Exporting to Netherlands: what it imports and how to enter
Netherlands reported 469 billion USD of imports across the 15 chapters it buys most (2025). The top three are mineral fuels, machinery and mechanical…
Published on 27 September 2026Updated on 29 September 2026Exporting from Spain
Netherlands reported 469 billion USD of imports across the 15 chapters it buys most (2025). The top three are mineral fuels, machinery and mechanical appliances and electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof. It is in the European Union, so there is no customs clearance, but intra-EU VAT obligations do apply.
Fact sheet
- Code
- NL
- European Union
- Yes
Most imported chapters
USD · 2025| Chapter | Imports (USD) |
|---|---|
| 27 · Mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their… | 105,309,621,570 |
| 84 · Machinery and mechanical appliances, boilers, nuclear… | 79,958,173,282 |
| 85 · Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof; sound… | 77,157,252,493 |
| 90 · Optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring… | 37,213,276,878 |
| 87 · Vehicles; other than railway or tramway rolling stock, and… | 36,106,404,104 |
| 30 · Pharmaceutical products | 26,548,351,075 |
| 39 · Plastics and articles thereof | 18,342,945,350 |
| 29 · Organic chemicals | 15,027,382,724 |
| 38 · Chemical products n.e.c. | 13,721,679,952 |
| 18 · Cocoa and cocoa preparations | 12,018,401,472 |
| 08 · Fruit and nuts, edible; peel of citrus fruit or melons | 10,450,241,978 |
| 15 · Animal, vegetable or microbial fats and oils and their… | 9,780,653,885 |
| 72 · Iron and steel | 9,453,777,062 |
| 73 · Iron or steel articles | 9,245,096,458 |
| 61 · Apparel and clothing accessories; knitted or crocheted | 9,094,583,212 |
Imports declared by each country from the world. Countries report with a delay: the period is the latest with consolidated data.
Source: UN ComtradeData for 2025Verified on 29 September 2026
What Netherlands buys
The chapter Netherlands imports most is mineral fuels, at 105 billion USD in 2025, followed by machinery and mechanical appliances (80 billion USD) and electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof (77 billion USD). Demand is spread across several chapters, with none clearly dominant.
The table ranks two-digit chapters, which are broad product families. To judge whether this market fits you, you need to go down to your six-digit heading: within one chapter sit products with very different demand, duties and requirements. If you do not know yours, look it up in the HS Code finder.
As an EU market there is no customs clearance and no duty on a sale from Spain, but the intra-EU transaction still has to be declared, the customer's VAT number checked and the product's labelling and safety rules met, which apply inside the single market too. Product requirements are listed in Access to Markets.
Frequently asked questions
What does Netherlands import?
In 2025, its largest imports by chapter were mineral fuels, machinery and mechanical appliances and electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof. The table on this page lists the top 15 with the reported figure for each, according to UN Comtrade.
What duty will I pay?
None: Netherlands is in the European Union, and a sale from Spain is an intra-EU transaction, with no duty and no customs clearance. What you do have to settle is the VAT treatment and the product rules.
Where do I start if I do not have a tariff heading?
By finding it: it is the field the duty, the entry requirements and the trade statistics all hang from. The first six digits are common to every country applying the Harmonized System. You can search for yours in the HS Code finder and confirm it with your customs agent, who is the one answerable for the classification.
Does this data mean there is demand for my product?
It means that chapter enters the country, and in what volume, which is the first filter. It does not say at what price, through which channel or against which competitors, and those three decide whether the deal works. The figure is from 2025: countries report with a lag, so it is for comparing markets against each other, not for forecasting next month.
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