How to obtain a mortgage in the Netherlands (step by step)

Orientation meeting

Before you make an offer on a home, work out how much you can afford. In an orientation meeting with an independent mortgage advisor, you discuss your income and borrowing capacity, and review the mortgage types that suit your situation. This gives you a realistic budget to house-hunt with.

The advisory meeting

Once your offer is accepted and you've signed the purchase contract, schedule an advisory meeting with your mortgage advisor as soon as possible. Topics typically covered include:

• Your financial situation and the mortgage that best fits your new home
• Options if your dream home slightly exceeds your budget, such as tax-free gifts, family loans and joint liability
• Insurance considerations, including term life insurance, home contents, buildings and disability cover
• The National Mortgage Guarantee (NHG), its conditions and whether you qualify — in 2026 the NHG limit is €470,000, or €498,200 with energy-saving measures
• Whether you want to borrow extra for renovations or sustainability improvements

Interest-rate offer

After the advisory meeting, your advisor prepares a personal financial advice report. If you agree with the proposed mortgage, the advisor requests an interest-rate offer from the lender, including a rate proposal and a list of required documents.

The lender assesses your application based on your income, the property and other factors, and checks your credit history at the BKR (Bureau Krediet Registratie). Once everything is in order, you receive the interest-rate offer — usually within a few working days — valid for a fixed period.

Required documents

To finalise your application, the lender requests specific documents. Your interest-rate offer lists exactly what's needed. Income and personal-identification documents are usually the most important, so clarify the full list with your advisor early to avoid delays.

Mortgage approval

Once you've submitted all the documents, the lender assesses your full application. If everything checks out, you receive the final binding offer (bindende offerte) through your advisor. You typically have about two weeks to review and sign it. Once the signed offer is returned, the financing is officially approved and you can proceed to completion.

Transfer at the notary

With your mortgage approved, a notary (notaris) handles the legal paperwork. They prepare the deed of transfer and the mortgage deed signed at the notary, and draw up the settlement statement showing what each party pays or receives. At the appointment, you and the seller sign the deed of transfer, you sign the mortgage deed, and the keys change hands. The notary then registers the transfer in the public records.