United States · visa route
Emigrating to the United States
There's no form you sign up with. You get in through a specific key — an employer, your own business, talent, family or the lottery — or you don't get in. This page shows honestly which routes there are, which door stands open specially for Dutch citizens, and what the journey really costs.
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- Kind of journey
- Visa route — no general emigration path
- The Dutch door
- E-2: invest and direct yourself, thanks to the treaty of 1957
- Healthcare
- No treaty route — you insure yourself
Last updated: August 2026
The journey
Five phases, from finding the key to being landed
The order is stricter here than elsewhere: without a visa there's no move, and without the right route there's no visa. That's why the route choice comes first and we only spend money after that.
- 1
Orientation
First the key, then the plans
The United States has no points system and no free movement. In this phase you get to know the five routes and test which one fits your situation — and you immediately discover the door that stands open specially for Dutch citizens: the E-2 visa, made possible by a friendship treaty in force since 1957. You also clear up the most stubborn misunderstanding: ESTA isn't an emigration route but a ninety-day tourist scheme. And you calculate healthcare, because here it's a real cost item instead of a given.
- 2
Your visa
The route decides who files, what it costs and how long it takes
On the employer routes your employer carries the application; on the E-2 you do everything yourself, directly at the consulate in Amsterdam. For the latter you build a file that convinces a consular officer in half an hour: an investment that's at risk, a business that can yield more than a minimal income, and demonstrable control. Count on twelve weeks or more before the interview — and on an issuance fee that runs into the thousands.
- 3
Closing the Netherlands
No treaty route for your healthcare — build your own bridge
Your AOW travels along thanks to the social security treaty, and your pension is neatly divided — although the AOW, as the only destination, stays taxed exclusively in the Netherlands. But your healthcare is a different story: the US isn't on the treaty-country list, so the route via the CAK doesn't exist here. What you cancel in the Netherlands, you buy back yourself in America. You arrange that before departure, together with the tax settlement, your deregistration and your documents with apostille and English translation.
- 4
The move
The container comes along, the car doesn't
Your household goods enter the US duty-free if you had them in use for a year, with one customs form your mover files. The car is the honest bad news: anything younger than 25 years has to meet American safety standards, and customs itself warns about sellers claiming that's no big deal. Sell it here, and put an American car in as a fixed item. For the dog there's an import regime of its own with months of lead time.
- 5
Arrival in the United States
Administratively you start from zero
No number, no insurance, no credit history. The order decides how fast you can simply live: first your Social Security Number, then your health insurance within the sixty days your move gives you, then an account and a credit card to build your credit history — because without that history every landlord and every utility asks for a deposit. Then the driving licence (a new test, and the clock runs from your settlement) and the school of your district.
Look inside
This is what one step of your plan looks like
Not a brochure but the real thing: this is one of the steps of the United States journey, exactly as it appears in your personal step-by-step plan — with the deadlines, the counters and the sources.
Step 1.2 of your plan
Know the Dutch door: the friendship treaty
- Lead time
- reading step
- Costs
- none
Dutch citizens have a door most nationalities don't have. Since 5 December 1957 a treaty of friendship and commerce with the United States has been in force, and because of that the Netherlands is on the list of treaty countries for the E-2 visa: the visa for whoever invests a substantial amount in a real American business and will run that business themselves. No employer needed, no lottery, no queue.
Two things to get right straight away. There is no fixed minimum amount: the consulate in Amsterdam says literally that there's no amount that counts as "substantial" — it's about the proportion to what the business costs, and the cheaper the enterprise, the higher the share you have to put in yourself. And the business may not be marginal: it has to be able to yield more than just a minimal income for you and your family.
The second: this visa is emphatically temporary. You may renew without limit as long as the business runs, but you have to demonstrably keep the intention to leave when your status ends — the consulate even asks for a signed declaration about that. Whoever expects a green card via this route is looking at the wrong track.
This is step 1.2 of 35. The other 34 are ready for you — each with the same sources, the same counters and a planning that watches your dates.
What it costs
A rough indication for your situation
A few short questions, and you get a range instead of an amount. That's deliberate: an exact figure would suggest a precision nobody has.
Count on a total of
€ 8.100 – € 26.200
Where does that difference come from?
- Auto achterlaten en ter plaatse kopen€ 4.000 – € 12.000
- Landen en op gang komen€ 3.000 – € 9.000
Open the breakdown below: there you'll find per item where the upper and the lower limit come from.
- Aanvraag en papieren
- € 200 – € 2.500
- De verhuizing
- € 4.300 – € 12.900
- De eerste maanden
- € 3.600 – € 10.800
View the itemsPer item the amount, the source and whether it's a rate or an estimate
Aanvraag en papieren
- Visumaanvraag (MRV-fee)€ 150 – € 300
- Afgiftefee (reciprociteit)€ 0 – € 2.000
- Documenten, apostilles en vertalingen(estimate)€ 60 – € 250
De verhuizing
- Vliegtickets(estimate)€ 350 – € 900
Enkele reis Amsterdam naar de Amerikaanse oostkust, geboekt met ruimte vooruit. De spreiding zit in het seizoen en in de vraag of je met extra bagage vliegt; de westkust ligt hoger dan de oostkust.
- Auto achterlaten en ter plaatse kopen(estimate)€ 4.000 – € 12.000
Bewust als kostenpost opgenomen in plaats van als besparing. Een Europese auto invoeren loopt stuk op de Amerikaanse veiligheids- en emissie-eisen (auto's jonger dan 25 jaar moeten aan alle FMVSS voldoen, en de douane waarschuwt zelf voor verkopers die het tegendeel beweren). Je verkoopt hem dus hier — en hebt in de VS vrijwel meteen weer vervoer nodig, want buiten een handvol steden is een auto geen luxe. De band is een tweedehands auto in redelijke staat; wat je Nederlandse auto opbrengt gaat er rechtstreeks vanaf.
De eerste maanden
- Zorgverzekering (eerste maanden)(estimate)€ 600 – € 1.800
De post die Amerika duurder maakt dan elke andere bestemming, en de reden dat hij hier apart staat. Er is geen verdragsroute via het CAK en geen publiek vangnet: je verzekert je via je werkgever of koopt zelf een plan. De gemiddelde benchmarkpremie voor een veertigjarige lag in 2026 rond $625 per maand per volwassene (KFF, onafhankelijk onderzoeksinstituut, geen overheidsbron) — en dat is vóór eigen risico. Deze band dekt drie maanden; bij een werkgeverspolis valt hij fors lager uit, bij zelf verzekeren zonder toeslag hoger.
- Landen en op gang komen(estimate)€ 3.000 – € 9.000
Tijdelijk verblijf tot je een woning hebt, de borg (in de VS doorgaans één tot twee maanden huur, en zonder Amerikaanse kredietgeschiedenis vragen verhuurders vaak méér), inrichting die niet in de container paste, en de eerste weken zonder inkomen. Reken erop dat je zonder credit history ook bij nutsbedrijven en telefonie om borgsommen wordt gevraagd — die stapelen op in precies de maand dat alles tegelijk komt.
And if you buy a house?
This calculation assumes renting: the first months include deposit and rent in advance.
If you buy, count on 2 to 5% of the purchase price on top of this amount. On a home of € 250,000 that's € 5.000 to € 12.500.
Er is geen overdrachtsbelasting zoals wij die kennen; de closing costs bestaan uit title insurance (0,4 tot 1% van de koopsom), escrow, taxatie, inspectie en de kosten van de geldverstrekker. Samen 2 tot 5%, sterk verschillend per staat. Koop je contant en zonder hypotheek, dan valt de helft van die posten weg. Een groot deel van de kosten hangt aan de financiering, niet aan de woning.
Note: buying isn't simply allowed here
Federaal is er geen enkele beperking: je hoeft geen green card of visum te hebben om te kopen. Sinds 2023 hebben wel ongeveer drie dozijn staten wetten aangenomen die aankopen beperken door onderdanen van specifieke landen (vooral China, Rusland, Iran en Noord-Korea) of aankopen van landbouwgrond en grond bij militaire terreinen. Voor een Nederlander die een huis in een stad koopt, spelen die regels vrijwel nooit.
An order of magnitude based on averages, not a quote. The real amounts depend on your occupation, your route, the season and dozens of choices you still have to make.
Rates checked on 4 July 2026.
Your complete, personal cost picture — with your route, your documents and your deadlines — you get in Vertrekklaar.
That was the move. And once you live there?
Who may tax your pension once you live in United States, is there a favourable regime, and how do you become insured? That depends on where your income comes from. Tick it and you see which rules apply to you — with the source.
See the financial conditionsThe departure guide
Five mails, and you see your whole journey
Not ready to start yet? Then we'll send you the departure guide for United States: five mails in a week and a half, with the order, the pitfalls and the real costs. After that only a short update when something in United States really changes — at most one a month, no newsletter, and you can switch it off at any time.
Read on
The knowledge base on the United States
Per phase, the articles that are already there. They're written from the same journey and go deeper than what fits above.
Closing the Netherlands
- 4 min
Liable for American tax: two reporting duties, and the child born there
As soon as you live in the US, America taxes your worldwide income — including your Dutch savings and your BV. On top of that stand two reporting duties that exist side by side, not instead of each other. And whoever has a child there gives that child an American passport and a filing obligation that lasts a lifetime.
Updated 26 August 2026
- 4 min
AOW, healthcare and tax in America: what comes along, what stops — and what works like this nowhere else
Thanks to the treaty, the AOW (the Dutch state pension) travels fully to the US — but as the only destination it remains taxed exclusively in the Netherlands. The notorious American WEP reduction has been abolished since 2024. And the healthcare story is hard: no treaty route, no safety net — you insure yourself.
Updated 28 August 2026
- 9 min
Coming along on an L-2: what you let go of in the Netherlands — and what you get back for it
Your partner is being transferred to the United States by the employer on an L-1. You come along on an L-2, without a job of your own, with the plan to be in the Netherlands for part of the year. The L-2 gives you more than you think: residence, the right to work, free travel. What it does *not* arrange is your Dutch administration — and that's where the knot is.
Updated 7 September 2026
Arrival in the United States
- 3 min
Buying a house in America: no notary, but an escrow — and three days to read everything
America has no notary as the Netherlands does: the purchase runs via a settlement agent — a title company or closing attorney — who holds the money, has the deed signed and records the documents with the county. By law you receive the Closing Disclosure at least three business days before the closing. After that your property taxes often simply run in your monthly payment, via your bank's escrow account.
Updated 28 August 2026
- 4 min
Your first weeks in America: SSN, health insurance and a credit history from zero
In America you start administratively at zero — no credit history, no health insurance, no number. The order determines how quickly you can live normally: the Social Security Number first, the insurance within sixty days, and the credit card you need to ever rent a home.
Updated 21 August 2026
Leaving the Netherlands — for every destination
- 2 min
Keeping a bank account and DigiD: the two lines you never cut
After your deregistration you still need the Netherlands for years — for the M return, refunds and your pension. Within the EU your bank account is a right, towards Australia a favour from the bank. And your DigiD you arrange before departure, not after.
Updated 11 August 2026
- 3 min
The protective assessment: the bill that travels with you, and that never expires for one item
On emigration the Netherlands imposes an assessment on your pension, your annuity and your substantial shareholding that you don't have to pay — as long as you do nothing that makes it collectable. For pension and annuity it usually lapses after ten years. For a substantial shareholding it doesn't: that one remains valid indefinitely.
Updated 27 August 2026
- 2 min
Emigrating with children after a divorce: the consent that comes before everything
With joint custody you can't just go abroad with the children — you need the consent of the other parent, or substitute consent from the court. What the court weighs, and why leaving without consent is legally child abduction.
Updated 11 August 2026
- 3 min
Emigrating on early retirement: the CAK route is expected to close as of 1 November 2026
Whoever moves to the EU or Switzerland with a Dutch pension arranges their healthcare via the CAK. That door is closing to a crack: as expected, from 1 November only new applicants with AOW, Anw, WAO, WIA or Wajong will be admitted. Early retirement and RVU fall outside it — whoever is already a customer keeps their rights.
Updated 16 August 2026
- 2 min
The M form: the tax return for the year in which you emigrated
For the year of your departure you lived partly inside and partly outside the Netherlands, and a separate return goes with that. Nowadays it can be done online — but you have to think of it yourself, because an invitation rarely comes by itself.
Updated 9 August 2026
- 2 min
Your AOW accrual stops on departure — and you have one year to repair that
Every year outside the Netherlands costs you 2% AOW (the Dutch state pension), for life. The SVB has a voluntary continuation that closes that gap — but signing up is only possible in the first year after departure, and almost everyone misses that deadline.
Updated 11 August 2026
- 3 min
Your Dutch pension abroad: what comes along, and who levies
The AOW (the Dutch state pension) travels fully to the EU and to Australia — the latter thanks to a treaty from 2001. Your company pension too, but *where* you pay on it depends on the tax treaty, and the exemption you arrange yourself.
Updated 11 August 2026
- 3 min
Cancelling your health insurance without a gap
Your Dutch basic insurance is tied to living or working in the Netherlands and stops being a given on emigration. The art is to have the end date match your new cover — and to know which route belongs to your situation.
Updated 28 August 2026
- 2 min
Taking medicines across the border: certificates, supply and the 90-day ceiling
For medicines under the Opium Act you need a certificate — and the Dutch system only carries you for three months. What you arrange with the CAK, what Australia wants to see at the border, and why finding a local doctor simply belongs to your first weeks.
Updated 11 August 2026
- 9 min
Partner comes along without a job of their own: deregistering, healthcare, AOW and the house
Your partner has a job, a visa or a right of residence there; you come along without a job of your own. Administratively you're then no passenger: the deregistration, the end of your health insurance and your AOW accrual apply to you separately. What you get back if you arrange it well, what it costs if you let it slide — and why "just staying registered" isn't an option.
Updated 7 September 2026
- 2 min
Stopping allowances on emigration: do it yourself, and in time
Housing allowance, healthcare allowance, childcare allowance and child budget don't stop by themselves on the day you leave. Whoever lets them run gets a reclaim months later — this is what you arrange per allowance.
Updated 9 August 2026
- 3 min
Deregistering with the municipality: when exactly, and what stops then
Deregistering from the BRP is only possible from five days before departure, and is compulsory as soon as you're away for more than eight months a year. What stops at that moment, what stays, and which piece of paper you have to ask for right away.
Updated 9 August 2026
- 6 min
When does your pension stay taxed in the Netherlands? The three pots and the three conditions
"Your pension is taxed in your new country of residence" is right by approximation and not in the details. Your AOW, your company pension and your government pension each follow a rule of their own, and with the company pension the Netherlands can still levy if three conditions apply at once. This article explains which three, and which four questions you have to answer for your own situation.
Updated 27 August 2026
Ready to begin?
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