Methodology

Independent research by Hiveminds. Updated 9 November 2026.

How the method works

Every guide on Expat Checked follows the same steps. We find candidates, check each one against fixed inclusion criteria, record facts with a source and a date, and score those facts with a published rubric. The ranking is computed from the facts. Nobody edits it by hand.

This page describes version 1.0 (source) of the method.

Finding candidates

We look for candidates in expat directories, in the partner lists of official expat centres, in web search results and in the answers AI assistants give to common expat questions. A directory only tells us that a provider exists. We never take a fact from a directory.

Some candidates cannot be assessed at all, for example because their website does not load. We note those in our research files and leave them out of the dataset.

Inclusion criteria

A provider is included only if every criterion for its category holds, and each criterion is backed by a source.

Expat tax advisors

Offers tax returns or tax advice for individuals in the Netherlands.
States explicitly that it serves clients in English.
Offers at least one of: the 30% ruling (Expat Scheme), the M form for the year you move, or a return with foreign income or assets.
Can be identified by a KVK number or an office address on its own site.
Has a working website with a page describing its services.

Relocation agencies

Offers at least two settling-in services: immigration and IND applications, home search, municipal registration and BSN, school search, orientation, or departure support. Removals alone do not count.
Is active in the Netherlands with an office address or KVK number on its own site.
States that it serves clients in English.
Has a working website with a page describing its services.

A candidate that fails a criterion stays in our dataset as not included, with the reason. The guides report how many candidates failed each criterion. Our guides do not list providers that did not meet our criteria, and not meeting one of them says nothing about the quality of their work. Our research page, What AI recommends, reports which providers AI assistants named, whether or not they are in our guides; a mention there is a measurement, not our assessment.

Sources

Facts come from the provider’s own website or from an official register.
Each fact links to the deepest page where it appears, not to the home page when a subpage carries it.
Each fact records the date we opened that page.
When a provider does not make something public, we show “Not published”. We never fill a gap with an estimate.
A membership counts only when the provider appears on the member list or register of that body. A logo on the provider’s own site is not enough.
Prices are shown exactly as published, always with a note on what the price covers and whether it includes VAT.
Statements about Dutch rules, such as the Expat Scheme (30% ruling) or municipal registration, come only from official sources: belastingdienst.nl, ind.nl, rijksoverheid.nl, government.nl and kvk.nl.

Scoring

Each category has a rubric. Every criterion awards points from facts alone, so anyone can recompute a score from the facts on the profile page. A fact marked “Not published” earns no points.

Rubric: expat tax advisors

Scoring model for tax advisors, 100 points in total
Criterion	Max	What it measures	How points are awarded
Expat specialism	25	Expat-specific tax services offered.	7 points if 30% ruling: yes 7 points if M form (year of arrival): yes 6 points if Foreign assets (box 3): yes 5 points if Partner return: yes
Price transparency	25	Prices published on the provider's own site.	10 points if Income tax return, from: published 8 points if M form, from: published 7 points if 30% ruling application, from: published
Verified credentials	20	Membership of a professional body, confirmed in that body's public register.	20 points if Professional membership (register) includes NOB or RB; otherwise 10 points if Professional membership (register): published; otherwise 0 points
Service access	15	Service in English, remote service and reach.	5 points if Service languages includes English 5 points if Remote service: yes 5 points if Offices name at least 2 distinct entries
Freelancer scope	15	Tax services for self-employed (ZZP) expats.	15 points if Self-employed (ZZP): yes

Rubric: relocation agencies

Scoring model for relocation agencies, 100 points in total
Criterion	Max	What it measures	How points are awarded
Service breadth	30	Settling-in services offered.	5 points if Immigration and IND: yes 5 points if Home search: yes 5 points if Municipal registration and BSN: yes 5 points if School search: yes 5 points if Orientation: yes 5 points if Departure service: yes
Individual access	20	Open to self-paying expats, with published packages and prices.	8 points if Serves self-paying individuals: yes 6 points if Published packages: yes 6 points if Price, from: published
Verified memberships	20	Membership of an industry body, confirmed on its official member list.	20 points if Memberships (official list) includes EuRA or Eurecanet; otherwise 10 points if Memberships (official list): published; otherwise 0 points
Coverage	15	Cities served in the Netherlands.	15 points if Cities covered includes nationwide; otherwise 15 points if Offices and Cities covered name at least 4 distinct entries; otherwise 10 points if Offices and Cities covered name at least 2 distinct entries; otherwise 5 points if Offices and Cities covered name at least 1 distinct entry; otherwise 0 points
Languages	15	Service languages.	5 points if Service languages includes English 10 points if Service languages name at least 2 distinct entries other than English; otherwise 5 points if Service languages name at least 1 distinct entry other than English; otherwise 0 points

Ranking and segments

Providers are ranked by total score. Providers with the same total share their position; within a shared position we list them alphabetically, and that order carries no meaning.

The “Best for” sections in each guide follow fixed rules stored with the rubric: which facts a provider must have, and which scores decide the order. When providers tie under such a rule, they share the label. When no provider meets a rule, the guide says so and names no one.

Why we do not use reviews

We do not collect, copy or summarise reviews or ratings from other platforms. A reader cannot check who wrote a review or whether a platform filtered it, and we cannot either. We compare what providers publish themselves, so every point in a score can be traced to a page you can open.

How often we check

We check every included provider again each quarter. Each guide shows the date of its last update, and each fact shows the date its source was opened.

Corrections

If a fact is wrong or out of date, write to info@hiveminds.nl with the page and, if possible, the source. We open the source again. If it supports the change, we correct the dataset, recompute the scores and update the date on the guide. We do not change a fact on the strength of an email alone.

Version history

Version	Date	Change
1.0 (source)	8 November 2026 (source)	First published version: inclusion criteria, rubrics and source rules for expat tax advisors and relocation agencies.