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My wife

  • has been working and living in the Netherlands for the last 8 months;
  • is an Indian citizen;
  • has a residence (and work) permit for the Netherlands.

while I myself

  • have been working and living in Belgium for the last 13 months;
  • am an Indian citizen;
  • have a residence (and work) permit for Belgium.

I have decided I want to live near the border, but in the Netherlands rather than in Belgium, with my wife, as I continue working in Belgium.

Is this possible? If so, what about taxation? Since I'll continue working in Belgium, I assume I'll be paying taxes there; will I also have to pay taxes in the Netherlands?

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  • I suppose you might be able to get a derivative residence permit in the Netherlands as the spouse of someone working there. Many EU citizens commute across that border, so as long as you have both permission to live in the Netherlands and work in Belgium I expect the tax situation is probably fairly straightforward (i.e., the same as it would be for an EU citizen).
    – phoog
    Jul 9, 2018 at 15:05
  • You should indicate what is the residency / work permit status in each country for each of you. Also, be more specific regarding taxation - what would you like to know?
    – einpoklum
    Jul 9, 2018 at 15:26
  • @einpoklum My wife has a residence permit and work permit for Netherlands. I have residence permit and work permit for Belgium. Since I am working in Belgium, I will be paying my taxes in Belgium. Do i also have to pay tax in Netherlands ?
    – Dikshant
    Jul 9, 2018 at 15:59
  • @Dikshant: Edited your question to include the details you put in the comment. feel free to rephrase of course.
    – einpoklum
    Jul 9, 2018 at 18:56

2 Answers 2

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From the Belastingdienst website (emphasis mine):

Because you reside in the Netherlands, you have to declare all of your income, even if the tax levy on that income has been designated to Belgium. However, you do not pay tax on that income twice.

We first calculate the tax on your entire income. After that, we calculate the tax that you must pay on the income that is also taxed in Belgium. For that amount, you will get a relief from the tax to be paid by you. This is called double tax relief (on the tax return notice this relief is called 'relief for taxation elsewhere').

They are the official source of information on the topic of taxation.

Regarding health insurance, you need to pay for insurance in the country where you are working. If you work in both countries, it depends on the ratio if you'll need to pay insurance in both countries. This page describes your situation in Dutch, but transcribed it comes down to:

  • You live in The Netherlands;
  • You work in Belgium for a Belgian company;
  • You don't work in The Netherlands;
  • Given these criteria, you only need to pay Belgian health insurance, which amounts to roughly € 10,- a month.

I advise you take a look at the Belastingdienst link, and browse through their other pages and see which situations apply to you.

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    I think you pay health insurance where you work (only), and the insurance company gives you a certificate which you give to your health insurance company where you live. That is certainly how it works for me (live in DE, work in CH).
    – Martin Bonner supports Monica
    Jul 11, 2018 at 14:53
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    This page refers to Belgium/Luxembourg cross boarder workers, but I think it is a an EFTA wide rule (it is certainly the same rule as CH/DE): It says "The insured person is considered a cross-border worker if they work (and are insured) in a different EU country than the one they reside in and under the condition that they return to the country of residence every day or at least once a week. In this case, the country competent in social security matters is the country where they work."
    – Martin Bonner supports Monica
    Jul 11, 2018 at 15:35
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I don't know about Belgium-Netherlands taxation specifically, but the general rule is that you are liable for taxation in both countries, but tax paid in one country will be deducted from tax due in the other. The net result is that you end up paying the higher tax rate overall.

Commuting across this particular border is very common, so I suggest talking to a local tax advisor or accountant in the Netherlands to find out exactly how it works.

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