Unless you’re a relocation expert, moving to another country can feel like a labyrinth of local rules and visa processing documents. We’re here to simplify this for you, no matter your background! This comprehensive guide covers the main ways you can move yourself or your family to the Netherlands in 2024.
Keep in mind that these tips apply to most non-EU citizens. If you have citizenship of one of the EU/EEA countries, you can come live and work in the Netherlands freely. You do need to register at a municipality in case of long-term stay, which then means you need to tick a few boxes (like mandatory health insurance, tax considerations…), but there are no limitations for you to enter the country.
There can, of course, always be edge cases, or additional questions based on your specific situation. Don’t hesitate to reach out, we’d love to have a chat about your circumstances!
Here are the main reasons for relocating we’ll cover in this guide:
Moving to study or as a recent graduate
Study visa
To study at a Dutch university, you must be enrolled in a program sponsored by recognized institutions.. The program should be accredited by Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders or NVAO (in the Netherlands) or the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education or EQAR (Europe).
The university will apply for your visa with the Dutch immigration department (IND), and act as your “sponsor”
You must prove you can support yourself during your studies, by showing you have €1,217.96/month for the duration of your stay. This can be on a bank account of your own or with a “guarantor”. If this person who helps you with your expenses lives in the Netherlands, their minimal monthly gross income should be €3,287.36.
The study visa allows you to stay in the Netherlands for the duration of your study program.
It also allows you to work, but with limitations. As a non-EU citizen, you can only work up to 16 hours/week during your semester, OR full-time outside of the study period.
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Orientation year visa
This visa allows you to stay in the Netherlands for a year to find work, To qualify for this type of visa, you need to be a recent graduate (in the past 3 years) from an eligible programme, listed on the IND website. You may also be eligible if you performed research in the Netherlands or worked as a highly skilled migrant in the past 3 years.
Keep in mind that most foreign diplomas need evaluation by the Dutch organization for internalization in education (Nuffic. The process requires you have translated and apostilled copies of the documents.
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Moving for love
A quick consideration before we dive into this complex topic – if your partner is moving to the Netherlands on a highly skilled migrant visa, their sponsor can apply for you as their dependent right away. That means that you’d be granted the dependent visa right away, without a separate application process.
Partner visa
Whether your partner is a Dutch citizen, or they have Dutch residence on a different basis, you could qualify for this type of visa. It’s important to note that the definition of “partner” in this context is not just a husband or wife. It can also refer to a registered partnership, or just a long relationship that you have proof for.
We’ve covered this topic in detail in this existing blog post.
But to summarize, the requirements are:
- Your partner in the Netherlands needs to be able to prove they can sponsor you financially
- If you’re not married or in a registered partnership, then you need to submit evidence of your relationship
- You might need to take the Civic Integration Exam abroad in the Dutch embassy in your country in order to apply for this visa
- Once this visa is granted, you don’t just get the right to live in the Netherlands, but also to work
Verification against EU law
If your partner is not Dutch, but they are an EU citizen (including EEA or Switzerland), you could instead apply for verification against EU law.
This type of visa allows you to come to the Netherlands, and then apply with the IND. You then receive a sticker in your passport that allows you to stay (and work) in the country for the duration of the application process. It can take the IND up to 6 months to decide on your application, which can be quite a long period of insecurity.
Keep in mind that if you come from a country that needs a Schengen visa, you’ll still need to apply for this first before traveling to the Netherlands.
For the application, you’ll be asked to show:
- That you do not have a criminal record or ongoing criminal investigations against you
- That you’re in a relationship with the EU citizen
- Your partner has the legal right to stay in the Netherlands
Moving for work
We’ve written quite extensively on this topic, but here’s a quick rundown of possibilities and requirements once again.
As a reminder, if you’re coming to the Netherlands for work, you might qualify for the 30% ruling, which is a handy tax perk for expat workers.
Highly Skilled Migrant visa
This visa seems confusing: your profession must be in demand in the Netherlands in order for you to qualify. While that is true, scarcity is mostly proven by your salary adhering to the income requirements. So you being compensated a specific amount is normally proof enough that your skills are valuable to the Dutch market.
Except for the salary, other requirements are:
- Your employment contract needs to be for at least 3 months
- The company employing you is a registered sponsor with the IND
GVVA (Single Permit)
If the company employing you isn’t a recognized sponsor with IND, it might be easier to apply for the Single Permit. This is a residency and work permit in one.
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Once you’ve received your first Dutch employment contract, make sure to check out our blog post about what to pay attention to when reviewing it to make sure you understand your rights and obligations.
Moving or expanding your business
Freelance visa
A “residence permit self-employed person” in the Netherlands lets someone live in the country while running their own business or working as a freelancer
Please be aware that applying for this visa is not easy. If you’re not from the United States, Japan, or Bolivia, your self-employment visa application must be reviewed by the RVO, which is a part of the Ministry of Economic Affairs. They’ll assess your business plan using a point-based test where you need to ‘score’ 90 points in total.
In short, impress the RVO by emphasizing how your business adds value to Dutch society in your business plan, prioritizing their interests over your own.
Start-up visa and start-up essential personnel
If you have an innovative business idea, and especially if you’ve already created some traction, the start-up visa might be a good option for you!
You need to make sure you’re working with a facilitator that meets all the requirements and is recognized by the RVO. Apart from a detailed business plan and organizational structure, you must also prove that your business is innovative in some way. The innovation can fall under one of these categories:
- Your product or service is new to the Netherlands.
- Your company uses new technology in production, distribution and/or marketing.
- Your company has a new way of working and organizing.
And lastly, to prove you can support yourself, your gross profit per month needs to be at least € 1,564.47. If not, you need to have a sponsor who will finance your stay – that can be the facilitator you’re working with, for example.
Start-up visa and start-up essential personnel
Until June 2025, you can also apply for a residency permit as an essential employee of an innovative start-up in the Netherlands. The start-up must have less than 15 employees, and one company can only apply for this type of a visa for up to five foreign employees.
The employee needs to be specialized for a specific role, and have an employment contract with the start-up with a gross monthly salary of at least € 2,631.00
Lastly, the employee needs to be given at least 1% share in the company.
Starting a Dutch LLC (BV)
If you want to start a business in the Netherlands, an LLC might be a good option. This will depend on your expected income/profits, the setup, and a few other factors you can discuss with your tax advisor.
Take a look at this blog post for a summary of the most important differences between legal personas in the Netherlands.
Wondering if you need a Dutch entity, or you can just do business in the Netherlands with your foreign company? We answer that question for you here.
Ready to start planning your move to the Netherlands, or got any questions about the best route to relocate? Reach out via email, or set up an initial consult.
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