Film and TV incentive in the Netherlands
The Netherlands runs the Netherlands Film Production Incentive: a cash rebate worth Up to 35%. A payment on approved local spend, usually claimed after delivery or in stages. What matters is the queue: most cash rebates run from an annual budget.
The numbers
- Scheme
- Netherlands Film Production Incentive
- Type
- Cash rebate
- Headline rate
- Up to 35%
- Minimum local spend
- Feature: €1m total cost and €150k Dutch spend; documentary: €250k and €100k; high-end series: €12,000 per broadcast minute for drama (€8,000 animation, €4,000 documentary) and at least €1m per episode
- Cap per project
- No cap
- Funding
- Budget-limited Competitive rounds, ranked on points: €20m for film in four rounds and €9.5m for high-end series in three rounds in 2026, with international co-productions served first up to 70% of a round
- Paid
- In instalments under the implementation agreement; the final amount is set on the audited qualifying spend
- Foreign spend qualifies
- No
- Currency
- EUR
What this means for the cashflow
There is an annual pot and a queue. Applying early in the year matters, and a full pot can push a production to the next round. The production carries the gap until the money arrives, and that is a financing question rather than a budget line.
When it pays: In instalments under the implementation agreement; the final amount is set on the audited qualifying spend.
The detail
Selective: applications are ranked, so a strong project can still miss out when a round is oversubscribed. A Dutch producer or co-producer is required. International co-productions are served first in 2026. Next deadline for film and series: 26 October 2026.
What you have to submit
Budget model Standard & Production Incentive (Excel), Netherlands Film Fund. Mandatory format. Also published as a Movie Magic template and an animation version on the same downloads list.
Building the budget first? Use the free film budget template or the Budget Builder, then map it onto whatever the fund asks for.
How it compares
Counted on the best rate a production can reach after tax, Netherlands sits at number 9 of the 32 European schemes we track (35%). Work out the net value on your own spend, side by side with up to two other countries, in the incentive comparison.
Pays more
Pays less
Other cash rebate schemes
- Germany 30%
- Portugal 30% / 25% (large track); 30% to 40% (medium track)
- Malta 30% to 40%
- Hungary 30% (up to 37.5% with foreign costs)
- Czech Republic 25% (35% animation and VFX)
- Poland 30%
- Iceland 25% (35% for large productions)
- Austria Up to 30% (35% with Green Bonus)
Shooting there
We list 109 places to shoot in Netherlands and 48 studios, production companies and post houses, each checked on its own site.
Source
Figures taken from Netherlands Film Fund and checked on 2026-09-05. Incentives change: confirm the current terms with the fund before you commit a budget to them.
All 32 incentives · Compare them on your own spend · Locations by country