Neobanks have made international banking faster and simpler, but in the Netherlands, relying on one as your sole account may cause a few financial hiccups.
If you moved to the Netherlands in the last few years, there’s a fair chance your banking setup involves a neobank.
While they’re great for low fees and easy transfers, the Dutch financial system has some quirks that make relying on one as your sole account a risky move.
What is a neobank (and why are many internationals using them)?
A neobank is a digital bank that operates entirely through mobile apps, with no physical branches.
Most neobanks tend to offer features that traditional banks have historically been slow to develop, such as multi-currency wallets, speedy international transfers, and more streamlined sign-up processes.
READ MORE | What documents do you need to open a Dutch bank account?
For internationals in the Netherlands, that last point is a major factor in their willingness to opt for neobanks. They’re also genuinely useful for anyone earning or holding funds in multiple currencies.
If you’re paid in euros, sending money back home in your local currency, or frequently travelling, a neobank’s exchange rates and transfer fees can save you a meaningful chunk of change over time.
Opening a traditional Dutch bank account typically requires a burgerservicenummer (BSN, also known as your citizen service number), a registered address, and proof of residency.
Meanwhile, neobanks tend to have lower barriers to entry, making them a practical option for people who’ve just arrived and haven’t yet had time to sort out their essentials.
Good to know: More and more Dutch banks now offer BSN-free banking, giving you a grace period of around 90 days to submit your BSN information. If you’re looking for a local account that can be opened shortly after arriving in the Netherlands, you can learn more about how to open a Dutch bank account with ING.
The risks of relying solely on a neobank in the Netherlands
Of course, having a neobank as your only financial lifeline in the Netherlands isn’t without its share of risk.
In particular:
Depending on the provider, customer support can be quite limited
As neobanks typically operate with lean support teams and no physical presence, when something goes wrong, you’re usually working through a chat interface.
While that’s fine and dandy for minor hiccups, complex problems like disputed transactions, urgent account queries, and anything that requires actual human judgment can be slow and frustrating.
Accounts may come under review at inconvenient times
Like all regulated financial institutions, neobanks are required to carry out compliance checks and anti-money-laundering (AML) reviews.
Depending on the provider, some users have found their accounts temporarily restricted while these processes run. If that’s your only account, you may find yourself with limited access to your own funds until the review is complete.
Technical issues could leave you with no backup
As we saw with the major Cloudflare outage of November 2025, server outages happen, apps go down, and maintenance windows occasionally land at inconvenient times.
If you rely on a single neobank for everything, even a brief technical disruption can block access to your money at the wrong moment.
Why ING works as your main bank (and reliable backup)
As one of the most widely used banks in the Netherlands, ING is a solid choice for internationals looking for a reliable local option.
The bank supports iDEAL, the widely used Dutch online payment method, and pan-European initiatives such as Wero are also being introduced.
Many Dutch webshops, government portals, and services use iDEAL | WERO as the default payment option, and while neobank support for it has improved, compatibility isn’t always guaranteed.
Depending on your neobank of choice, you may receive a foreign IBAN, which can cause friction with payment systems in the Netherlands.
In practice, some employers, pension funds, tax authorities, and landlords in the Netherlands may still be more familiar with Dutch IBANs, which can occasionally lead to friction when using foreign IBANs.
READ MORE | Do I need a Dutch IBAN to get paid in the Netherlands?
Finally, ING offers in-person customer support. If you need to visit a branch to resolve an issue, verify your identity, or talk through your options with someone face to face, that’s possible in a way it simply isn’t with digital-only providers.
Costs and practical considerations of using a Dutch backup bank
Of course, using two banks does come with trade-offs, and it’s worth being honest about them.
ING charges a monthly fee of €4 for a standard current account with its Go plan. While that cost isn’t substantial, it adds up over the year. If you’re already paying fees on a neobank, you’re now adding an extra monthly expense to your budget.
While moving money between your neobank and your ING account is generally straightforward, depending on the amounts and frequency, there may be exchange-rate considerations involved. (Costs may arise if you transfer money in another currency, due to exchange rates or additional fees.)
It’s also worth noting that a backup account only works if you keep enough in it to actually function as a fallback. An ING account sitting at zero won’t help you much if your neobank is temporarily unavailable.
Is having ING as your backup bank actually worth it?
Needless to say, the usefulness of ING as your backup bank will depend solely on your personal financial circumstances.
If you’re paid in euros and you transact regularly with companies in the Netherlands, a Dutch bank account makes practical sense as either your primary account or a reliable backup. You can always opt for a neobank alongside it for travel and international transfers.
However, if your neobank covers everything you need, and you’ve never run into compatibility issues, adding a second account is an additional cost you may not need.
That said, payment compatibility, in-person support, and a functional fallback if your primary account becomes temporarily inaccessible are genuine advantages.
For many internationals in the Netherlands, these are worth a small monthly fee. To manage your day-to-day finances in the Netherlands, having a local account makes a big difference.
Do you have an existing Dutch bank account, or are you solely Team Neobank? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
This article was sponsored by ING and written by DutchReview.