The permanent residence permit confers a lasting right of residence no longer tied to a specific purpose. The holder may work freely and does not lose the right when a relationship ends or employment stops.
Legal basis
Article 21 of the Aliens Act 2000 governs the regular permanent permit. The conditions are five years of uninterrupted lawful residence on a non-temporary basis, sustainable and independent means of support, no danger to public order, and having passed the civic integration examination at at least level A2, with level B1 as the starting point for those who became subject to integration requirements from 1 January 2022. Article 34 governs the permanent asylum permit after five years. Alongside these sits the EU long-term residence permit under Directive 2003/109/EC, which confers additional rights within the European Union, including residence in another Member State.
How it works in practice
Only periods spent on a purpose regarded as non-temporary count towards the five years; residence as a student or an au pair does not. Interruptions through periods abroad are permitted only within limits. The income requirement is assessed over a recent period and demands sustainability, which requires extra substantiation for fixed-term contracts and for the self-employed. The application is best made before the temporary permit expires.
Where it goes wrong
Applicants count years that do not qualify and receive a refusal, losing the fee. A second error is a dip in income during the assessment period, for instance through a short spell of unemployment. Third, it is underestimated that even a permanent permit can be withdrawn, among other things after a long period spent outside the Netherlands.
Related terms
The permit follows the regular residence permit or the asylum permit, requires civic integration and often precedes naturalisation.
Would you like to know whether you meet the conditions? Our immigration lawyers count the years and test the income requirement.
