Talk to Us About Your IND Application
A residence permit tied to one job, not a visa of its own, is what most people from outside the EU mean by a work visa for the Netherlands. The main routes are the highly skilled migrant permit, which the Dutch call kennismigrant, the EU Blue Card and the single permit, or GVVA. You need a job offer first, the IND decides, and the Dutch state is in the EU as well as in Schengen.
EU Helpers matches you with Dutch firms we have vetted, gets your papers ready and works with the firm on the IND file. We track each date, from the MVV visit to the town hall sign-up, but in the end the IND and the other Dutch authorities decide on each case.
Quick facts:
- Main routes: the highly skilled migrant permit, the EU Blue Card or the single permit, which is called the GVVA.
- Who decides: the IND, and for a single permit it first asks UWV, the state jobs body, for its view.
- Pay floor: €5,942 a month at 30 or over, or €4,357 if you are under 30, for highly skilled migrants.
- Entry visa: an MVV for most passports, which your firm asks for in the same step as the permit.
- EU citizens: no permit, but you must sign up at the town hall if you stay more than four months.
The Dutch System Behind Every Work Permit
No one work visa covers the whole of Europe, as each state sets its own terms, and what you need changes with the type of work, so a cook and a welder can face tests that are not at all the same. The official EU Immigration Portal is the best place to start if you want to see how the rules in each EU state differ.
Here, the Aliens Act deals with the right to stay, and the Foreign Nationals Employment Act, or Wav, deals with the right to work. The IND handles the permits to stay, while UWV, the employee insurance agency, judges the jobs market. The country follows EU rules such as the Blue Card, but in most cases a permit from some other EU state does not open Dutch jobs to you, and nor does a Schengen visa.
To compare more countries, read our main page on work visas in Europe, and to weigh up the rules next door, look at the Belgian single permit, work permits in Germany and jobs in Luxembourg.
Your Nationality and the Dutch Permit Rules
Two things shape your route, which are the passport you hold and how long you plan to work, as the table below shows group by group.
| Who you are | What the Dutch rules require |
|---|---|
| Citizen of an EU or EEA country, or Switzerland | No work permit, but you register with your municipality within five days if you stay longer than four months |
| Citizen of the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand or the United Kingdom | A residence permit for work, with no MVV needed before you travel |
| Citizen of a country not on the MVV exemption list, such as India, the Philippines or Brazil | A residence permit for work plus an MVV, which the employer requests in the same application |
| Graduate of a Dutch university or a top 200 university abroad | An orientation year permit, which lets you work for any employer for one year without a TWV |
| International student in the Netherlands | Work of up to 16 hours a week, with a TWV work permit that the employer gets from UWV |
| Turkish citizen | Lower IND fees under the EC-Turkey Association Agreement, and recognition is optional on the highly skilled migrant route |
| Anyone hired for a job of up to 90 days | Usually a TWV work permit from UWV, plus a short-stay visa if your nationality needs one |
What the IND Checks Before It Approves Work
The exact test turns on the route you use, but most requests for a work visa for the Netherlands are judged on the same core points.
- You need a job with a Dutch firm, and for the highly skilled migrant permit, the firm must be one that the IND has put on its list.
- On the highly skilled migrant route, gross pay, not counting holiday pay, must be at least €5,942 a month at 30 or over, or €4,357 under 30.
- A lower floor of €3,122 holds if you apply within three years of the end of a degree that counts.
- The EU Blue Card calls for a contract that runs six months or more, pay of at least €5,942 a month, and a degree or five years in the field.
- For a single permit, the firm must show that the job stayed open to Dutch and EEA workers for at least five weeks.
- You need a valid passport, you must not be a threat to public order, and you take a TB test after you arrive unless your passport is exempt.
- If you will work in a health job that the law controls, you must be in the BIG register.
Your pay must also match the going rate that others in the same role get. People who do research in science, guest lecturers and doctors who train as specialists do not need to reach the pay floor, but the Dutch minimum wage still applies to them.
Dutch Residence Permits for Paid Work
The country has a few permits that let you both live and work here, and your pay, your skills and the status of your firm decide which one fits.
| Permit | Best suited to | Key condition |
|---|---|---|
| Highly skilled migrant (kennismigrant) | Skilled professionals in almost any sector | Only a recognised employer can apply, and the salary threshold depends on your age |
| EU Blue Card | Graduates and experienced IT staff | A contract of six months or more, and the employer does not need IND recognition |
| Single permit (GVVA) | Other jobs lasting more than 90 days | UWV advises the IND on whether suitable Dutch or EEA workers were available |
| TWV work permit | Short jobs and international students | The employer applies to UWV, and it is often used for work of up to 90 days |
| Intra-corporate transfer (ICT) | Managers, specialists and trainees moving within a company group | Three months with the group outside the EU first; trainees can stay a year, others up to three |
| Orientation year | Recent graduates looking for work | Valid for one year, cannot be extended, and the employer needs no TWV |
| Seasonal work | Farm work and other seasonal jobs | Stays over 90 days need a single permit for seasonal work, with UWV advice |
Researchers, start-up staff and people who work for themselves use other schemes. The state has also put forward tougher rules for the highly skilled migrant scheme, such as higher pay floors, but these are not yet law.
Step by Step: The Kennismigrant Route
Most skilled hires use the entry and residence process, known as TEV, where the firm files nearly all of it and your own tasks come at the end.
- Check the firm: make sure the firm is on the public list of employers recognised by the IND, as only they can file for a highly skilled migrant permit.
- Agree the pay: you sign a contract that meets the pay floor for your age, and your holiday pay does not count towards it.
- Your firm files with the IND: the firm applies online for your permit and, if you need one, your MVV in the same step, and pays the €423 fee.
- Wait for the answer: for a full file from a firm on the IND list, the IND tends to decide in about two weeks, though the legal limit is 90 days.
- Pick up your MVV and travel: if you need an MVV, you book a slot at a Dutch embassy or consulate to get the visa sticker, and then you travel.
- Sign up and settle in: you get your card at an IND desk and sign up at the town hall within five days. If your passport calls for it, you book a TB test within three months.
You must take out Dutch health cover within four months, and if you change jobs later, the new firm must be on the IND list too and must file a new request before you start.
Paperwork for an IND Work Application
Papers from abroad often need to be legalised or to carry an apostille, and any paper that is not in Dutch, English, French or German needs a certified translation, which can take weeks.
What the Worker Provides
- A valid passport and a copy of the page that shows your name, your photo and your other details.
- The work contract or letter of appointment, signed by both you and your new firm.
- A signed antecedents certificate, which is the IND form where you state if you have ever been found guilty of a crime.
- Your degrees, plus a Nuffic check of a foreign degree if your EU Blue Card rests on it.
- A birth certificate that has been legalised and translated, which you need to sign up at the town hall.
- Proof of Dutch health cover, which you must take out within four months.
- Marriage and birth certificates for each partner or child who will join you there.
Employer Papers for the IND
- Proof that the IND has recognised the firm, which the highly skilled migrant route needs.
- Contract details that show pay at or above the right floor for the route and the age of the worker.
- The firm's entry in the KVK trade register, which the Chamber of Commerce keeps.
- For a single permit, records that show the job was sent to UWV and posted where job seekers could see it.
- Proof that the worker is in the BIG register if the role is a health job the law controls.
IND Fees and Other Costs to Budget For
The IND sets new fees each year, which run from 1 January to 31 December, and the table shows the sums on its list now, though they can change.
| Cost | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Highly skilled migrant, EU Blue Card, single permit or ICT application | €423 | Paid when the application is filed and not refunded if refused |
| Orientation year or seasonal work permit | €254 | A lower fee for these two routes |
| Partner joining a worker | €254 | Filed with or after the worker's own application |
| IND recognition for the employer | €5,080, or €2,539 for firms with 50 or fewer staff | A one-time cost for the employer |
| Work permits for Turkish citizens | €85 | A reduced rate under the EC-Turkey Association Agreement |
| Documents and translations | Varies | Legalisation, apostilles, certified translations and Nuffic evaluation |
As a rule, the firm pays the IND fee for a highly skilled migrant request, and we walk you through the likely costs of your route early on, so you can plan ahead.
How Long IND Decisions Take
The legal time limit for the IND to rule on a highly skilled migrant or single permit request is 90 days, and the IND can add 30 days when it needs to look into a case further. For an EU Blue Card filed by a firm on the IND list, the legal limit is 30 days.
In real life, a full file from a firm on the IND list tends to get an answer in about two weeks, or about seven weeks when a work permit or single permit is part of it. If papers are missing, you get two weeks to send them and the time limit moves back by the same amount, which is why we check the file first.
Dutch Shortage Occupations and Where They Are
A recent UWV study counted 193 jobs with too few staff, and for 184 of them, it found spare workers with the same skills in at least one other EEA country. That matters, since a single permit needs proof that no Dutch or EEA worker who fits the job could be found, though jobs that reach the highly skilled migrant pay floor skip that test.
| Sector | Where the demand is | Roles in short supply |
|---|---|---|
| Technical trades and engineering | Industrial regions nationwide, including the Eindhoven area | Welders, electricians, plumbers, ventilation and cooling installers, electrical engineers |
| ICT | Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Utrecht and other large cities | System administrators, network specialists and hardware engineers |
| Healthcare | Hospitals and care homes across the country | Medical specialists, GPs, nurses, carers and physiotherapists |
| Education | Schools in every province | Special needs teachers and teachers of vocational subjects |
| Transport and logistics | The Rotterdam port area and main transport routes | Truck drivers and bus and tram drivers |
| Hospitality | Amsterdam and other busy tourist cities | Head chefs and cooks |
More Netherlands Guides From EU Helpers
These guides cover the hands-on side of a move to a Dutch job, from the wait for your permit to life once you are there.
- How long Dutch work permits take, covering each wait between the first step by the firm and the card in your hand.
- Well-paid Dutch jobs with too few staff, and the skills that open the most doors for you.
- What a job in the Netherlands offers, from your rights at work to the way people live day to day.
- Moving to the Netherlands for work, with help on housing, your BSN and Dutch health cover.
Where Dutch Permit Applications Go Wrong
- Taking a highly skilled migrant offer from a firm that is not on the IND list, which means it cannot file for you.
- Counting your holiday pay towards the pay floor, when the IND leaves it out of the sum.
- Coming in on a short-stay visa and staying in the country while your MVV request is still open.
- Sending papers from abroad without the stamps, apostille or translation that the IND asks for.
- Missing the five-day limit to sign up at the town hall, which holds up your BSN.
- Not booking the TB test that people with some passports must take within three months.
- Starting with a new firm before the IND has approved the change, which can put your permit at risk.
Our Support for IND Applications
- We check that a firm is an employer recognised by the IND before you rely on its highly skilled migrant offer.
- We set your contract against the pay floor for your age and your route, and flag any gap.
- We have your papers legalised and translated, so the firm can file a full and clean request.
- We guide you through the MVV visit, the trip to the IND desk and your sign-up at the town hall.
- Once you arrive, we remind you about the TB test, your health cover and the dates when your permit ends.
The IND decides each request, and no adviser can change that, so we tell you plainly where your case stands. Take a look at our visa approvals, read client reviews or find out how EU Helpers works.
Get Started With EU Helpers
Start with the sign-up for your role below, and one of our team will set out the Dutch permit route that fits you. If you want to talk it through first, book a call with an adviser at a time that suits you.
Register as a Worker (Find Jobs in the Netherlands)
Set up a worker profile, so that EU Helpers can suggest Dutch firms we have checked, with jobs that fit your skills and meet the pay rules.
- Matches with Dutch firms whose open jobs we have checked with care before we pass them on.
- A check of your pay against the highly skilled migrant or EU Blue Card floor.
- A paper list made for your own passport and for the MVV rules that apply to it.
- Help to get your papers legalised and translated, and with the Nuffic check of your degree.
- Help to sign up at the town hall, get your BSN and renew your permit when it is due.
Register as a Recruiter / Agency
Agencies that send people to Dutch firms can work with a team that keeps a close eye on the IND and UWV rules.
- Open jobs at Dutch firms, each with the pay and skills it asks for.
- Clear advice on which route suits each worker, from the kennismigrant route to the single permit.
- Each worker's file checked against the IND list of papers before the firm files it.
- News on each case while the IND looks at the request, so you can keep your people up to date.
- A note each time the IND changes its yearly pay floors, so your offers stay within the rules.
Register as a Recruitment Partner
Register as an Employer (Hire Foreign Workers in the Netherlands)
If your Dutch business cannot fill a job from the local or EEA market, we can help you find staff abroad and stay on the right side of the rules.
- Screened workers for technical, ICT, health and logistics jobs, matched to the roles you need to fill.
- Advice on how to get on the IND list and on the duties that come with it.
- Help with the UWV job report and the records of your search that a single permit needs.
- Forms for the IND drawn up with your HR team, with each paper checked before it goes in.
- Help for new staff once they arrive, from the IND desk to the day they get their BSN.
Why Registration Is Important
Signing up gives us time to vet workers, firms and agencies before a Dutch request goes to the IND. With a profile, we can see your papers and dates at a glance, which counts when the IND gives you just two weeks to send what is missing.
Author
EU Helpers Team. We work with Dutch firms and with workers from outside the EU, and we update this page each time the IND changes its pay floors or its fees.
Official Sources
The IND updates its amounts at least once a year, so confirm the current figures with these official sources:
- Netherlands, residence permits, fees and income requirements, Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND): ind.nl
- Netherlands, work permits and labour market advice, UWV: uwv.nl
- Netherlands, permits for foreign employees, Netherlands Enterprise Agency: business.gov.nl
- Netherlands, municipal registration and the BSN, Government of the Netherlands: government.nl
- EU Immigration Portal, country pages for EU members, European Commission: home-affairs.ec.europa.eu
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Prepare Your Dutch Permit File With EU Helpers
Frequently Asked Questions
Must my Dutch firm be recognised by the IND for a highly skilled migrant permit?
Yes, only an employer recognised by the IND can apply for a highly skilled migrant permit. The EU Blue Card, the ICT permit and the single permit do not need this, but firms on the IND list get their answers sooner.
What pay do I need for the Dutch highly skilled migrant permit?
It depends on your age, and the floor is now €5,942 gross a month at 30 or over and €4,357 under 30, not counting holiday pay. If you have just finished a degree, you may need just €3,122.
Should I choose the EU Blue Card or the Dutch kennismigrant permit?
In most cases, the kennismigrant permit suits those under 30, since the pay floor for them is a lot lower. The EU Blue Card needs €5,942 a month and a degree or the right work history, but your firm does not need to be recognised by the IND.
Do I need an MVV before I can start a job in the Netherlands?
Only if your passport is not on the list of those that are exempt. Those from the EU, the EEA and Switzerland, and from the US, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, the UK, Monaco and Vatican City, do not need one.
Do all workers from abroad need a TB test once they start a Dutch job?
Only some do, and it turns on the passport you hold. If yours is not on the IND list of exempt countries, you book a test with the local health service, the GGD, within three months of getting your permit.
How long does the IND take to decide on a permit to live and work?
About two weeks, in most cases, for a full file from a firm on the IND list. The legal limit is 90 days, or 30 days for an EU Blue Card filed by a firm on that list.
What does the UWV test of the Dutch jobs market mean for my firm?
The firm must show that it looked for Dutch and EEA workers first. The job must stay open for at least five weeks, or for at least three months if UWV treats it as hard to fill.
Can I start work before my Dutch residence card is ready?
Sometimes, yes, as on a first highly skilled migrant permit you may work for up to four months while you wait for the card. The letter with the IND decision must allow it, though.
Can I stay in the Netherlands to look for work after I finish my degree?
Yes, the orientation year permit gives people with a degree from a Dutch university, or from one of the top 200 abroad, one year to find work. You can work for any firm in that year, but you cannot extend the permit.
Can I keep my Dutch residence permit if my job ends early?
Usually, yes, for a set time, as you get up to three months to find new work, or six months if you have held an EU Blue Card for two years or more. Your firm must tell the IND that your job has ended within four weeks.
Do I have to sign up at a Dutch town hall after I arrive?
Yes, if you will live in the country for more than four months. You must sign up within five days of your arrival, and you then get your BSN, the citizen service number used for tax and work.
How does EU Helpers help with a work visa for the Netherlands?
EU Helpers stays with you from the job match to your first permit renewal. We check your papers, work with your Dutch firm on the IND file and guide you through the MVV and the town hall, while the Dutch authorities decide each case.