Moving to NL

Guide

Residence permits overview: highly skilled migrant, EU citizens, and partners

Who this is for: Anyone planning to move to the Netherlands who needs to know which residence route applies to them, and employers or partners sponsoring someone.

In 60 seconds

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens don't need a residence permit at all: a valid passport or ID from an EU/EEA country or Switzerland proves lawful residence, they don't need to register with the IND (unless the IND previously ended their Dutch residency), and they're free to work without their employer needing a work permit. Highly skilled migrants (kennismigranten) need an employer-sponsored permit and a minimum gross monthly salary — for the period from 1 July 2026: €5,942 if you're 30 or older, €4,357 if you're under 30, and a reduced €3,122 for recent graduates who meet the specific conditions. For a partner or family member to join you, the Dutch-based sponsor must meet a three-part income test: independent (you pay tax and social security contributions on it — benefits from public funds don't count), sustainable (your contract runs at least another 12 months, or you show 3 years of sufficient average income if it's shorter or flexible), and sufficient (at least the IND's required amount — €2,337 gross per month without holiday allowance for a standard partner sponsor, valid from 1 July 2026). IND updates these euro amounts twice a year, on 1 January and 1 July, so always check ind.nl for the period that applies to your application.

Step by step

  1. 1 Check whether you need a permit at all: EU, EEA and Swiss citizens don't

    If you're an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, you do not need a residence permit to live in the Netherlands — your valid passport or ID card issued by an EU/EEA country or Switzerland is your proof of lawful residence. You also don't need to register with the IND, except if you previously lived legally in the Netherlands as an EU citizen and the IND ended that residency. You're free to work, and your employer does not need a work permit (tewerkstellingsvergunning/TWV) for you. You still need to register with your municipality for the BRP and a BSN if you're staying 4 months or longer — see the municipality/BSN guide.

    Where
    No IND visit needed; register with your municipality instead (see the BSN/municipality guide).
    How long
    No IND procedure at all for most EU/EEA/Swiss citizens.
    Cost
    Free — no permit fee applies since none is required.

    What to bring

    • Valid EU/EEA/Swiss passport or ID card

  2. 2 Highly skilled migrant (kennismigrant): check the salary thresholds

    A highly skilled migrant permit needs a recognised sponsoring employer and a minimum gross monthly salary. For the period valid from 1 July 2026: €5,942.00 if you are 30 or older, €4,357.00 if you are still younger than 30, and a reduced €3,122.00 for recent graduates who meet the specific conditions (for example, having completed relevant education within 3 years before your application). These amounts exclude holiday allowance and are updated by the IND twice a year.

    Where
    Application is submitted by your recognised sponsoring employer to the IND.
    How long
    Not covered by the sources checked for this guide; ask your sponsoring employer or the IND for current processing times.
    Cost
    Not covered by the sources checked for this guide — check ind.nl for the current application fee.

    What to bring

    • Employment contract stating gross monthly salary
    • Proof of your age and, if applicable, your qualifying degree/graduation date

  3. 3 Partner or family member joining you: the sponsor's three-part income test

    The Dutch-based sponsor bringing over a partner or family member must show income that is independent (you pay tax and national insurance contributions on it — assistance benefits, Participation Act benefits and Wajong benefits don't count), sustainable (your contract runs at least another 12 months, with any probation period counted in; if your contract is shorter or flexible, you instead show sufficient average monthly income over the last 3 years, during which unemployment or sickness benefit is allowed but social assistance is not), and sufficient (at least the IND's required amount for your situation — €2,337.00 gross per month without holiday allowance for a standard partner sponsor, or €1,635.90 for a single-parent sponsor bringing an additional family member, both valid from 1 July 2026).

    Where
    Application submitted to the IND by the sponsor (and partner/family member, depending on the route: MVV plus residence permit, or residence permit only).
    How long
    Not covered by the sources checked for this guide; ask the IND for current processing times.
    Cost
    Not covered by the sources checked for this guide — check ind.nl for the current application fee.

    What to bring

    • Sponsor's employment contract and payslips
    • Proof of tax and social security contributions on the sponsor's income
    • If the contract is shorter than 12 months or flexible: 3 years of income history

  4. 4 Always check which 6-month period the amounts apply to

    The IND updates its required income amounts twice a year, on 1 January and 1 July. The figures in this guide are those valid from 1 July 2026 — before relying on any of them, confirm on ind.nl that you are looking at the period that applies to your application date.

    Where
    ind.nl — Required amounts income requirements page.
    How long
    Immediate — a check to do before submitting any application.
    Cost
    Free.

Common mistakes

  • Assuming EU/EEA/Swiss citizens need an IND permit — they don't, though they still need to register with their municipality for a BSN if staying 4 months or longer.
  • Using last period's (or last year's) kennismigrant or partner-income amounts instead of checking whether 1 January or 1 July figures currently apply.
  • Sponsors assuming any income counts as "sufficient" without checking that it is also independent (taxed, not a public-funds benefit) and sustainable (12-month contract or 3-year income history).
  • Not accounting for holiday allowance correctly — the stated amounts are without holiday allowance.

When this does not apply to you

  • You are a Dutch national or already hold a different valid residence status — this overview does not cover naturalisation or permanent residence renewal.
  • You are applying as a student, for asylum, or under a specific scheme like the Dutch-American Friendship Treaty (DAFT) — those routes have their own separate conditions not covered in this guide.
  • Your employer is not a recognised sponsor with the IND — the highly skilled migrant route in this guide only works through a recognised sponsoring employer.

Not covered here

This guide deliberately says nothing about naturalisation, dutch passport, citizenship, dutch citizen, become a citizen, asylum, refugee, student visa, au pair. Those are separate procedures with their own rules; guessing about them would do more harm than staying silent.

This guide gives general information, not legal or tax advice. Residence permit conditions and required amounts change at least twice a year — always confirm the current figures and conditions directly at ind.nl before applying.

Facts last checked against their sources on 2026-09-19.