Opening a bank account in the Netherlands is a relatively simple process. Most of the banks have English-speaking staff, and there are financial institutions that specialize in serving expat clients. To open a Dutch bank account, you will typically need:

1. identification (passport or ID)
2. proof of address (your house contract)
3. your BSN
4. a residence permit if applicable

As long as you have a smartphone with NFC you can open the account through your phone at the comfort of your house!

Well known Banks:

• ING
• ABN Amro
• Rabobank
• Bunq (an online bank similar to Revolut)

Please note: iDEAL is a secure payment method utilized by Dutch banks, which is primarily used to automatically pay various bills such as utilities (water, electricity, gas, internet), health insurance, monthly bike/car rentals, etc. Although in some cases, monthly direct payments are also possible, water bills, for instance, do not offer that option. Therefore, obtaining a Dutch bank account is crucial once you have your BSN.

Another noteworthy feature in the Netherlands is that Dutch Debit cards are Maestro and VPay, both of which support iDEAL and are quite practical within the country. However, for online purchases that do not support iDEAL, such as buying flight tickets from non-Dutch airlines, you cannot use them. While traveling abroad, you can still use the physical form of the Maestro/ VPay card everywhere but not online. This is why Dutch people also use credit cards. All Dutch banks can provide you with a Visa credit card, which you can use for online purchases whenever Visa is required.

For the same reason, once you start travelling away from the city centre and metro stations, many shops only accept iDEAL payments or cash. I learned the hard way that carrying cash with me until I got my Dutch bank account was necessary. Before placing a food or drinks order, my advice would be to ask the waiter if the shop accepts Visa. The reason many shops do not accept Visa is that most of them have a Debit Maestro card POS machine with small commissions, and for some reason, even if your Visa card is Debit, it will only work with a Credit card POS machine, which usually has higher commission rates. Having both machines is more expensive, so smaller shops and supermarkets that are not in the city centre do not opt for both.

Many supermarkets have inside ATMs in case you need them!