Immigrating to the Netherlands: routes, documents and steps

To live in the Netherlands for more than 90 days as a non-EU national, you need a residence permit from the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) for one specific purpose, such as work, study, family or self-employment. The exception: citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland need no permit and only register with the municipality.

Dutch immigration law has no general “immigration visa”. Under the Aliens Act 2000 (Vreemdelingenwet 2000), every residence permit is tied to one purpose of stay, and you must keep meeting its conditions. This guide covers regular migration in six steps. Law & More does not handle asylum cases.

Which route fits your situation?

Your route depends on your nationality and on why you come to the Netherlands. The main purposes of stay are work (including the highly skilled migrant scheme), study, family and self-employment.

The rules are in the Aliens Act 2000 and the Aliens Decree 2000 (Vreemdelingenbesluit 2000). A permit is always issued for one purpose of stay (verblijfsdoel). If that purpose ends, for example because you lose your job or your relationship ends, your right of residence can end as well, unless you qualify for another purpose.

Are you an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen?

Then you need neither a residence permit nor a work permit. You live and work here on the basis of free movement. If you stay longer than four months, you register with the municipality in the Personal Records Database (Basisregistratie Personen, BRP). Your non-EU family members may need a residence document, which the IND issues on the basis of EU law.

Are you a non-EU national?

Then you need a residence permit for any stay of more than 90 days. Many nationals also need a provisional residence permit (machtiging tot voorlopig verblijf, MVV), an entry visa for long stay. Nationals of Australia, Canada, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vatican City are exempt from the MVV requirement, as are EU, EEA and Swiss citizens. They still need a residence permit.

Work

For most paid work, your employer is the key player. An employer that the IND has recognised as a sponsor (erkend referent) can bring you in as a highly skilled migrant (kennismigrant). There is no labour market test and no diploma requirement; your gross salary decides. In 2026 the IND requires at least EUR 5,942 gross per month if you are 30 or older and EUR 4,357 if you are under 30, excluding holiday allowance.

A reduced salary criterion of EUR 3,122 gross per month applies if you graduated in the Netherlands or at a qualifying foreign university within the last three years, or apply during the Dutch orientation year (zoekjaar). The IND indexes these amounts every year on 1 January, so check the current figures before you sign a contract.

The European Blue Card is an alternative for workers with a higher education qualification of at least three years. The salary threshold in 2026 is EUR 5,942 gross per month, or EUR 4,754 under the reduced criterion, for example for recent graduates. The Blue Card makes it easier to move on to another EU country later.

For other employment, the employer usually needs a work permit (tewerkstellingsvergunning, TWV) from the Employee Insurance Agency (UWV). UWV first checks whether suitable candidates are available in the Netherlands or the European Economic Area. That labour market test makes this route slower and less certain than the highly skilled migrant scheme.

Study

You can study at a Dutch university or university of applied sciences that is a recognised sponsor; the institution submits the application for you. You must show enough money to support yourself, and the institution sets its own language requirements, often IELTS or TOEFL. During your studies you may work a limited number of hours, and only if your employer has a work permit for you.

Family

If your spouse, registered partner or unmarried partner lives lawfully in the Netherlands, you can apply for a residence permit to stay with him or her. The partner here acts as your sponsor (referent). In most cases both partners must be 21 or older, and the sponsor needs sufficient, lasting income: from 1 July to 31 December 2026 at least EUR 2,337 gross per month excluding holiday allowance. This amount changes on 1 January and 1 July.

Minor children can join a parent who lives here lawfully. Other relatives, such as adult children or parents, qualify only in exceptional cases, usually under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (right to family life) and a real relationship of dependency. Many partners must first pass the civic integration exam abroad (basisexamen inburgering buitenland) before the IND grants an MVV. Our articles on the spouse visa in the Netherlands and family reunification in the Netherlands go into more detail.

Self-employment and start-ups

The start-up visa gives you one year to develop an innovative business with an experienced facilitator in the Netherlands. The permit for self-employed persons (arbeid als zelfstandige) requires your business to serve an essential Dutch interest; the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) scores your business plan with a points system and advises the IND. US and Japanese nationals may qualify under easier conditions based on bilateral treaties.

Which documents do you need?

You always need a valid passport and documents that prove the purpose of your stay. Foreign civil status documents usually need an apostille or legalisation, and a sworn translation if they are not in Dutch, English, French or German.

Identity and civil status

Your passport must be valid when you apply and when you collect your permit. For family routes, the IND wants official proof of the relationship, such as a marriage certificate, a registered partnership certificate or your children’s birth certificates. The municipality also asks for your birth certificate when you register in the BRP.

Countries that are party to the Apostille Convention use an apostille; documents from other countries must be legalised by the local authorities and the Dutch embassy. In some countries this takes several weeks, so start early.

Documents for your purpose of stay

For work, the employer provides most of the evidence, including the employment contract that shows your salary. For study, the institution confirms your admission. For family, the sponsor shows his or her income with payslips and an employment contract. For self-employment, you provide a business plan, financial forecasts and evidence of your experience.

Most applicants sign an antecedents certificate, a statement about any criminal history, and certain nationalities must take a tuberculosis test after arrival. The IND application form tells you which statements apply. Incomplete files lead to requests for more information and delay, so use the IND checklist for your purpose of stay.

Fees

The IND charges a fee (leges) for each application. The amount depends on the purpose of stay, changes every year and is not refunded if the IND refuses the application. The IND publishes the current amounts on its page on required amounts and income requirements.

How do you choose between permits?

Choose the permit that matches your actual main activity in the Netherlands. The wrong purpose of stay can lead to refusal, or to problems later when you extend your permit or apply for permanent residence.

With a job offer from a recognised sponsor and a salary above the threshold, the highly skilled migrant scheme is usually the quickest route. With a higher education degree and plans to move within the EU later, compare it with the Blue Card. If your partner already lives here, the family route gives more freedom: a family member may work without a separate work permit.

Some permits count towards permanent residence or naturalisation after five years, others do not. A student permit is a temporary purpose of stay, so years spent studying count only partially, or not at all. Our immigration law page explains how we help you weigh these choices.

How do you submit the application?

In most work and study cases, your sponsor submits one application for both the MVV and the residence permit: the entry and residence procedure (toegang en verblijf, TEV).

A recognised sponsor applies online through the IND business portal. Once the IND approves the MVV, you collect the visa sticker at the Dutch embassy or consulate, where your biometrics are taken. You then travel to the Netherlands and collect your residence permit card at an IND desk.

Without a sponsor, for instance as a self-employed person, you apply yourself, from abroad via the Dutch embassy or consulate. If you are exempt from the MVV requirement, you may travel to the Netherlands first and apply after arrival.

How long does the IND take?

The statutory decision period for a residence permit is 90 days, which the IND can extend by another 90 days. For applications from recognised sponsors, the IND aims to decide within about two weeks, but that is a service target, not a legal right.

If the IND misses the deadline, you can send a written notice of default (ingebrekestelling). If the IND still has not decided two weeks later, you can appeal to the court against the failure to decide on time. Since 15 April 2025 the IND no longer owes a penalty payment (dwangsom) for late decisions in immigration cases; the court can still order it to decide within a set period.

The IND may ask for missing information within a set deadline. Reply in time, or the IND may decide on the file as it stands.

Will you have to attend an interview?

For work and study permits there is usually no interview; the IND decides on the documents. An interview (gehoor) is more common in family cases, when the IND checks whether a relationship is genuine and lasting.

The IND can then hear both partners separately about how you met, your contact and your plans. What matters is that your answers are truthful and match the documents in the file. Differences between the two accounts can lead to refusal, so read through what you submitted beforehand. The appointment at the embassy to collect your MVV is not an interview: staff only check your identity and take your fingerprints and photograph.

What if the IND refuses your application?

You can lodge an objection (bezwaar) with the IND within four weeks of the date of the decision. If the IND rejects the objection, you can appeal to the court (rechtbank) within four weeks. Refusals often turn on one missing document or on how the IND applied an income criterion. If you need to stay in the Netherlands during the objection, you may have to ask the court for a provisional measure (voorlopige voorziening).

What do you arrange after arrival?

After arrival, register with your municipality, take out Dutch health insurance and open a bank account, in that order. Each step depends on the one before it.

Registration and BSN

If you will stay longer than four months, you must register in the BRP within five days of arrival. Bring your passport, proof of address such as a rental contract, and your legalised birth certificate. You then receive a citizen service number (burgerservicenummer, BSN), which you need for your salary, your bank, your doctor and the Belastingdienst.

Health insurance

Anyone who lives or works in the Netherlands must take out basic health insurance (basisverzekering) with a Dutch insurer within four months. The cover then applies retroactively, and you pay the premium for that period too. Students who only study and do not work are usually exempt, but should have private insurance.

Housing, banking and work

Housing is often the hardest part, especially in Amsterdam, Utrecht and the Brainport region around Eindhoven. Dutch tenancy law protects tenants, but temporary contracts and service charges regularly lead to disputes, so check your rental contract. Most banks ask for your BSN and residence permit to open an account.

A highly skilled migrant may qualify for the 30% ruling, a tax facility of the Belastingdienst for incoming employees. That is a matter for a tax adviser; we do not advise on tax structuring. See also our articles on moving to the Netherlands and your rights as an expat worker in the Netherlands.

Keep your permit valid

Your permit stays valid only while you meet the conditions. If you change employer as a highly skilled migrant, the new employer must also be a recognised sponsor and report the change to the IND. Apply for an extension before your permit expires. After five years of lawful residence on a non-temporary purpose, you may apply for permanent residence if you meet the civic integration requirement.

What should you check as a migrant?

Most refusals and delays start with a missed condition or deadline. Check these points before and after you apply:

• Whether you need an MVV, or are exempt because of your nationality.
• Whether your salary or your partner’s income meets the IND amount for the current period, excluding holiday allowance.
• Whether your passport is valid until you collect your permit card.
• Whether your foreign certificates carry an apostille or legalisation and a sworn translation.
• Whether you register in the BRP within five days and take out health insurance within four months.
• When your permit expires, so you apply for an extension in time.

What should you check as an employer bringing in staff?

As a sponsor you carry legal duties towards the IND, and the Netherlands Labour Authority (Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie) can fine you under the Foreign Nationals Employment Act (Wet arbeid vreemdelingen). Check:

• Whether your company is a recognised sponsor with the IND, or needs to apply first.
• Whether the agreed gross salary meets the 2026 threshold for the employee’s age, without holiday allowance.
• Whether a TWV from UWV is needed for staff who do not fall under the highly skilled migrant scheme.
• Whether you report changes, such as the end of employment, to the IND, mostly within four weeks.
• Whether you keep the employee’s documents for five years after you stop being the sponsor.

What can we do for you with immigration to the Netherlands?

Law & More assists employers, expats and families with residence permits, objections and appeals against IND decisions. In practice we:

• Assess which purpose of stay fits your situation and which conditions you must meet.
• Review your documents and the IND checklist before the application goes in.
• Prepare the application for the highly skilled migrant, Blue Card, family or self-employment route.
• Send the notice of default and start the court case if the IND misses its decision period.
• Draft the objection (bezwaar) and file it with the IND within the four-week deadline, and represent you in an appeal.
• Advise employers on recognised sponsorship and their reporting duties.

Summary

• EU, EEA and Swiss citizens need no residence permit; non-EU nationals need one for any stay longer than 90 days.
• Each permit is tied to one purpose of stay, such as work, study, family or self-employment.
• For highly skilled migrants, salary decides: EUR 5,942 (30+) or EUR 4,357 (under 30) gross per month in 2026.
• Your sponsor usually applies; the IND has 90 days to decide, and you have four weeks to object to a refusal.
• After arrival, register with the municipality within five days and take out Dutch health insurance within four months.

Frequently asked questions