How to Get a Dutch Residence Permit? You made up your mind to settle in the Netherlands. But there is a small issue you need to deal with: residence permit. In this article, we will talk about what you need to know about the Dutch residence permit, in which cases a residence permit can be obtained, what are the steps you need to follow to obtain your residence permit. We came to the Netherlands through business. That’s why we are experienced in this matter. Below we have written ways to get here in different ways. However, we do not have detailed information. Let’s warn you right now.
f you intend to stay in the Netherlands for more than 90 days, you must have a residence permit (standard visa is sufficient for a stay of less than 90 days). Residence permit can be given for situations such as work, family reunification, education, au pairing. Although citizens of some countries can live in the Netherlands without a residence permit.
In order to obtain a Dutch residence permit, you must have a really valid reason. Or if you are thinking of trying to enter the country by waving your arms and saying, “The Netherlands is a beautiful country, you can live here, huh”. Let’s warn now, don’t think 🙂
The documents differ according to the reason for the application. Since we got our residence permit for work reasons, we will be sharing our own experience.
Terms You Should Know
In order to dominate the subject, it is necessary to know certain terms and institutions.
IND (Immigration and Naturilisation Service) / Immigration Office
The way to obtain a residence permit is to apply to the IND, the Immigration Office. It makes all the decisions here. Write your name in your heart as Tarkan said.
MVV (Permission for Provisional Residence)
You can think of MVV as a special visa that some nationalities must obtain. We can call it a pre-registration permit. While tourist visas are type C, MVV is also referred to as type D visa. Thanks to this, you can enter the Netherlands without a tourist visa and receive your residence permit in the Netherlands. But this is not the actual residence permit. MVV is given on a 3-month basis. After entering the Netherlands, you must receive your residence permit card within 2 weeks.
Sponsor
Many types of residence permits require a sponsor. The sponsor can be a person or an institution. If you have found a job, your company is your sponsor, if you are going to graduate, your university is your sponsor. So, in a way, nice people who are leading the way for you to come.
We’ll go into more detail in the employment guide, but the IND has a list of companies and educational institutions that can sponsor. You can find the list here . If the name of the company or educational institution is not mentioned here, it cannot be a sponsor. However, you can apply to be a sponsor. But some companies do not approach it because they find it expensive.
Highly Skilled Migrant
It is useful to know this term as well. Many people who come to the Netherlands from another country to work come in this status. This has advantages for both employer and employee. We will be explaining this in more detail in the guide to finding a job in the Netherlands. Let’s say you are married but one of the spouses found a job. Your spouse also gets a residence permit at the same time as you. You already submit the documents together with the application. In this way, he can come to the Netherlands with you without finding a job, and if he wants to work, he can continue the job search process in the Netherlands.
Also, Highly Skilled Immigrants can receive their residence permits from the Expat Center located in the city where they will live in the Netherlands, instead of the IND office.
How to Obtain a Dutch Residence Permit?
As we mentioned above, a residence permit can be granted in different situations. We will briefly talk about them and touch on our way of coming to the Netherlands by finding a job.
Family Reunification / Partnership
If you marry or partner with a Dutch person or a Dutch residence permit holder, you can also obtain a residence permit. Even in the case of love, these eyes have seen that it is given. For this, the person who is your partner must be your sponsor, apply, and your partnership must be proven. There is no obligation to register to the list mentioned above for the sponsorship in question here. It applies to companies and educational institutions.
We heard you have a job to prove it with photos for the girlfriend status. After obtaining a residence permit, it is obligatory to live at the same address. The same is true for spouses. It would be silly otherwise, wouldn’t it? 🙂
You came to your lover, but you broke up. We seem to hear you say what will happen now. That’s why people usually break up as friends and keep being registered to the same address. But in theory you have to turn pasha pasha.
Dating from Peer Status
Let’s say you started a family with a Dutch person or settled in the Netherlands with your …. spouse’s residence permit. In this case, your residence permit becomes dependent on your spouse’s/partner’s residence permit. What does this mean, if for some reason your spouse’s/partner’s residence permit fails (he came through work but lost his job), then your residence permit is also in danger. If you started working after you arrived, you can ask your employer to apply for a residence permit on your behalf. In this way, you will ensure yourself for any situation.
Education
When you come to the Netherlands for educational reasons, a residence permit can be obtained. Of course, there are certain conditions for this as well. Provides a Dutch residence permit for undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral or research studies. For this, you must be accepted by the school and the educational institution must be on the sponsor list here . Apart from these, there are also different requirements. You can find information specific to your situation at this link .
If you intend to work in the Netherlands after completing your education or research, an extra 1 year residence permit is given for this. A new application must be submitted for this additional period. Details are here .
Au pair (Volunteer helper in child care)
It is also possible to come to the Netherlands to become an au pair. People between the ages of 18-31 can do this. You register at the address of the family you will be staying at and all your expenses are covered by them. This concept exists in many countries. If you cannot come to the Netherlands with different possibilities, this can also be tried. Remember, this method is only valid for one year and cannot be done twice. We leave the details here .
Arriving Through Business
Finding a full-time job and obtaining a residence permit in the Netherlands is actually a very popular method, especially in the last few years. In fact, we should say that it is relatively easier to get a residence permit in this way. By job, the author is talking about a paid job here. You can start a business or find different business opportunities in the Netherlands. In these cases, you can find detailed information about the residence permit from this link .
Removal of Session Permit
We will talk about residence permit through work based on our own experience. Our process was as follows. First I (Zeynep) found a job. The company I was dealing with was already a registered sponsor with the IND. He was also very familiar with the processes. There are documents required to start processes in the IND. An application is made to the IND with documents such as a signed employment contract (are we surprised?), copies of passports, an Antedecents Certificate (if you have a spouse, he will also sign the same form) that you have confirmed that you have not messed up in the past. The only thing to do next is to wait for the answer. Although the IND says 90 days, both our experience and the experience of those around us, the process is concluded within 3-4 weeks.
What You Need to Do to Get a Residence Permit
1- As we mentioned above, you need to get MVV first. The sponsors make the application for MVV. Let’s say you found a job. Your company can apply for both MVV and residence permit at the same time. In fact, the MVV and the residence permit are approved at the same time. You can think of it as if you are using the MVV to obtain a residence permit after arriving in the Netherlands.
2- If the IND approves the MVV, your company will probably notify you. But you will also receive an email from the Dutch Consulate General. This email will contain everything you need to do.
3- You will get an appointment via the link sent by that email. There are documents you need to take with you to the appointment. You wait for that email again. However, we have prepared the following documents. It can be useful for ideas.
- MVV form (Form here ). This form must be completed for all family members relocating to the Netherlands.
- Passport with at least 6 months validity
- 2 photos taken in the last 6 months, 35×45 mm in size, with an open background – think like biometrics, only the size is different
- International birth certificate (to be obtained from the Civil Registry)
- Marriage registration sample for those who are married (from the Civil Registry Office)
- Passport copy of your spouse/partner
- Marriage certificate for those who are married
- Population family registration sample (via e-government or from the Population Directorate)
The documents requested at this time may have changed. We did this 3 years ago. An e-mail from the consulate will give you the most accurate information.
Important note: You need to have the documents translated by a sworn translator and apostilled at the notary public where the translator’s oath is taken. In other words, with this process, the document has international validity. There are usually translators around the consulate. Still, it’s important to do it in advance so you don’t have to leave it to the last minute and reschedule.
4- You have to go to your appointment and deliver all the documents. During the application, fingerprints are taken and photographs are taken.
5- We delivered the documents and received our passport with MVV visa on the same day. We cannot describe our happiness that day. It was quite a big step for us.
6- You can enter the Netherlands with this visa. After entering the Netherlands, you need to get your original residence permit within 2 weeks. This issue is critical.
7- To celebrate when you receive your residence permit. We are aware. This is a huge step. Enjoy.
Congratulations! Now you know many things that are required to obtain a residence permit in the Netherlands. We hope this article helped you. If you have any questions, we welcome you in the comments.
Good luck to everyone in this process!
