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Setting up home in the Netherlands – energy contract, broadband, TV, waste and statiegeld

Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →

A new Energy Act took effect on 1 January 2026, so the energy contract you sign is now a standard model your supplier must offer. Add broadband, a mobile plan, the right insurance and the local waste rules, and your new Dutch home is running – with no TV licence to pay.

Woman carrying a potted plant among cardboard boxes in a new apartment
Photo: Grustock/Adobe Stock

The Energiewet (Energy Act) entered into force on 1 January 2026. For you, the practical change is the energy contract itself: every supplier to households must now offer two model contracts drawn up by the regulator ACM (Autoriteit Consument & Markt) – one for an indefinite period with variable tariffs, one for a fixed term with fixed tariffs. The models apply formally from 1 January 2026, and the ACM expected every supplier to offer them by 1 April 2026 at the latest.

Energy, telecoms and bottle deposits follow national rules; waste collection and its charge are decided by your gemeente (municipality).

How does an energy contract work in the Netherlands?

Suppliers need a licence from the ACM, which checks every year before winter whether each supplier has enough money and withdraws the licence if one goes bankrupt. Gas and electricity need not come from the same company, the supplier must state where its electricity is generated, and you only sign up with the new supplier – it arranges the switch.

Contract typeHow the price worksFee if you leave early
Fixed tariffFixed for the term; often dearerPossible, if the contract says so
Variable tariffSupplier may change prices; many do so around 1 July and 1 JanuaryNone
Dynamic tariffElectricity price changes every quarter-hour, hour or day; gas per dayNone

Source: ACM ConsuWijzer, read 24 September 2026.

Moving in? Tell your supplier at the latest two weeks before. A smart meter passes readings on automatically; otherwise submit readings for both homes within five days after the move, or the supplier estimates them. With stadsverwarming (district heating) you cannot choose the heat supplier.

What will the energy bill cost in 2026?

According to Rijksoverheid (the central government), a bill has four parts – consumption, fixed supply costs, network tariffs (nettarieven) and energy tax – and 21 per cent VAT is charged on the whole bill, including on the tax. Supply prices are the supplier's own; the tax is national. Every home's electricity connection gets a fixed tax reduction, deducted automatically however much you use; the Belastingdienst (Tax Administration) puts it at €519.80 without VAT.

Energy tax 2026, including VATRateExample from Rijksoverheid
Gas73 cents per m3€654 at 900 m3
Electricity11.1 cents per kWh€207 at 1,870 kWh
Tax reduction per home connection€629 a yearDeducted automatically
Average household€232 energy taxTotal energy bill €2,089 a year

Source: Rijksoverheid, read 24 September 2026.

Leaving a contract – notice and fees

The notice period for any energy contract is at most one month and starts the day after you give notice. An opzegvergoeding (early-termination fee) may only be charged for a fixed-term contract you end before its end date, and only if the contract says so – which includes leaving because you move house or emigrate. No fee is due on variable or dynamic contracts, after the term has ended, or if the supplier ends the contract.

The fee equals the supplier's loss on the remaining term – your remaining expected consumption times the difference between your tariff and its current tariff – and nothing if energy has become dearer. A calculation the supplier gives you stays valid for two months, and the fee appears on the final bill, due within six weeks of the switch.

Broadband, mobile and TV in the Netherlands

Fixed internet arrives by cable, by KPN's copper line or by fibre. There is one cable operator per region – VodafoneZiggo, Caiway or Delta – and network owners need not open their network to others, except KPN and Glaspoort. Fibre roll-out often starts with vraagbundeling, where residents sign up in advance: the provider must tell you within one year whether it will build, or you may end the contract free of charge.

Telecom rule (national, ACM)What applies
Maximum tie-inA subscription may not bind you for more than 2 years
End of termA message at least 1 month before; if you do nothing it renews tacitly and can be cancelled at any time with 1 month's notice
Cooling-off14 days if you signed up online, by phone or on the street
SwitchingHandled by the new provider, with number portability; interruption of at most 1 working day
Roaming in the EUSame price as at home; usage may be limited under fair use

Source: ACM ConsuWijzer, read 24 September 2026.

You need a Dutch bank account for a phone plan, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' checklist, and a handset worth more than €250 paid in instalments counts as a loan registered with BKR (Bureau Krediet Registratie – the credit register), which can affect a later mortgage.

There is no TV or radio licence fee. Under the Mediawet 2008 the public broadcaster NPO is financed from the state budget through the rijksmediabijdrage – at least €1,040,379,000 for 2025, indexed yearly – and accounts for it to the Commissariaat voor de Media. Public channels may not interrupt programmes for advertising and carry no ads around children's programmes.

Which insurance does a Dutch home need?

Wijzer in geldzaken, an initiative of the Ministry of Finance, sets out the basics. Buildings insurance (woonhuis- or opstalverzekering) is not required by law, but a mortgage lender may require it; in an apartment the building is usually insured by the VvE (Vereniging van Eigenaren – the owners' association). Contents insurance (inboedelverzekering) covers your belongings against fire, theft or leakage and suits tenants and owners alike. A private liability policy (aansprakelijkheidsverzekering particulieren) is recommended – it pays when your child kicks a ball through the neighbours' window; check that it has family cover. Health insurance is compulsory; children under 18 are insured free (part 8).

Waste, recycling and statiegeld

Under the Wet milieubeheer your municipality must collect household waste and run a recycling centre (milieustraat), but each municipality decides how, and every household pays through the afvalstoffenheffing (waste charge). National targets: recycle 60 per cent of waste by 2030 and 65 per cent by 2035.

Statiegeld (deposit) of €0.15 applies to plastic bottles smaller than one litre and to cans; only undamaged cans with the special barcode and the statiegeldblik logo carry it. On 4 September 2026 the government proposed extending the deposit to all plastic bottles up to three litres, dairy and juice included, and obliging shops of 200 m² or more to pay deposits out in cash; the target date is 1 January 2028 and the regulation is still to follow.

Amsterdam (municipal rules)Where it goes
Paper and cardboardPapier containers
Bottles and jars, lids onGlas containers; drinking glasses, mirrors and ovenware go with residual waste
Clean, dry textilesTextile containers, in a tied bag
Plastic packaging and drink cartonsWith residual waste (restafval)
Batteries and light bulbs; medicinesMany supermarkets and electronics shops; your pharmacy
Bulky wasteFree at a recycling centre, or collected; out between 21:00 the evening before and 07:00 on collection day, or a fine of at least €110

Source: the City of Amsterdam, read 24 September 2026.

Amsterdam's afvalstoffenheffing depends on the number of people registered at the address on 1 January: the City currently lists €352 for one person and €469 for two or more, children included. In Centre, Watergraafsmeer and Weesp, bulky-waste collection needs an appointment. Questions go to the City's line 14 020, Monday to Friday 08:00–18:00.

What to do now

StepWhatWhen
1Choose a supplier and contract type; ask for the ACM model contract for standard termsBefore you get the keys
2Give the supplier the meter readings for the new homeWithin 5 days of moving in, unless you have a smart meter
3Order broadband; remember the 14-day cooling-off periodAs soon as you have the address
4Take out contents and liability insurance, and buildings insurance if the lender requires itFrom the day you move in
5Look up the municipality's collection days; report your move to the gemeente 4 weeks before to 5 days afterFirst week
6Return bottles and cans for the €0.15 depositEvery shopping trip

Source: ACM ConsuWijzer, Rijksoverheid and the City of Amsterdam, read 24 September 2026.

Official sources

The official pages this guide is based on, read 24 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.

Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.