A good bank is about a whole lot more than providing you with an easy place to stash your cash and manage your financial affairs. It can provide you with insurance, help you split the bill after an evening out with your mates, and even give you up to €250 just for opening an account!
English-language assistance
There is nothing worse than struggling to understand a bank statement in a foreign language, especially when you are a new arrival in a country. And despite the surge in AI translation tools and internet-based banks, nothing beats talking to a real person.
ABN AMRO, for example, has a fully English client desk which offers advice about all aspects of the bank’s services in face-to-face and online meetings. You can also access the bank’s Preferred Banking service if your financial situation merits it, with advice on pensions and investments, in English. The bank’s online banking service is fully English as well, as is the app.
Insurance in the Netherlands
Life is so much simpler if you can arrange all the insurance you need in the same place and in the Netherlands, they like insurance! To start, you’ll need car insurance, travel insurance, home contents insurance, and don’t forget home insurance if you are a buyer.
Also highly recommended in the Netherlands is personal liability insurance – to cover you against damage to other people’s property – and insurance against any legal expenses.
ABN AMRO offers all these policies and most of them score four to five stars at MoneyView and receive high ratings from the Consumentenbond – the Dutch consumers’ association.
Mortgages to buy a Dutch home
If you are planning to live in the Netherlands for at least three years, it probably makes sense to buy a home rather than rent – especially given the high cost of renting, particularly in the important expat cities and regions like Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam, Maastricht, Eindhoven and southern Limburg.
If you do plan to buy, it makes sense to find out how much you can borrow as soon as you can – then you can tailor your search to your maximum loan. You can use an online mortgage tool to give you a rough idea, but make sure to make an appointment with a specialist who understands expats as well.
There are generally no obstructions to expats buying property in the Netherlands. However, if you are benefiting from the 30% ruling, or if your salary is paid in another currency, it is always wise to talk to a mortgage adviser with experience of helping international clients. ABN AMRO offers such a service.
Special deals for students
Banks used to require a Dutch citizen service number (BSN) before opening an account, but now some have made it easier. International students opening an account with ABN AMRO can use a foreign tax number, which means you can be up and running financially as soon as you arrive.
The account is free of charge for 18 to 24-year-old students and the package includes a debit card, online banking and access to the banking app. The whole process can be completed on your phone in just a few minutes.
ABN AMRO also offers home contents insurance for room renters and, of course, liability insurance will cover you if you accidentally damage someone else’s property – such as scratching a parked car with your new bike. Home contents insurance covers your laptop and other property against fire, theft and water damage.
Easy payments with Tikkie
Students must watch their spending closely, which may be one reason for the popularity of the Tikkie payment app service – apart from Dutch financial culture in general!
Tikkie, a simple way of asking friends and colleagues for their contribution to a communal bill, is so ingrained in the Netherlands that last year 170 million Tikkies were sent by users in the Netherlands. Of them, one million were for a single euro or less! Developed by ABN AMRO, Tikkie can be used by customers from every Dutch bank.
Children’s bank accounts
Digital pocket money rather than coins and notes has really taken off in recent years, and according to research by the Dutch family spending institute in 2025, almost all secondary school pupils have their own bank account, bank card and savings account. Some 85% get pocket money, averaging €40 a month, and 30% get additional clothing money. They also send an average of 20 Tikkies a month to their friends!
Despite children’s growing financial independence – 49% of the children in the Nibud survey had some sort of job or babysat – children need to learn about making choices, understanding value and taking responsibility.
ABN AMRO has a special bank account for the under-18s which allows parents, for example, to set a spending limit and check their child’s bank account balance. There’s also a bonus €15 “pocket money payment” for all new account holders.
