Short answer: you work out your budget with a mortgage adviser, view apartments, make an offer and, once it's accepted, sign the purchase agreement (koopakte or koopovereenkomst). You then have three days to change your mind. You pay a deposit or arrange a bank guarantee, usually 10% of the price, and you arrange your mortgage before the deadline of your conditions (ontbindende voorwaarden). At the notary you sign the deed of transfer (leveringsakte) and get the keys. Buying an apartment adds one step that a house doesn't have: you buy into an owners' association (VvE), with its maintenance plans, savings and any debts. Read those documents before you sign.
Can a foreigner buy an apartment in the Netherlands?
Yes. Dutch law has no restrictions on foreign buyers, and you don't need to live here already. In practice you'll want a BSN (citizen service number) and a Dutch bank account, and most Dutch lenders look at your residence status, your employment contract and where your income comes from. A mortgage adviser who works with expats can tell you up front which lenders will accept your situation.
The steps at a glance
- Budget and mortgage advice
- Searching and viewing
- Making an offer
- Signing the purchase agreement, with three days to reconsider
- Deposit or bank guarantee
- Conditions: financing and inspection
- Reading the VvE documents
- Valuation and mortgage offer
- Final inspection and transfer at the notary
1. Budget and mortgage advice
Before you start looking, find out how much you can borrow. A mortgage adviser (hypotheekadviseur) looks at your income, your debts and your housing costs. For an apartment, those include the monthly VvE contribution, which can reduce how much you can borrow.
Want a mortgage with National Mortgage Guarantee (Nationale Hypotheek Garantie, NHG)? In 2026 that's possible up to a mortgage of € 470,000, or € 498,200 if you also finance energy-saving measures. You pay a one-off 0.4% of the loan.
You need your own savings at least for the buyer's costs (see below) and for a deposit, if you pay one in cash.
2. Searching and viewing
A viewing shows you the apartment, not the building behind it. So ask the estate agent (makelaar) for the VvE documents at the first viewing: the deed of division (splitsingsakte), the long-term maintenance plan (MJOP), the minutes of the last meetings and the annual accounts. Then you have them before you need to decide.
3. Making an offer
Your offer (bod) usually goes through the seller's agent. If you need conditions, such as a financing condition or a building survey, include them in your offer.
A verbal agreement (mondeling akkoord) doesn't bind you as a private buyer yet. Dutch law requires a home purchase by a private buyer to be made in writing (article 7:2 of the Dutch Civil Code). The sale is only fixed once the purchase agreement is signed.
4. The purchase agreement and the cooling-off period
The purchase agreement (koopakte, koopovereenkomst or voorlopig koopcontract) is usually drawn up by the agent or the notary. It sets the price, the transfer date, the conditions, the deposit and, for an apartment, what was agreed about the VvE. It's in Dutch; ask for a translation or an English summary if you need one, but the Dutch text is what counts.
After signing you have three days to reconsider (bedenktijd, article 7:2). The period starts the day after you receive the signed agreement. At least two of the three days must not be a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday; otherwise a day is added. If you receive it on a Thursday, the period runs from Friday 00:00 to Monday 23:59. Within that time you can withdraw without a reason and without paying anything.
Use those days. The purchase agreement is the document to read most carefully, because after the cooling-off period you're bound by it. Want a second pair of eyes? With the purchase agreement check we read it within 24 hours for €9.95.
5. Deposit or bank guarantee
You usually agree a deposit of 10% of the price (waarborgsom). You pay it into the notary's client account, or your bank issues a bank guarantee (bankgarantie) for that amount. The date is in the purchase agreement. At the transfer the deposit is deducted from the price.
6. Conditions (ontbindende voorwaarden)
Conditions let you withdraw from the purchase after the cooling-off period, if they're met. The usual ones:
- financing (financieringsvoorbehoud): you can't get the mortgage. You usually have to prove this with one or two rejections from a lender;
- building survey (bouwkundige keuring): the survey finds defects above an amount agreed in the contract;
- sometimes NHG (the mortgage must work with NHG) or a permit, for example if you plan to renovate.
Each condition has a deadline in the purchase agreement. To rely on it, you must invoke it before that date, in writing and with proof. Miss the date and the condition lapses.
If you withdraw after that, or don't meet your obligations, the purchase agreement usually sets a penalty of 10% of the price. That's exactly what the deposit or bank guarantee is for.
7. Reading the VvE documents
This is the step where an apartment differs from a house. With your apartment right you automatically become a member of the VvE. You inherit its rules, its maintenance plans and its finances. What you want to know:
- Deed of division: what is yours, what is shared, what share of the costs you pay, and which rules apply to letting and renovating. See Reading the deed of division and Requesting the deed of division.
- MJOP and reserve fund: which maintenance is coming, and is there enough money for it? See How big should a VvE's reserve fund be?
- Minutes: which decisions have been taken, such as a higher contribution, a one-off levy or a loan? See VvE loans when buying an apartment.
- Annual accounts and budget: how high is the contribution, and is that normal? See What is a normal VvE contribution?
Also read the VvE clauses in the purchase agreement. They usually say that you take over the seller's obligations towards the VvE, and how costs are split for decisions taken before the transfer but paid later.
At the transfer, the notary asks the VvE board for a statement of what the seller still owes. As a buyer you are jointly liable for the seller's arrears, but not for more than that statement says (article 5:122 of the Civil Code).
8. Valuation and mortgage offer
For the mortgage you have the apartment valued (taxatie). The lender bases the maximum loan partly on that value. With the valuation report and your paperwork, you request the mortgage offer (hypotheekofferte). Sign it in time, so the financing is arranged before the deadline of your financing condition.
9. Final inspection and transfer
Shortly before the transfer you do a final inspection (eindinspectie): is the apartment empty, in the agreed condition, and are the items on the list left behind?
Then you sign the deed of transfer (leveringsakte or akte van levering) at the notary, usually together with the mortgage deed. The difference with the purchase agreement: the purchase agreement is the promise to buy, the deed of transfer makes you the owner. The notary registers the deed with the Kadaster (land registry) and pays the seller. You get the keys.
Buyer's costs in 2026
On top of the price you pay the buyer's costs yourself (kosten koper, k.k.):
| Cost | What |
|---|---|
| Transfer tax (overdrachtsbelasting) | 2% if you will live there yourself; 8% if it won't be your main residence |
| First-time buyer exemption (startersvrijstelling) | 0% if you meet all conditions (see below) |
| Notary | deed of transfer and mortgage deed, plus registration with the Kadaster |
| Valuation | the valuation report for the lender |
| Mortgage advice | advice and arrangement fees |
| NHG | 0.4% of the loan, if you take NHG |
| Building survey | if you have one done |
In 2026 the first-time buyer exemption applies if, at the transfer, you are 18 or older and under 35, will live in the apartment yourself, have not used the exemption before, and the apartment's value is no more than € 555,000. Above that value the exemption doesn't apply at all, and you pay 2% on the whole amount. Note: according to the Tax Administration, your share of a VvE loan counts towards that value.
Frequently asked questions
Is a verbal agreement on an apartment binding?
Not for a private buyer. A home purchase must be made in writing. Only the signed purchase agreement binds you, and even then you have three days to reconsider.
How long is the cooling-off period?
Three days, from the day after you receive the signed purchase agreement. At least two of them are not a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday; otherwise a day is added.
What is the difference between the koopakte and the leveringsakte?
The koopakte is the purchase agreement you make with the seller. You sign the leveringsakte later at the notary; it makes you the owner, and the notary registers it with the Kadaster.
Can I buy an apartment in the Netherlands as a foreigner?
Yes, there are no legal restrictions on foreign buyers. Getting a Dutch mortgage depends on your residence status, income and the lender, so talk to a mortgage adviser early.
When should I read the VvE documents?
Before your offer, and at the latest during the cooling-off period. After that you can usually only withdraw under one of your conditions, and those rarely cover the VvE.
Want to know what's in the VvE documents of your apartment? Do the VvE check before you buy: the free scan shows within a minute where the warning signs are.
Sources (in Dutch)
- Dutch Civil Code Book 7, article 2 (written purchase and cooling-off period)
- Rijksoverheid: Hoeveel bedenktijd heb ik na het kopen van een woning?
- Belastingdienst: Tarieven overdrachtsbelasting
- Belastingdienst: Wanneer kunt u de startersvrijstelling krijgen?
- Rijksoverheid: Wanneer krijg ik vrijstelling van overdrachtsbelasting?
- NHG: Wat is de NHG-grens in 2026?
- Notaris.nl: Als de koop van het huis niet doorgaat