Residence permits in the Netherlands - routes, sponsors, fees and next steps

Most Dutch permits are based on a sponsor: an employer for work, an educational institution for study, or a partner or family member for family reasons. The sponsor often submits the application and has legal obligations of its own, such as giving the IND information and keeping records. Employers and institutions can apply to the IND to become recognised sponsors, which gives them access to faster procedures and, for highly skilled migrants and students, is required.

Depending on your nationality, you also need a provisional residence permit (machtiging tot voorlopig verblijf, MVV) to enter the Netherlands. It is an entry visa for stays longer than 90 days, and it is usually applied for together with the residence permit. People whose nationality is exempt from the MVV, such as citizens of Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States, can travel in and collect their residence document at an IND desk once the IND has decided. Biometrics (photo and fingerprints) are taken at the embassy or consulate if you need an MVV, otherwise in the Netherlands.

IND fees change every 1 January. For 2026 the IND lists, among others:

• Highly skilled migrant (kennismigrant): €423, for first applications and extensions. See highly skilled migrant permit.
• EU Blue Card: €423.
• Intra-corporate transferee (ICT): €423.
• Self-employed person: €423.
• Study (all levels): €254. See studying in the Netherlands.
• Orientation year for recent graduates looking for work: €254.
• Stay with a family member, including a partner: €254 for adults, €85 for a child under 18. See family reunification in the Netherlands.
• Permanent residence or long-term EU resident permit: €254.

Other routes include the researcher permit, the start-up permit and the single permit for paid employment (GVVA), where the employer must also obtain a work permit from the UWV.

• Highly skilled migrant: only an IND-recognised sponsor can apply. In 2026 the gross monthly salary, without holiday allowance, must be at least €5,942 (age 30 or older), €4,357 (under 30) or €3,122 (reduced criterion for recent graduates), and in line with the market rate. No work permit and no education requirement. The permit usually follows your contract, up to five years.
• EU Blue Card: the same 2026 threshold as highly skilled migrants aged 30 or older (€5,942), with a reduced criterion of €4,754 for recent graduates; requires higher education evaluated by IDW (or, in some cases, relevant experience) and a contract of at least six months, but no recognised sponsor.
• If you lose your job: highly skilled migrants generally have three months to find a new qualifying job. According to the IND, if you become unemployed on or after 22 May 2026 and have held the permit for at least two years, the search period is up to six months.

The government announced in July 2025 that it intends to raise the salary threshold for under-30s and tighten requirements for recognised sponsors. Check the IND page for the rules that apply when your employer applies. Full details are in highly skilled migrant permit.

Your recognised educational institution applies for you. For 2026, you must show €1,130.77 per month for higher education (€928.58 for MBO), the IND decides within 60 days, and the permit covers your programme plus three months. You may work up to 16 hours a week (full-time in June to August) if your employer has a work permit for you.

After graduating from a Dutch or top-ranked foreign university, you can apply within three years for the orientation year permit: valid for one year, with the right to work freely while you look for a job.

The IND distinguishes temporary purposes of stay, such as study, the orientation year, intra-corporate transfer, au pair, exchange and seasonal work, from non-temporary purposes, such as highly skilled migrant, EU Blue Card, paid employment, self-employment and family with a sponsor who has a non-temporary status. Only non-temporary permits can lead to permanent residence or a long-term EU resident permit, and the difference also matters for naturalisation and civic integration.

• Collect your residence document at an IND desk or, if eligible, at IN Amsterdam, where municipal registration can be arranged in the same visit.
• Register in the BRP within five days if you stay longer than four months. See registering in Amsterdam.
• If your application said you would take a TB test, make an appointment with the public health service (GGD) within three months of receiving your permit.
• Take out health insurance within four months.
• Keep your main residence in the Netherlands. Long absences can lead the IND to withdraw or not extend your permit.
• Report relevant changes, such as a new employer or the end of a relationship, through your sponsor or to the IND.

See first 30 days in Amsterdam for the full sequence.

Apply for an extension before your permit expires; the IND states that for naturalisation you must always have applied for extensions on time, and late applications can create gaps in your lawful residence. If your purpose of stay changes, for example from study to the orientation year or from the orientation year to highly skilled migrant, you apply for a change of purpose. You can follow applications in My IND with your DigiD.

If the IND refuses an application, you can usually file an objection; the decision letter explains the deadline and procedure.

After five consecutive years of lawful residence on non-temporary permits, you can usually apply for a permanent residence permit or a residence permit for long-term EU residents (fee €254 in 2026; the IND has six months to decide). For the long-term EU permit, the IND requires among other things that you were not outside the Netherlands for more than six consecutive months or ten months in total during those five years; periods of study count for half, and other temporary purposes do not count. You must also meet the civic integration requirement and have sustainable, sufficient income. See civic integration in the Netherlands and, for citizenship, Dutch citizenship.