Netherlands is a realistic move from Ukraine if you match a residence route to your situation early. The short version: a one-bedroom rents for about €1,500 a month in the bigger cities, typical net salaries run around €2,700, personal taxes sit at ~36-49.5%, and permanent residence usually takes about 5 years of legal stay. Here is how the move actually works for Ukrainian citizens.
Getting in: your route options
As Ukrainian citizens you can enter visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180, which makes scouting trips easy. Living in Netherlands is a separate matter: you need a residence permit tied to a reason.
- Remote work: Netherlands has no dedicated digital nomad visa. No nomad visa; the self-employed residence permit is the route, and its bar is higher than a nomad visa.
- Work: a job offer plus a work permit; for higher-paid qualified roles ask employers about the EU Blue Card, which speeds up residence across most of the bloc.
- Study: university admission converts into a student permit, usually with part-time work rights and a post-graduation job-seeker option.
- Family and ancestry: joining an EU spouse or partner, or claiming citizenship by descent if you have an EU-citizen parent or grandparent.
What life in Netherlands costs
Budget roughly €1,500 for a one-bed plus about €1,070 for essentials and transport, per person. English friendliness scores 90/100 here.
Healthcare here rates 85/100 in this model and everyday safety 82/100, while public transport comes in at 85/100.
Administration is middling by EU standards at 55/100, which usually means a few slow appointments rather than a saga.
The rental market is tight (90/100 pressure), so line up viewings before you land.
The local language (NL) takes steady effort, rated 50/100 for approachability.
Coming from Ukraine, one thing worth knowing early: Netherlands has a moderate Russian and Ukrainian speaking community, mostly concentrated in the capital.
What you would pay in tax
If you keep earning from abroad and register as self-employed, Netherlands charges same brackets minus entrepreneur deductions (zelfstandigenaftrek shrinking to ~€900 by 2027), plus income-dependent health contribution ~4.85%.
The old self-employment tax advantages are being phased out year by year.
Netherlands is among the more welcoming countries in the bloc for remote workers and freelancers, rated 75/100. The full picture, including the company route and the special regimes, is on the taxes in Netherlands page. To weigh it against the rest of the bloc, our taxes in Europe overview sets out the rates in all 27 countries by how you earn, and the take-home index ranks them on what actually reaches your account.
The long game
Permanent residence in Netherlands takes about 5 years of legal residence, and citizenship about 5 years from arrival, subject to language and integration requirements. If an EU passport is part of your plan, weigh this timeline against neighbouring countries before you commit.