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Residence permits

living and working in the Netherlands Dutch Immigration and Naturalization Department (IND) Dutch embassies and consulates

If you are planning to stay in Holland for a period of up to three months, you do not need to apply for a residence permit but you may need a

short stay visa.

If you wish to stay for a period longer than three months, you have to apply for a residence permit in the municipality where you plan to live. However, not everyone can simply visit the city hall and apply for a residence permit. Most people need to obtain a permission to apply before they come to the Netherlands. This permission comes in the form of a special type of visa, the so-called MVV.

Machtiging voor Voorlopig Verblijf (MVV)

To apply for a residence permit, most nationals must be in the possession of a special type of visa, an MVV. This is short for Machtiging voor Voorlopig Verblijf (authorisation for a temporary stay). This visa allows you to visit the Netherlands with the express purpose to apply for a residence permit. Without this visa, your application will automatically be rejected.

Who needs an MVV?

Most nationals will need to show an MVV when they apply for a residence permit. Persons who do not need an MVV:

EU and EER nationals and Switzerland
Nationals Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States

How to apply for an MVV

To apply for an MVV, you have to visit the

Dutch embassy or consulate in your country of residence. As of December 2005, the application fee is € 50. Apart from a valid passport, there are other documents you need to submit. Which documents exactly depends on the purpose of your stay in the Netherlands: This can be marriage, family reunification, work, study, et cetera.

The MVV application is sent to the

Dutch Immigration and Naturalization Department (IND), who should deny or grant you the MVV within three months. Note that it often takes much longer. If you are granted an MVV, you will receive a sticker in your passport, which allows you to travel to the Netherlands and apply for a residence permit. Note that an MVV does not guarantee a positive decision on your application for a residence permit.

Check the

Residence Wizard of the IND to read more about your specific situation. See also the IND publication

Living and working in the Netherlands.

Arriving in the Netherlands

When you arrive in the Netherlands, you have to visit the foreigners police within three days. Except for EU, EER and Swiss nationals, everyone is obliged to do this. Even tourists. Of course, you are not likely to find a backbacker at the foreigners desk and the local police is probably only too happy that this rule is not given too much attention.

Applying for a residence permit

The next step is a visit to the city hall of the municipality where you are planning to reside. Bring your valid passport, a photograph, and your MVV (if you needed one to be eligible to apply for the residence permit). At the city hall, you have to complete an application form and you are probably asked for additional documents such as a proof of sufficient funds or a work contract.

Just like the MVV application, the residence application is sent to the

Dutch Immigration and Naturalization Department (IND). They have six months to decide over your case but in reality, it can take longer.

The application will cost you the extraordinary amount of € 430 (€ 285 for children under 12 years of age), regardless of whether you are granted the residence permit or not.

If your application is approved, you will be granted a residence permit with a validity of up to one year. Three months before your residence permit expires, you will be sent an application form to extend your permit (fee: € 285). Note that you always need a valid passport next to your residence permit. The validity of your residence permit can never exceed that of your passport.

Asylum procedure

The procedure described above does not apply to a person who has fled from his home country because:

he fears persecution because of his race, religion, nationality, political convictions or because he belongs to a specific social group in his country of origin;
he runs the risk of being subjected to inhumane treatment (such as torture) in his country of origin;
he has suffered specific, traumatic experiences in his country of origin.

For more information about the asylum procedure, see

The asylum procedure in the Netherlands.

Contact the IND

For more information, you can contact the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Department:

Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst
Communication Department
Postbus 5800
2280 HV Rijswijk

By phone: 0900 1234561 (Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m) or +31 20 8893045 when you are calling from outside the Netherlands.

You can also

contact the IND through a contact form but you have to wait at least for four weeks to get a reply.