MOVING FROM → TO
Moving from Germany to the Netherlands
The Dutch 30% ruling is the reason most people make this move on paper — and the reason many who move from Germany cannot use it.
- What is the work-visa salary threshold in Netherlands?
- €71,304 a year for a standard work permit (2026).
Enter the salary from your offer to compare all countries at once.
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LeavingBerlin 
ArrivingAmsterdam
Photo credits and licences
- Berlin — Kasa Fue, derivative work by Georgfotoart · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Amsterdam — Andrés Barrios · CC BY-SA 4.0
The 150 km rule is the catch on this exact route
To qualify for the Dutch expat scheme you must have lived more than 150 km from the Dutch border for at least 16 of the 24 months before your first working day.
That condition is aimed squarely at this corridor. Düsseldorf, Cologne, Münster, Essen and the whole Ruhr area sit inside 150 km of the border. Someone relocating from western Germany often fails the test, while the same person moving from Munich or Berlin passes it. Check the distance before you build a salary expectation on the exemption.
The salary bar goes up
Germany's 2026 Blue Card threshold is €50,700 a year. The Dutch highly skilled migrant criterion is €5,942 a month for applicants aged 30 and over — €71,304 a year, and holiday allowance does not count towards it. If you are under 30 the Dutch figure drops to €4,357 a month.
Who applies changes too
In both countries the employer drives the application, but the Dutch route requires an employer that is a recognised sponsor with the IND. An offer from a company without that status cannot become a highly skilled migrant permit, however good the salary is.
Tax: worse at the bottom, sometimes better at the top
You give up Germany's tax-free amount of €12,348 — the Netherlands charges 35.75% inside its first band from the first euro, with credits applied afterwards. Above €78,426 the Dutch rate is 49.5% against Germany's 42%. The 30% ruling, where you qualify for it, is what turns that arithmetic around.
Both countries in detail
Germany
Netherlands
Quoting a figure from this page
Every number here is checked against the authority that publishes it, on the date shown. Those numbers change without announcement — one on this site was correct for three months and then quietly was not. So if you quote a figure, quote the date with it, and check the source before you rely on it.
Career Space, “Germany to the Netherlands: the 30% ruling and 150 km rule”. Checked 2026-08-11. https://career-space.com/en/move/germany-to-netherlands
This page is information, not advice. We are not an employer, a recruitment agency, a visa centre or an immigration adviser, and we are not affiliated with any government body. Rules change — confirm against the official source before you act.