How to open a bank account
Sources checked on · Launch candidate pending human review · Translated from the Spanish original
To be paid, pay your rent and take out health insurance you will need an account with an IBAN. If you are legally resident in the EU, you have the right to open a basic payment account.
Who this is for
Anyone starting to work or live in the Netherlands.
What you need
- A valid identity document.
- Usually a BSN and a registered address. Each bank sets its own requirements: check with the bank.
- A mobile phone, if the bank works through an app.
Steps
- Compare banks: fees, app, service in English or your language.
- Ask which documents they need and whether you can start before you have a BSN.
- Open the account at the bank or in its official app.
- Give your IBAN to your employer for your pay and use it for your health insurance.
- Turn on transaction alerts and keep your login details to yourself.
Relevant exceptions
- The right to a basic payment account has exceptions, listed on Your Europe.
- It does not cover other products, such as savings accounts.
Common mistakes
- Opening accounts through “agents” who charge you or ask for your login details.
- Letting someone else use your account to receive money: you could end up involved in fraud.
- Forgetting that your health insurer will also ask for a bank account.
The right to a basic account does not cover other products, such as savings accounts.
Official sources
Deadlines, amounts and requirements change. Always check them with the source.
Frequently asked questions
Can a bank refuse me a basic account?
Not just because you do not live in the bank's country, if you are legally resident in the EU. There are exceptions; they are listed on Your Europe.
Can I be paid into my account at home in the meantime?
Ask your employer or agency. We have not verified an official rule we can summarise here.
What is iDEAL?
The most widely used online payment system there. It works with Dutch accounts.
Related
How to get your BSN
What the BSN is, where to get it (municipality or RNI desk), what to bring and the official deadlines when you arrive in the Netherlands.
How health insurance works
Basic health insurance in the Netherlands: who must have it, the four-month deadline, the 2026 excess, healthcare benefit and when you can switch insurer.
Your first 30 days in the Netherlands
A step-by-step plan for your first month in the Netherlands: registration, BSN, bank account, health insurance, DigiD and first payslip, with official deadlines.
Does your case not fit? Read about personal guidance. This is general information, not legal, employment or tax advice.