Handing in your residence permit

The residence permit card is property of the Dutch government. You must therefore return is to the IND upon departure. This will prevent issues for you when deciding to return to the Netherlands in the future. You can hand in your residence permit at any IND desk or send it to the IND by post. Please visit the IND website for more information on returning your residence permit card.

Deregistering from the municipality

You have to deregister from your municipality. Some municipalities are limited to reach when you are abroad. Therefore, it would be better to deregister from the municipality while you are still in the Netherlands. Please check the IND website for more information about deregistering.

Cancelling your insurance

You also have to cancel your health insurance. Contact your insurance company to cancel your insurance.

Closing your bank account

If applicable, you might also want to close your account with a Dutch bank upon your departure. This is optional, and there are also possibilities to keep your account while abroad. Contact your bank to request them to close your account or to request information about keeping your account while staying abroad.

Refunding credit on your OV chip card

When you used an OV-chip card for traveling with public transport in the Netherlands, you can request a credit refund. If you have any credit on your OV-chip card and if you don’t wish to use your OV-chip card in the near future, you can apply here for a credit refund.