Australia · visa route
Emigrating to Australia
Skilled migration isn't an application you lodge and wait for — it's a journey of years in which the order decides whether it works. This page shows what that journey looks like, roughly what it costs and where it usually goes wrong.
€ 399 one-off · 36 steps · no subscription
- Kind of journey
- Visa needed in advance
- Selection
- Points system and occupation list
- Lead time
- One to three years (indicative)
Last updated: August 2026
The journey
Five phases, from orientation to your first week
The phases run into each other, and that's not an ordering principle but the heart of the matter: almost every expensive mistake in this journey is a step taken too early.
- 1
Orientation
Can it be done, and what's it going to cost?
At the end of this phase you know which of the three visa routes realistically fits your profile, whether your occupation is on the list, roughly how many points you score, and roughly what the journey is going to cost. Not a single document comes out of it, and so it feels like nothing is happening — while this is where most journeys are saved or lost. Only after that do you spend money, not before.
- 2
Documents
Not as early as possible, but at the right moment
The skills assessment that has your diplomas and work experience assessed, your basic documents, translations where needed. Documents have lead times and validity periods, and they work against each other: applying too early means something expires while you wait for something else. That's why the medical examination deliberately stays put here — that's not a delay but a choice.
- 3
Language test
The biggest points dial you operate yourself
IELTS or PTE, and that choice is personal: they measure the same thing, but not in the same way. More important is what the test does to your points. Between the minimum that admits you and a top score lie twenty points — often exactly the difference between waiting years for an invitation and getting one. This is the only place in the journey where practising directly yields points.
- 4
Lodging
And then a clock starts ticking
Your Expression of Interest goes in via SkillSelect; on two of the three routes a state nomination is added. When the invitation arrives, you have sixty days to lodge your full application. Everything prepared in the previous phases was prepared to make those sixty days a formality instead of an emergency.
- 5
Move & arrival
From paperwork to practical
The visa is done, and then the move begins that wants to be planned months ahead: shipping your household contents takes 6 to 12 weeks, your pet needs an import permit and quarantine on arrival, your car a permit before it may go into the container — and the Netherlands wants to be closed neatly. Once landed, the registrations hook into each other: no bank card without an address, without a tax number you're taxed at the maximum on your wages. Whoever knows the order is settled in two weeks where others take two months.
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 Australia journey, exactly as it appears in your personal step-by-step plan — with the deadlines, the counters and the sources.
Step 5.4 of your plan
Arrange the import of your car
- Lead time
- the assessment may take up to 60 working days — start well before you plan the shipment
- Costs
- about AUD 57 application fee; then 5% import duty, 10% GST and inspection/modifications
Without prior import approval importing is an offence, and a car that arrives without approval isn't released — it then sits in the port at your expense. The application runs via ROVER and the assessment may take up to 60 working days, so you arrange this before you even plan the shipment.
For emigrants there's the personal-effects route, with precise conditions: the car has been your property continuously for at least twelve months and demonstrably in use (a stored car with a low mileage doesn't count), you're coming to Australia to stay, and you apply within six months of your first arrival. The fee is about AUD 57 — the money is in what comes after.
Because a relocation exemption like Spain and Portugal have doesn't exist: motor vehicles are explicitly excluded from the Australian household-goods concession. Count on 5% import duty (the EU trade agreement that scraps this has been negotiated but isn't in force yet) plus 10% GST on value, freight and insurance together.
And then the rule that does older cars in: asbestos. Import is forbidden, foreign tolerances don't count, and you have to demonstrate that the car is asbestos-free — brakes and gaskets are the notorious parts. Have suspect parts tested or replaced before shipping and keep every receipt; insufficient proof means testing at the border, at your expense. Add all this up and the honest conclusion is the same as always: only a car of special value deserves the crossing. After arrival the registration in your state follows — that wants to see the import approval.
Where you arrange it
What this step rests on
- Department of Infrastructure — import approval compulsory before import (Road Vehicle Standards Act, s. 22)
- Department of Infrastructure — the personal-effects route and its conditions
- Australian Border Force — taxes on import, and no release without payment
- Australian Border Force — asbestos in imported vehicles: the burden of proof is on you
This is step 5.4 of 36. The other 35 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
€ 9.100 – € 17.700
Where does that difference come from?
- De eerste maanden€ 4.000 – € 9.000
- Skills assessment€ 200 – € 2.100
Open the breakdown below: there you'll find per item where the upper and the lower limit come from.
- Aanvraag en papieren
- € 4.400 – € 6.900
- De verhuizing
- € 700 – € 1.800
- De eerste maanden
- € 4.000 – € 9.000
View the itemsPer item the amount, the source and whether it's a rate or an estimate
Aanvraag en papieren
- Skills assessment(estimate)€ 200 – € 2.100
Verschilt per beroep, want elk beroep heeft zijn eigen beoordelende instantie. Het bouwdocument noemt AUD 300 tot 3.500. Er is dus geen officieel tarief om tegen af te zetten — dit blijft een bandbreedte.
- Taaltest (IELTS of PTE)€ 200 – € 500
- Visumleges€ 3.600 – € 3.900
- Documenten, vertalingen en medische keuring(estimate)€ 350 – € 500
De verhuizing
- Reis(estimate)€ 700 – € 1.800
Enkele reis, buiten het hoogseizoen, inclusief ruimbagage.
De eerste maanden
- De eerste maanden(estimate)€ 4.000 – € 9.000
Borg en huur vooruit, tijdelijk gemeubileerd wonen zolang de inboedel onderweg is, vervoer, en leven zonder dat er al inkomen binnenkomt.
And if you buy a house?
This calculation assumes renting: the first months include deposit and rent in advance.
If you buy, count on 5 to 15% of the purchase price on top of this amount. On a home of € 250,000 that's € 12.500 to € 37.500.
De stamp duty verschilt per staat en ligt rond de 4 tot 6%. Voor buitenlandse kopers komt daar in de meeste staten een toeslag bovenop — in Nieuw-Zuid-Wales 9% sinds 1 januari 2025, en Victoria, Queensland en Tasmanië zitten in dezelfde orde; ACT en het Noordelijk Territorium heffen die toeslag niet. Wie permanent resident is én in de twaalf maanden vóór het contract minstens 200 dagen in Australië was, is in Nieuw-Zuid-Wales vrijgesteld van de toeslag.
Note: buying isn't simply allowed here
Sinds 1 april 2025 mogen buitenlanders — inclusief houders van een tijdelijk visum — geen bestaande woningen meer kopen. Die maatregel liep tot 31 maart 2027 en is inmiddels verlengd tot 30 juni 2029. Nieuwbouw en bouwgrond mogen wel, na goedkeuring van de Foreign Investment Review Board. Reken er dus op dat je in de eerste jaren huurt of nieuw bouwt, tenzij je permanent resident wordt.
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 7 August 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 Australia, 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 Australia: 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 Australia really changes — at most one a month, no newsletter, and you can switch it off at any time.
Read on
The knowledge base on Australia
Per phase, the articles that are already there. They're written from the same journey and go deeper than what fits above.
Orientation
- 4 min
The three visa routes to Australia, explained
189, 190 or 491 — which one fits you determines your whole journey. And why the difference between "may take part" and "gets invited" costs most people time and money.
Updated 6 August 2026
- 2 min
The skills assessment: who assesses your occupation, and why that step has to come first
Before Australia looks at your visa application, an assessing authority must establish that you really master your occupation. This is the longest processing time in the preparation phase — and therefore the step you start first.
Updated 9 August 2026
- 3 min
The points system: how to calculate your Australian score
Age, English, work experience and education — the points system decides whether you get an invitation. This is how you add up your score, and this is the difference between being allowed to take part and being invited.
Updated 9 August 2026
- 2 min
Is your occupation on the list? This is how you look it up
Without an occupation on the skilled occupation list there is no route — this is the very first check of the whole journey. How the lists work, why your job title doesn't count, and what else the list tells you.
Updated 9 August 2026
- 3 min
When you need a migration adviser — and when you don't
For the ordinary journey an adviser is not compulsory, and the organising you can do yourself. But there are situations in which you bring one in without hesitation. The honest distinction, plus how to recognise a registered adviser.
Updated 9 August 2026
Documents
- 3 min
Apostille and legalisation: which document needs what
An apostille is a stamp from the court that makes your document valid abroad. When you need one, when you specifically don't — and why within the EU you're usually done without.
Updated 9 August 2026
- 3 min
The medical examination: why you shouldn't do it too early
The examination for your Australian visa is valid for twelve months, must be done by a designated panel physician, and applies to the whole family. The art is not passing it — the art is doing it at the right moment.
Updated 9 August 2026
- 3 min
Police certificates: why timing is everything here
They take 4 to 12 weeks and they are valid for only 12 months. Applying too early is just as expensive as too late — this is where careful planning pays off.
Updated 6 August 2026
Lodging
- 4 min
AOW, pension and tax in Australia: everything moves to the state of residence — except your ABP
Australia is a treaty country, so your AOW (the Dutch state pension) comes fully along — and the tax treaty from 1976 sends both your AOW and your company pension to the Australian tax office. Only a government pension stays Dutch. On the Australian side your pension counts as ordinary income (with a tax-free UPP part), and the Age Pension is a test, not an accrual.
Updated 29 August 2026
- 5 min
The 60-day clock: what must be ready before your invitation comes
If you receive an invitation for a skilled visa, you have sixty days to submit your application. You can no longer change your details then, and whoever lets an invitation lapse twice disappears from the system altogether.
Updated 8 August 2026
- 2 min
The visa fees: what a family pays at submission
The fees for a skilled visa you pay per person, directly to the Australian government — and they are indexed every year on 1 July. The current amounts, what a family adds up to, and why you can't save on this.
Updated 9 August 2026
- 3 min
State nomination: the 190 and 491 routes, explained
If you're short of points for the independent route, an Australian state can nominate you — for 5 or 15 extra points. How the nomination works, what states expect of you and why this is the least predictable part of the journey.
Updated 9 August 2026
Move & arrival
- 2 min
Buying a house in Australia: without PR the existing housing market is closed until mid-2029
Australia has banned the purchase of existing homes by foreign persons — including temporary visa holders — and that ban has been extended in the 2026-27 budget to 30 June 2029. Permanent residents and New Zealanders are exempt; new builds are sometimes possible with approval. And even *with* fresh PR you take care: states such as New South Wales charge 9% extra for whoever hasn't yet lived 200 days in Australia.
Updated 28 August 2026
- 2 min
Renting in Australia: winning the application without an Australian history
Renting is done the Australian way: you apply. Without a local rental history that feels hopeless, but the rules protect you more than you think — the bond is capped and lodged with the state, savings count as evidence, and what you may and may not offer differs per state.
Updated 11 August 2026
- 3 min
Your first two weeks in Australia, in order
SIM card, bank account, tax number, Medicare — the registrations of your first weeks interlock, and whoever knows the order is done in days where others lose weeks.
Updated 21 August 2026
- 2 min
Your driving licence in Australia: the Netherlands is on the right list — but the clock ticks per state
As a Dutch citizen you exchange your driving licence without a theory or practical test — the Netherlands is on the recognised list. What does differ per state: the deadline (NSW three months after PR, Victoria six months after arrival) and the translation requirement almost everyone misjudges.
Updated 11 August 2026
- 3 min
Medicare for Dutch citizens: what it covers, and the deadline migrants miss
As a PR holder — or even as a PR applicant — you simply get into Medicare. What almost nobody knows: the Netherlands has a healthcare agreement with Australia that bridges your landing, and a 12-month deadline is ticking for whoever wants to avoid a loading on their private insurance.
Updated 11 August 2026
- 2 min
Going to school in Australia: free for PR families, expensive for whoever comes too early
With permanent residency you enrol your children like any Australian family: free, with voluntary contributions. But whoever travels ahead on a temporary visa pays thousands of dollars in school fees per child per year in some states — and that belongs in the planning, not in the surprise.
Updated 11 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
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