EuropeSelect the passports you hold to see short-stay access and per-route eligibility for Netherlands.
Short stays: tourism, transit, business trips, medical, pilgrimage.
Tourist Visa
Electronic travel authorisation for visa-exempt nationals (e.g. US, UK, Canada, Japan). Valid 3 years for short stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. We apply on your behalf end-to-end. Fees illustrative.
Tourist Visa
Short-stay visa for tourism: up to 90 days within any 180-day period. We prepare your forms and documents; you attend the consulate/VFS appointment to submit biometrics. Government fee EUR 90 (illustrative).
Transit Visa
Required by some nationalities to pass through the international transit area of a Schengen airport without entering. Whether you need one depends on your nationality. Government fee EUR 90 (illustrative).
Business Visitor Visa
Short-stay visa for business trips (meetings, conferences, negotiations): up to 90 days within any 180-day period. We prepare forms and documents; you submit at the consulate/VFS. Government fee EUR 90 (illustrative).
Not yet researched
Universities, language courses, internships and exchanges.
Student Visa
For stays over 90 days to study. Issued under national rules -- apply at the consulate of your destination country. We guide you; submission is in person. Fees and processing times vary by country.
Student Visa
Residence permit for full-time study at an IND-recognised Dutch university or HBO; the institution (recognised sponsor) applies on the student's behalf. The student must show means of EUR 1,130.77 per month for 2026 (EUR 928.58 for secondary vocational education) and achieve at least 50% of credits each year. Permit covers the study duration plus 3 months (max 5 years); students may work 16 hours/week (or full-time June-August) with an employer work permit, or be self-employed without limit, and can move to the orientation year after graduating.
Exchange Program Visa
One-year cultural-exchange permit for unmarried, childless applicants aged 18-25, applied for exclusively through an IND-recognised au pair agency. The au pair lives with a Dutch host family (which must meet income norms, EUR 3,441.60/month for couples in 2026), performs at most 8 hours/day and 30 hours/week of light household duties with 2 days off weekly, and may not pay the agency more than EUR 34 in registration fees. Not extendable and cannot be repeated after a previous exchange permit.
Not yet researched
Digital nomad, freelance, skilled employment and company transfers.
Self-Employment Visa
Residence permit for entrepreneurs whose business serves an essential Dutch interest, assessed by RVO under a points system: at least 30 points in each of personal experience, business plan and added value for the Netherlands (or 45+45 on the first two). Requires sustainable gross profit of at least EUR 1,734.57 per month (incl. holiday allowance, 2026 norm) shown via a business plan and KVK registration. Permit valid up to 2 years, renewable; decision within 90 days, extendable up to 6 months when RVO advice is needed.
Startup / Entrepreneur Visa
One-year permit for founders launching an innovative product or service under the guidance of an RVO-recognised facilitator; both founder and facilitator must be registered with the KVK. The founder must have sufficient means of support (the 2026 single-person norm, EUR 1,606.08 gross/month excl. holiday allowance, via savings or income). Not extendable as such; after the year founders typically switch to the self-employed permit under relaxed conditions. A separate scheme allows start-ups to hire essential personnel at a reduced EUR 3,122/month salary plus equity.
Skilled Work Visa
For stays over 90 days to work. Requires employer sponsorship / a work permit before you can apply, so eligibility is conditional. Issued under national rules -- apply at the consulate of your destination country. Fees and processing times vary by country.
Skilled Work Visa
One-year, non-extendable job-search permit (mapped here to skilled_work; it is a post-study/post-research job-seeker route) for those who, within the past 3 years, completed a Dutch bachelor's/master's/PhD, held a Dutch research permit, or graduated from a top-200-ranked university abroad. Holders have free access to the labour market with no income requirement, but may not use public funds. Finding a job lets them switch to the highly skilled migrant permit at the reduced EUR 3,122 salary criterion.
Skilled Work Visa
EU-wide highly qualified work permit; requires a higher-education diploma of at least 3 years (or equivalent recognised professional experience, e.g. for IT) and a Dutch job contract. 2026 gross monthly salary threshold is EUR 5,942, or EUR 4,754 reduced criterion for recent graduates; the employer does not need to be an IND-recognised sponsor (decision within 30 days if it is, otherwise up to 90 days). Grants intra-EU mobility after 12 months and an accelerated path to EU long-term residence.
Skilled Work Visa
Employer-sponsored work residence permit; only an IND-recognised sponsor can apply. Gross monthly salary (Jan-Jun 2026) must be at least EUR 5,942 (age 30+), EUR 4,357 (under 30) or EUR 3,122 (reduced criterion for Dutch graduates/orientation-year holders), excluding holiday allowance, and must be market-rate. Permit matches the employment contract up to 5 years; statutory decision period is 90 days but recognised-sponsor applications are typically decided in about 2 weeks; counts toward permanent residence after 5 years.
Seasonal Work Visa
Single permit (GVVA) combining residence and work authorisation for seasonal labour in the Dutch agricultural sector for a maximum of 24 weeks. The employer applies and a UWV labour-market test applies (priority for EU/EEA workers), so approvals are rare in practice; pay must meet the statutory minimum wage. The permit states the specific employer and conditions and is not a path to longer residence; decision period up to 90 days.
Intra-Company Transfer Visa
Combined work-and-residence permit for managers, specialists and trainees transferred from a group entity outside the EU to a Dutch branch of the same corporate group. Salary must be market-rate and meet the highly-skilled-migrant norms (2026: EUR 5,942/month, or EUR 4,357 if under 30, excl. holiday allowance); the transferee must not have held an ICT permit in the previous 6 months and must return to the group outside the EU afterwards. Maximum 3 years for managers/specialists and 1 year for trainees, not renewable beyond those caps; allows short- and long-term mobility to other EU states.
Not yet researched
Golden visas, real estate, citizenship by investment, passive income.
Golden Visa (Residence by Investment)
Investor residence scheme requiring a EUR 1.25 million investment, in force since 2013, was abolished on 1 January 2024 (fewer than 10 approvals ever granted). The Netherlands has no golden visa, residence-by-property or citizenship-by-investment route, and no digital nomad visa as of June 2026.
Business Investor Visa
Treaty-based self-employment route for US nationals (a parallel treaty exists for Japanese nationals) that bypasses the points-based test: the applicant must run a business in the Netherlands and invest and maintain at least EUR 4,500 of capital in it. First-time applicants must register with the KVK and make the deposit within 6 months of receiving the permit; no MVV is required for US citizens, who can apply from within the Netherlands. Permit is valid 2 years and renewable as long as the business and capital requirement continue.
Not yet researched
Retirement visas and working holiday schemes.
Working Holiday Visa
One-year cultural-exchange residence permit for nationals of Argentina, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan and Uruguay aged 18-30 at application. Annual quotas apply: 100 each for Argentina, Uruguay, Hong Kong and Taiwan, 200 each for Japan and South Korea (Japan's 2026 quota filled by 7 April 2026); Australians, New Zealanders and Canadians need no MVV and apply in the Netherlands. Only incidental work to fund the stay is allowed (no full-year single employer, no self-employment); not extendable.
Not yet researched
Reunification, spouse routes and ancestry-based repatriation.
Family Reunification Visa
Residence for minor children (and in limited cases other relatives) joining a parent or family member legally residing in the Netherlands; the sponsor must prove actual family ties and sufficient, sustainable income (2026 couple norm EUR 2,294.40 gross/month excl. holiday allowance; EUR 1,606.08 for single parents). MVV-required nationals follow the TEV procedure; the child's permit runs as long as the sponsor's permit. Lower fees apply to applicants under 18; asylum-related family reunification follows a separate free procedure with a 9-month decision period.
Spouse / Partner Visa
Residence for the spouse, registered partner or durable unmarried partner of a Dutch resident; both partners must generally be 21+ (18+ if the marriage was concluded abroad) and will live at the same address. The sponsor must earn an independent, sustainable income of at least EUR 2,294.40 gross/month excl. holiday allowance (2026 couple norm); MVV-required nationals must first pass the basic civic integration exam abroad (A1) under the TEV procedure (MVV fee extra). Permit valid up to 5 years if the sponsor is Dutch or settled, with free labour-market access, and leads to permanent residence after 5 years.
Not yet researched
Talent, religious, humanitarian, media, official and permanent residence.
Talent / Highly Skilled Visa
Permit for third-country researchers (including PhD candidates) hosted by an IND-recognised Dutch research institution, which applies on their behalf, often together with the MVV. Requires a higher-education degree giving access to doctoral programmes and a hosting agreement or employment contract; income may come from salary, grant, stipend or own means at the applicable norm (single norm EUR 1,606.08/month excl. holiday allowance in 2026). Valid as long as the research contract, up to 5 years, with intra-EU researcher mobility and access to the orientation year afterwards.
Long-Term Residence Permit
EU-law permanent status after 5 consecutive years of legal residence in the Netherlands (absences under 6 consecutive / 10 total months; favourable cumulation rules for EU Blue Card holders). Requires sufficient independent income and passing the civic integration requirement (A2). The status itself does not expire (document renewed every 5 years), gives free labour-market access and facilitates moving to other EU member states; decision within 6 months.
Permanent Residence
National permanent residence permit after 5 consecutive years on a non-temporary Dutch residence permit with main residence in the Netherlands. Requires sufficient independent income, BRP registration and the civic integration exam at A2 level (or exemption); the right is open-ended while the card is renewed every 5 years. Grants free access to the labour market without a work permit; decision within 6 months.
Not yet researched
