Amsterdam tourist tax in Netherlands will reach 20% by 2030

Amsterdam's path from 12.5% to 20% tourist tax

Amsterdam's incoming coalition has agreed in principle to lift the overnight tourist tax from 12.5% to 16% in 2027, then add one percentage point each year until it hits 20% around 2030. That would rank it among Europe's steepest accommodation levies.

The plan sits in the coalition agreement but hasn't been written into law. Each annual step needs a fresh Verordening toeristenbelasting passed by the city council. The current 12.5% rate, in place since Jan. 1, 2024, stays put through 2026.

Sea cruise passengers already pay roughly €15 ($16) per day under a separate tourist tax line and the city is moving to close its main cruise terminal later this decade.

Who pays in Amsterdam

The tax applies to anyone staying overnight in the city who isn't registered at an Amsterdam address in the Basisregistratie Personen. That sweeps in hotel guests, hostel and B&B stays, campsite users, short-stay rental tenants and platform bookings.

Digital nomads and slow travelers using serviced apartments or short-term rentals get charged on every night. Business travelers registered elsewhere pay too. Care-facility residents, recognized asylum-system housing and certain non-commercial school or scouting stays are exempt. Long-stay furnished-home users may fall under the separate forensenbelasting instead.

Once a remote worker formally registers at an Amsterdam address and moves into long-term housing, the tourist tax stops and standard local and national tax rules take over.

What it costs on a booking

Tourist tax is charged as a percentage of the accommodation price and added to the bill by the hotel or host, who remits it to the city. It stacks on top of Dutch VAT.

Dutch VAT on short-stay lodging rose from 9% to 21% on Jan. 1, 2026, covering hotels, holiday rentals, B&Bs, hostels and platform stays. Combined with the current 12.5% tourist tax, the total tax load on an Amsterdam hotel night sits near 33.5% of the rate. At 20% tourist tax, that climbs above 40%.

Travelers wanting to cut the bill can book in a neighboring municipality, where tourist tax rates typically run well below Amsterdam's and commute in.

Read our full Netherlands guide for the complete picture.