AMSTERDAM – October 21, 2026 | The Dutch Daily
Getting a bank account Netherlands is one of the first jobs after you move, and it is also where many newcomers get stuck: a bank asks for documents you do not have yet, or refuses the application. The good news is that Dutch law gives anyone lawfully staying in the EU a right to a basic payment account, and there is a fallback scheme if even that fails. This guide explains the right, the steps, the grounds on which a bank may refuse, and where to complain, using the Kifid, the Rijksoverheid and the Dutch banks’ own scheme. Information was checked on 21 October 2026 and can change.
Bank account Netherlands: quick answer
- Your right to a bank account Netherlands wide: anyone lawfully staying in the EU has a legal right to a basic payment account (basisbetaalrekening), with basic functions such as cash deposits and withdrawals, direct debits, online payments and transfers. Overdrafts and credit cards are usually not included.
- If a bank says no: ask for a basic payment account, complain to the bank, then to the Kifid, whose Complaints Committee decides complaints.
- Fallback: the basic bank account (basisbankrekening) offered by five banks, for adults who live in the Netherlands and have a postal address.
- When you register with your municipality: you receive your BSN, and you must register within 5 days of arrival if you stay longer than 4 months (Rijksoverheid).
Contents
1. Your right to a bank account Netherlands expats can rely on
The Kifid, the Dutch financial services complaints institute, explains that anyone lawfully staying in the EU has a legal right to a basic payment account. It is a simple account with basic functions: depositing and withdrawing cash, automatic direct debits, online payments and transfers. Overdrafts and credit cards are usually not included. In one case the Complaints Committee treated an asylum seeker awaiting a decision as lawfully residing.
In practice the right means that a bank cannot refuse a bank account Netherlands application just because it prefers other customers: it needs one of the legal grounds in section 4.
2. Bank account Netherlands: the 5 steps
- Register with your municipality. The Rijksoverheid says you register if you stay longer than 4 months, no later than 5 days after arrival, by booking an appointment. The municipality assigns your BSN when you register. See our guide to BRP registration.
- Apply for a regular account at a bank of your choice. The Rijksoverheid’s checklist for people moving to the Netherlands only says to contact a bank and gives no further details, so follow the bank’s own application process.
- If the bank refuses, ask for a basic payment account. The Kifid advises asking for this account first, and keeping the basic bank account in reserve.
- Complain if it still does not work. First ask the bank and explain your situation; if it refuses, file a complaint with the bank; if that does not resolve it, take the complaint to the Kifid.
- Use the fallback scheme if you have no right to a basic payment account. See section 5.
3. Do you need a BSN first for a bank account Netherlands?
People often assume the answer is yes, and many banks do ask for it. The Kifid describes a case (GC 2021-1054) in which the applicant showed that the bank itself advertised that a BSN is not needed for the first 90 days, and the Complaints Committee ordered the bank to open a basic payment account within ten days.
This is an individual ruling, not a general promise that every bank will waive the BSN. If you are still waiting for your BSN, say so in your application and ask the bank how it handles applicants without one.
4. When a bank may refuse a bank account Netherlands application
According to the Kifid, a bank must refuse if opening the account would mean it cannot meet its anti-money-laundering obligations (Wwft). A bank may refuse if:
- you cannot show a genuine need for a Dutch account;
- you were convicted of certain crimes less than 8 years ago;
- you had a basic account ended less than 2 years ago for intentional criminal use.
The bank can also close a basic account if there are no transactions for more than 24 consecutive months, if you no longer lawfully reside in the EU, if you gave incorrect information, or if you were convicted or used the account intentionally for crime.
How long can you wait? In one Kifid case (GC 2024-0665) the applicant had waited about three months without an account before the bank was ordered to open a basic bank account. If a bank is slow, follow the complaint steps above rather than waiting.
5. The fallback when a bank account Netherlands is refused: the basic bank account
The basisbankrekening is a set of agreements (convenant) of the Betaalvereniging Nederland. According to basisbankrekening.nl, you can apply if you are:
- 18 or older;
- living in the Netherlands;
- able to give a known postal address;
- without a payment account of your own.
Five banks take part: ABN AMRO, ING, Rabobank, ASN Bank and Triodos. You apply at the bank where you last had a payment account; if that was not one of the five, you state it on the application form. In certain cases you apply together with a support worker (hulpverlener), and the site says it cannot offer you an account by e-mail. The Kifid adds that applications should ideally go through a recognised aid organisation such as a municipal service or a debt-assistance organisation, and that there is no second chance if you misused an earlier basic bank account.
The Rijksoverheid mentions the same account for people with a BKR registration: if a bank refuses a regular account because of a payment arrears notice (achterstandsmelding) at the BKR, you can ask for a basic account with a special application form, available from approved debt-assistance organisations and Betaalvereniging Nederland. You may not go into overdraft on it.
6. Business accounts: a change from 2027
If you start a business (see our guide to starting a business in the Netherlands), note the change for business accounts. The Dutch Banking Association (NVB) says the Eerste Kamer adopted the bill “Chartaal betalingsverkeer” on 19 May 2026, which is expected to introduce a statutory right to a business basic payment account from 1 January 2027. The banks have decided to end the existing convenant for business accounts because the law makes it unnecessary. This concerns businesses, not private accounts.
7. What we could not verify
Two of the Rijksoverheid pages on bank accounts could not be opened when we checked, so we do not state general rules about which ID documents banks require or whether a BSN is always needed. The Kifid summary we used is dated 29 April 2025, and bank policies change, so check the bank’s current requirements when you apply.
Our tips (not from the sources):
- Bring your passport or ID and, if you have it, proof of your address and your BSN letter or municipal extract.
- Ask the bank in writing for its reasons if it refuses your bank account Netherlands application, so you can use them in a complaint.
- If you are new, our first 30 days checklist and DigiD guide show what to arrange next.
8. FAQ
Do I have a right to a bank account Netherlands wide?
Yes, to a basic payment account, if you lawfully stay in the EU, according to the Kifid.
What can a basic payment account do?
Cash deposits and withdrawals, direct debits, online payments and transfers. Overdrafts and credit cards are usually not included.
Can a bank refuse my bank account Netherlands application?
Yes, on limited grounds: it must refuse if it cannot meet anti-money-laundering requirements, and it may refuse if you cannot show a genuine need for a Dutch account or have certain convictions or a recently ended basic account.
Where do I complain about a bank account Netherlands refusal?
First to the bank, then to the Kifid, according to the Kifid’s own article.
Which banks offer the basic bank account?
ABN AMRO, ING, Rabobank, ASN Bank and Triodos.
Is there a time limit for opening the account?
In the case GC 2021-1054 the Complaints Committee ordered the bank to open the account within ten days. That is a ruling in one case, so ask the bank for its timeline.
🇳🇱 Dutch Corner
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| De bankrekening | Bank account |
| De betaalrekening | Payment account |
| De basisbetaalrekening | Basic payment account |
| De basisbankrekening | Basic bank account (convenant) |
| Het burgerservicenummer (BSN) | Citizen service number |
| Het identiteitsbewijs | ID document |
| De weigering | Refusal |
| De klacht | Complaint |
| Het postadres | Postal address |
Sources
- Kifid, 29 April 2025: De bank weigert een betaalrekening voor mij te openen. Mag dat? (right, refusal grounds, complaint route, rulings GC 2021-1054 and GC 2024-0665)
- Rijksoverheid: Wat moet ik regelen als ik in Nederland kom wonen? (registration within 5 days, BSN, bank, health insurance)
- Rijksoverheid: Kan ik een bankrekening openen als ik een registratie heb bij het BKR? (basic account for BKR registrations, no overdraft)
- Basisbankrekening.nl (convenant account, five banks, who can apply)
- Nederlandse Vereniging van Banken: Toegang zakelijke betaalrekening (law adopted 19 May 2026, business account right expected 1 January 2027)
Free: Netherlands 2027 Money Checklist
Every deadline and number you need before and after 1 January 2027, on two printable pages. Confirm your email and the PDF is yours; we will also email you when the 2027 figures are confirmed.
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