netherlands – but there are formalities. Here is the order.

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FROM BERLIN-MOABIT

Formalities: Netherlands

Deregister, arrive, register: the formalities in the right order

From Berlin to the Netherlands

Unsere Firma is based in Berlin-Moabit and takes your household goods to the Netherlands – you handle the official steps with this overview.

In customs terms, a move to the Netherlands is simple: Germany and the Netherlands are both in the EU, used household goods are neither declared nor subject to duty at the border, and customs does not ask for an inventory list. The formalities lie elsewhere – with the registration authorities of both countries, with health insurance and with the car. In Germany you deregister if you are not keeping a home in the country: within two weeks of moving out, at the earliest one week before (§ 17 para. 2 BMG). In the Netherlands you register with the municipality (Gemeente) within five days of arrival if you are staying longer than four months.

When you register in the population register (BRP), you receive your citizen service number (BSN); only then can you apply for DigiD, which lets you handle many official matters online. You take out the Dutch basic health insurance within four months, backdated to the start of the insurance obligation. A car you bring with you gets Dutch number plates after registration; you apply for the BPM exemption for removal goods before the RDW inspection. We are based in Berlin-Moabit (Stromstraße 21) and handle the transport – how we move abroad is explained under international moves.

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Fixed price after a survey in Berlin

Plan your move to Holland early: call us on 01625978461 and arrange a free survey in Berlin. After that we quote a fixed price for dismantling, transport and reassembly. You handle the formalities in both countries yourself; with the overview on this page you know what is due when.

Quotes available individually based on workload, scheduling and the desired scope of services.

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ORDER OF STEPS

Four stations of the formalities

From the Berlin Bürgeramt to the RDW

The official steps of a move to the Netherlands are spread across four stations: the Berlin registration office (Bürgeramt), the Gemeente at your new place of residence, health insurance and – if you take a car – the Belastingdienst and the RDW. We handle the transport: we are based in Berlin-Moabit (Stromstraße 21), carry out the survey in Berlin and then quote a fixed price. For your removal goods we are liable under § 451e HGB at €620 per cubic metre; for valuable items additional insurance is worthwhile. You submit the applications yourself.

Bürgeramt Berlin

Deregister within two weeks of moving out, at the earliest one week before – only if you keep no home in Germany.

Gemeente

Registration in the BRP within five days of arrival, for stays of more than four months. There you receive your BSN.

Health insurance

Take out the Dutch basic insurance within four months – it applies retroactively from the start of the obligation.

Belastingdienst and RDW

Car: first apply for the BPM exemption, then the RDW inspection and Dutch number plates. Apply no later than twelve months after the move.

NO CUSTOMS WITHIN THE EU

What applies at the border

There are no customs formalities for household goods between Germany and the Netherlands. Some things still need preparation – above all pets, the car and valuables. These six points should be settled before you leave Berlin.

Household goods duty-free

Used furniture, clothing and boxes cross the border at Bad Bentheim without being declared. An inventory list is only useful for you and your insurance.

Dogs and cats

Microchip, EU pet passport and a valid rabies vaccination; the first vaccination must have been given at least 21 days earlier.

The car

BPM-exempt as removal goods if you have owned and used it for at least six months. If it is sold or lent within twelve months, BPM becomes due.

The driving licence

A valid German EU driving licence remains valid; the RDW states 15 years from the date of issue. Exchanging it is possible on a voluntary basis.

Valuables

Take jewellery, cash and documents with you yourself – the removal company's liability for such goods is excluded by law.

Special goods

Clarify weapons and other items requiring a permit with the authorities of both countries before you leave – they do not belong in the lorry without asking.

FOR SMALL LOADS

Small loads to the Netherlands

Across the border without your own lorry

For individual pieces of furniture, one room or a small household, a shared load can be cheaper: your removal goods travel towards the Netherlands together with other consignments. Here too there are no customs formalities at the border. Instead of a fixed delivery day you get a time window.

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STEP BY STEP

Before
the move, at the border, after arrival

The process in three phases

When moving to the Netherlands, transport and formalities go hand in hand: in Berlin you deregister and pack, nothing happens at the border, and in the Netherlands the Gemeente, BSN, insurance and, if applicable, the car follow. What the move costs and how to set the schedule from giving notice to the start of the tenancy is covered in the guide costs and planning. A detailed list for the first weeks is in the emigration checklist.

Before the move in Berlin

Give notice on your tenancy, arrange a survey and fixed price, cancel electricity, internet and the broadcasting licence fee, set up mail forwarding. Within two weeks of moving out you deregister at the Bürgeramt if you keep no home in Germany.

Moving day

Dismantling and loading in Berlin, drive via the A2 and A30 to the border at Bad Bentheim, on into the Netherlands without a customs stop. Depending on the destination, unloading takes place in the evening or the next morning; in steep stairwells a furniture lift helps.

The first few weeks

Go to the Gemeente within five days, receive your BSN, apply for DigiD, take out basic insurance within four months. With a car: apply for the BPM exemption, RDW inspection, Dutch number plates. Notify your bank, employer and German insurers of your new address.

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FAQ

Questions about customs, formalities and process

Customs, Gemeente, BSN, car, driving licence, health insurance and duration – answered briefly.

No. Germany and the Netherlands are EU member states; there is no customs declaration and no import duty on used household goods. Nobody asks for an inventory list at the border, but it helps with packing and in the event of damage. For pets, a microchip, EU pet passport and rabies vaccination are required; clarify weapons and other goods requiring a permit with the authorities beforehand.

Customs and import: what applies when moving to the Netherlands

Because Germany and the Netherlands belong to the European Union, there is no customs declaration and no import duty on used household goods when moving to the Netherlands. Nobody asks for an inventory list at the border; it is still useful for tracking boxes and for proving what is missing in the event of damage. For pets, the EU rules apply: microchip, EU pet passport, valid rabies vaccination.

A car needs more preparation: after you register with the Gemeente it gets Dutch number plates. The BPM tax does not apply if you have owned and used the car for at least six months; you submit the application before the RDW inspection, no later than twelve months after the move.

Registration, BSN and insurance after arrival

Anyone living in the Netherlands for longer than four months registers with the Gemeente within five days of arrival. Partners and children come along to the appointment. There you receive your citizen service number (BSN), which you need for your employer, bank, tax and health insurance; after that you can apply for DigiD for online official matters.

You take out the Dutch basic insurance within four months, backdated to the start of the obligation. Coordinate the transport so that your furniture is in the flat by the time you register at the latest. Our private move covers dismantling, transport and reassembly. Also remember to inform your bank, employer, German insurers and the broadcasting licence fee office of your new address – mail forwarding catches the post for the first few months.

Transparent moving costs

Service	Cost
1-room	from €365
2-room	from €584
3-room	from €905
4-room	from €1,269
House/villa	individual
Long-distance move	from €4.10/km

All prices are guide values. For an exact calculation, use our free survey.

What does the moving price depend on?

How much your move costs depends primarily on the volume of your household goods and the distance to be covered, which is charged from €4.10/km. The floor and whether a lift can be used also play a role. If you need a parking restriction zone (Halteverbotszone), this also has an effect. Furniture assembly and a shared load can be booked as options.

Moving services in detail

You can book these services individually for your move to the Netherlands.

House clearance: we clear flats, cellars and lofts – house clearance

Move with assembly: furniture assembly included – move with assembly

Furniture transport: we also transport individual pieces of furniture – furniture transport

Private move: personal support from A to Z – private move

Shared load: save costs through combined transports – shared load

Office move: for a smooth business relocation – office move

Moves from Berlin

We are based in Berlin-Moabit (Stromstraße 21) and handle moves from Berlin to the Netherlands; we do not have a location there. Further destinations with their own pages can be found in the locations overview, routes within Germany under long-distance moves.

Moving Abroad

Beste Umzug Redaktion

August 14, 2026

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Moving Abroad Long-Distance Move Netherlands

Moving to the Netherlands: costs & planning