The machtiging tot voorlopig verblijf, abbreviated mvv, is the authorisation a foreign national needs to enter the Netherlands for a stay of more than ninety days. It is a long-stay visa issued by a Dutch embassy or consulate, and it is the gateway to the residence permit rather than a permit in itself.
Who needs one
Nationals of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland do not. Nor do nationals of a list of exempt countries, which includes among others the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Everyone else falls under the mvv requirement, and travelling to the Netherlands without one and applying on arrival is not an alternative: the residence application will be refused for that reason alone.
The combined procedure
In practice the mvv is almost always applied for through the Entry and Residence procedure (Toegang en Verblijf), in which the sponsor files one application in the Netherlands covering both the mvv and the residence permit. The IND assesses the whole file, and once approved the applicant collects the mvv sticker at the embassy, travels within its validity of ninety days, and collects the residence card in the Netherlands.
For recognised sponsors the target decision period is two weeks; for other applications the statutory maximum of ninety days applies, and it is regularly used in full.
Where it goes wrong
Timing causes most problems. The mvv must be collected and used within its validity, and an employment start date fixed before the procedure is complete tends to slip. The other recurring issue is the appointment at the embassy: in some countries the waiting time for a slot is measured in months, which is not shortened by the IND’s decision being ready.
Related terms
See also the residence permit, highly skilled migrant and family reunification.
Our immigration lawyers in the Netherlands prepare and monitor entry and residence applications.
