Moving your belongings to Amsterdam: movers, transport and paperwork (2026)

First, decide what is worth the trip

Before asking for a single quote, sort through your things with three questions in mind.

• Will the home be furnished? Many rentals offered to internationals are furnished, or at least come with flooring and curtains (gestoffeerd). There is no point shipping a sofa that will have nowhere to go: our guide to furnished and unfurnished leases explains the options.
• Will your furniture fit? Amsterdam's old houses have narrow, very steep stairs. A corner sofa or a large wardrobe may never make it to the third floor: measure before you pack.
• What does replacing it locally cost? Basic furniture and appliances are easy to buy again, new or second-hand, not least on Marktplaats, the big Dutch classifieds site. Our guide to furnishing a home gives the orders of magnitude.

Three ways to move your things

International movers

The turnkey option: packing, loading, transport, delivery and reassembly. Get at least three quotes, with a survey visit or a video estimate of the volume, and compare like for like: insurance and declared value, carrying upstairs, use of a furniture lift, parking on arrival. In summer, the busiest period, book early.

Groupage

Your belongings share a truck with other customers heading the same way. It costs far less than a dedicated truck, in exchange for flexibility: delivery is set within a window of a few days. A good option if you are staying in temporary housing first.

A van or parcels

For a studio or a furnished home, renting a van or sending a few boxes by courier is often enough. Check that a one-way rental abroad is possible and what it costs, and remember that on arrival, you are the one carrying everything up the stairs.

Moving day in Amsterdam: stairs, furniture lift and parking

The furniture lift, a local classic

In old houses, furniture often goes in through the window. Many façades still carry their hoisting beam, but today people mostly hire a furniture lift (verhuislift) with an operator: roughly €90 to €120 an hour in 2026, or a package price if it is part of the move. Ask the agency whether the windows open wide enough.

Booking space for the truck

Parking outside your door is rarely possible without permission. The City of Amsterdam issues exemptions to park a vehicle outside the usual spaces, to reserve spaces with signs, or to place a furniture lift on the public road. They are requested online, at least ten days in advance, and cost several hundred euros: movers quote around €280 in 2026 to park the truck and around €430 to reserve one or two spaces with signs. Most movers handle this: check that it is included in the quote. In another municipality, ask the town hall.

If the home is not ready yet

Between the end of your current lease and getting the keys, there is often a gap. Storage at either end avoids rescheduling everything, and groupage readily accepts delayed delivery. Our guide to temporary housing helps you organise those first weeks.

If you are arriving from outside the European Union

Between two European Union countries, your personal belongings move without customs formalities. If you are arriving from a non-EU country, including the United Kingdom, you can import your personal belongings free of duties and taxes, under conditions. Dutch Customs requires in particular that you:

• have lived outside the European Union for at least 12 consecutive months;
• have owned and used the goods for at least 6 months;
• import them within 12 months of moving;
• do not lend, rent out, pledge or transfer them during the 12 months after import.

The relief has to be requested, it is not automatic: have your mover prepare it, or check the Dutch Customs website well before you leave.

And the car?

Ask yourself first whether you need it: in Amsterdam, residential parking is scarce and expensive, and many newcomers end up selling their car, as our moving checklist points out.

If you bring it from another European Union country, it goes through an import inspection with the RDW, the Dutch vehicle authority, before being registered in the Netherlands. A registration tax, BPM, may then be due, but there is an exemption for a car that is part of your household move. The tax authorities require in particular that you:

• have owned and used the car for at least 6 months before the move;
• have lived abroad for at least 12 consecutive months;
• keep using it in the same way, without selling, renting out or lending it within 12 months;
• request the exemption before the RDW inspection.

From outside the EU, the rules for bringing a car differ: check with Dutch Customs before shipping it.

The recommended timeline

• 8 weeks before: sort your belongings, request quotes, check whether the home you are targeting is furnished.
• 4 to 6 weeks before: book the movers or groupage; from outside the EU, prepare the customs relief request.
• 2 to 3 weeks before: request the parking exemption, at least ten days ahead, and book the furniture lift if your movers do not.
• The final week: label boxes by room, in English if the crew at the other end is local, and pack a bag for the first few days.

Key takeaways

• Only move what will fit up the stairs and be useful in a home that is often already furnished.
• Compare three quotes like for like: carrying, furniture lift, parking.
• In Amsterdam, the parking exemption must be requested at least ten days ahead.
• From outside the EU, customs relief has to be requested; for the car, so does the BPM exemption, before the RDW inspection.

Official sources

• Dutch Customs: removal goods and exemptions (in Dutch)
• Dutch Tax Administration: BPM exemption when moving from an EU country (in Dutch)
• City of Amsterdam: permits and exemptions (in Dutch)
• RDW, the Dutch vehicle authority (in Dutch)