Amsterdam Tourist Tax 2027: 16% Increase Proposed

1. What you pay today, and what is proposed for 2027

A night at €200 before VAT: €25 in tax today, €32 in 2027 if the proposal is adopted

12.5% in 2026 16% proposed for 2027 Vote expected November 11 and 12, 2026 Base: price before VAT

Amsterdam’s tourist tax, the toeristenbelasting, is set by a municipal ordinance (verordening). Its Article 5 applies 12.5% to the price of the night, and its Article 4 specifies that the base is the amount subject to VAT on accommodation, meaning the price before VAT. The rate stayed at 12.5% for 2026, according to the association KHN.

The same night is subject to hotel VAT, which rose from 9% to 21% on January 1, 2026, according to the Dutch tax authority. On €200 before VAT, that is €42 in VAT and €25 in tax, so €67 in charges, or 33.5% of the pre-VAT price. If the executive’s proposal is adopted, the tax rises to €32 and the total to €74, or 37% of the pre-VAT price.

Pixidia tip: always compare on the same basis. A price shown at €200 including VAT equals €165.29 before VAT: the tax is then only €20.66 in 2026, and €26.45 if the 16% rate applies in 2027. Ask your accommodation which price serves as the base.

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Source: municipal ordinance Toeristenbelasting 2024, Articles 4 and 5, KHN, October 16, 2026 for the 16% proposal; calculation on these rates, checked October 23, 2026.

The 16% rate is not a decision. According to KHN and NH Nieuws, it is the executive’s proposal, included in the draft 2027 budget. For a night at €200 before VAT, the difference is €7; over a three-night stay, it comes to €21.

2. A vote is scheduled, not a decision

According to KHN (October 16, 2026), the city executive proposes 16% in the 2027 budget. The press indicates the rate would apply from January 1, 2027, if the proposal is adopted. The coalition then plans one extra point per year, according to AT5. KHN reports that the city council is due to vote on this budget on November 11 and 12, 2026; the budget document itself could not be consulted. As of the check date, no decision has been taken, and no source we read mentions an amendment, a rejection or a postponement.

Two intermediate steps are worth tracking. A municipal committee was due to review the budget on October 22, 2026 at 9 a.m., according to KHN. Another, the Middelen en Kunst committee, meets on October 28 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at Stadhuis Amstel 1, where a public statement is possible. We could not consult the minutes of these sessions.

Source: KHN, October 16, 2026, checked October 23, 2026.

For a trip in November 2026, the rate that applies remains 12.5%. For a stay in 2027, two questions remain open: when the increase will actually take effect, and whether the rate applied is the one for the night or the one at booking. The sources we read indicate that hotels apply the rate in force on the night, but none confirms this for 2027. Check with your accommodation before paying a deposit.

According to KHN and the press it cites, the executive justifies the increase by the cost of tourism (cleanliness, safety, public space) and by the aim of limiting overnight stays. These points are not an official explanation. The budget figures show the stakes: the 2026 budget listed €275.5 million in tourist tax revenue, according to KHN (November 2025). The city projects 24.6 million overnight stays in 2026, 25.6 million in 2027 and 26.5 million in 2028, according to its letter to the council of May 26, 2026. KHN, for its part, is calling for a legal limit on the tax.

3. Toward 20%: what one point a year adds up to

The 2026-2030 coalition agreement, as reported by AT5, provides for a rise of one point a year from 16% in 2027, but does not set a year for reaching 20%. At one point a year, 20% would be reached in 2031. Some articles cite 2030, but this calculation gives 19% that year. NL Times, in late August 2026, points to 2031 and says the city could come close to the highest rate in the world by then.

Source: AT5, coalition agreement, June 3, 2026; NL Times, August 23, 2026; checked October 23, 2026.

The stated lever is visitor numbers. The city recorded 23.7 million tourist overnight stays in 2025, about 800,000 more than in 2024, according to NH Nieuws. That figure is above the political ceiling of 20 million overnight stays. These are overnight stays, not people: a traveler who stays three nights counts as three.

For your budget, the trajectory matters as much as the 2027 rate. A stay booked in 2026 for the following year is not protected from a rise, and the sources we read do not say which rate applies to a night booked before the decision. Ask your accommodation which rate will appear on your invoice.

4. Who pays, who collects, and when

The liable party is the person who makes the accommodation available: hotel, owner, manager or host (Article 3 of the ordinance). In practice, the traveler bears the cost, and the host collects it and passes it on to the city. If the person renting cannot be identified, the traveler is liable.

Source: municipal ordinance, Article 3; Airbnb help article 2289; KHN, November 19, 2025; checked October 23, 2026.

On the payment date, no national or municipal rule could be read, and no official text sets when payment is due. Guides disagree: some say payment on arrival, others on departure. Several guides note that the tax is often not included in the displayed price, shown as « taxes extra » (extra taxes), as amsterdamauthority.com puts it. The payment method is not set by the text either.

On major booking platforms, the tax often appears as « taxes extra, » separate from the nightly price (amsterdamauthority.com). Airbnb collects it for non-resident travelers, according to its help article 2289. Compare the amount you pay online with the amount you are asked for on arrival.

5. Children, exemptions and holiday rentals

Do children under 16 pay the tax?

In the text we consulted on October 23, 2026, Article 7 only covers care and reception; ask your accommodation. Several guides still say under-16s don’t pay, but that rule does not appear in the text we consulted.

If an accommodation offers a reduced rate for families, that is its commercial policy, not an exemption from the city. Ask for it in writing before booking, and keep the reply with your confirmation.

Holiday rentals

Since April 1, 2026, a home rented for short stays can only be let for 15 nights a year in one part of the city, and 30 nights elsewhere. The exact boundaries are described differently depending on the media, as NH Nieuws and CMS note. For you, the rule does not raise the tax, but it determines whether the offer is legal: a rental must have a registration number. Check that number before paying a deposit.

6. What the tax adds to the cost of a stay

The tax is calculated night by night, on the price of the room. On a room at €150 before VAT, it costs €18.75 a night in 2026 and €24 in 2027. Over three nights at €200 before VAT, the total goes from €75 to €96. In a hostel at €40 before VAT a night, there is no threshold: the tax is €5 in 2026 and €6.40 in 2027.

Source: municipal ordinance, Article 5; calculation on these rates, checked October 23, 2026.

To compare two offers, bring them to the same price basis. A 15-night stay at €150 before VAT costs €281.25 in tax in 2026, and €360 if the 16% rate applies. Other cities have their own rules: for Venice’s day-trippers, see Venice’s tourist tax for day-trippers; for Catalonia in 2027, see Catalonia’s tourist tax.

7. Depending on your traveler profile

• Families. The tax is calculated on the price of the night, not on the number of travelers: Article 4 of the ordinance sets the base as the price of the night. For the under-16 question, see section 5.
• Tight budget. Always compare on the pre-VAT price. A cheaper place pays less tax, but the gap stays proportional: 12.5% in 2026, 16% if the proposal is adopted. A hostel at €40 before VAT pays €5 a night, against €6.40 in 2027.
• First time in Amsterdam. Look for the tourist tax line on your confirmation, note who collects it, and check when it is paid.
• Long stay. Over a month, the tax adds up night after night. Ask for a written summary at the end of your stay, especially if your booking runs into January 2027.
• Cruise passenger. The tax on cruise passengers is separate and falls under its own ordinance. Sources give different figures for it, so we don’t quote one: check with your cruise line.

For a room-and-breakfast package, VAT is split between 21% for the room and 9% for breakfast sold separately, according to the Dutch tax authority. Ask the establishment which amount the tax is calculated on before you book.

What other guides don’t tell you

Five points, developed above. Sources checked October 23, 2026.

• Children: in the text we consulted on October 23, 2026, Article 7 only covers care and reception; ask your accommodation. Municipal ordinance Toeristenbelasting 2024, CVDR703815/1.
• 2027 rate: proposed, not voted; vote expected on November 11 and 12, 2026. KHN, October 16, 2026.
• Trajectory: at one point a year, 20% would be reached in 2031. AT5, coalition agreement, June 3, 2026.
• Pre-VAT base: the tax is calculated on the amount excluding VAT (Article 4). Municipal ordinance, Article 4.
• Hotel VAT: 21% in force since January 1, 2026. Belastingdienst, VAT on accommodation.

Practical checks before you book

Here are six things to check before you book.

• Ask in writing: whether the tax is included or shown separately, when it is paid, and what applies to children.
• Cancellation: the sources we read do not say what happens to the tax if you cancel; ask in writing.
• Keep a record: the « toeristenbelasting » or « tourist tax » line must appear on your confirmation or invoice.
• Calculate on the pre-VAT price: if the displayed price includes VAT, divide it by 1.21 to get the pre-VAT price, the base for the 12.5% rate.
• Check the rental: for a short-term rental, ask for the registration number. Rentals are limited to 15 or 30 nights a year depending on the area.
• Follow the vote: the decision is expected on November 11 and 12, 2026, but the text may change. Before paying a deposit for a 2027 stay, check the sources cited above and the city’s website.