What do you need to arrange and are you allowed to work in the Netherlands? We will explain below whether you need a visa and how to apply for a work permit.
Depending on your nationality (if country is not excluded by treaty, see list below), you or your employer may need to apply for a provisional residence permit (Machtiging voor Voorlopig Verblijf or MVV). This provisional residence permit is a visa that is issued for a stay longer than 90 days. If you need a visa, then you (or your employer) will need to submit an application for two permits at once: a provisional residence permit, which allows you to enter the Netherlands, and a residence permit, which allows you to work and live here. This is called the Entry and Residence Procedure (Toegang- en Verblijfsprocedure or TEV).
Not everyone needs a provisional residence permit to apply for a residence permit in the Netherlands. An overview of nationalities that are exempt from this requirement is available on the website of the IND , as well as specific circumstances for which a provisional residence permit is not required.
The website of the IND (Immigration & Naturalisation Service) provides you with all the information you need and explains how you can get a provisional residence permit and which conditions apply in your case. Whether a visa will be issued depends on the purpose of your visit, so please make sure you click the correct reason for your stay.
How to apply for a provisional residence permit?
You can only apply for a provisional residence permit from your country of origin or the country where you legally reside. Please make sure you arrange it before leaving your home country. If you do not have assistance from an employer or educational institution, the normal procedure for obtaining an authorisation for temporary stay (provisional residence permit or Machtiging voor Voorlopig Verblijf, MVV) can take between 3 and 6 months. Keep this in mind when planning your move and making travel arrangements!
After receiving the provisional residence permit, you can enter the Schengen area within 180 days after the date of issue. The provisional residence permit allows you to enter the Netherlands multiple times and move freely within the Schengen area.
Can I first apply for a short-stay visa and then extend it to a provisional residence permit?
No, that will be impossible. You need to have a provisional residence permit prior to your move to the Netherlands. If you enter the Netherlands with a Schengen or short-stay visa, it is not possible to change this visa into a provisional residence permit during your stay here. In that case, you will need to return to your home country and start the procedure for a long-term visa from there.
I have a Dutch employer
If you have a Dutch employer before you start the procedure to apply for a provisional residence permit (Machtiging voor Voorlopig Verblijf or MVV), your employer will play an important role in your application process. In this case your employer can, or is even obliged to, apply for the provisional residence permit on your behalf. This starts the ‘accelerated application’ procedure.
The accelerated application is faster than the normal application process for a residence permit and work permit, and usually only takes a few weeks to process after being submitted to the Dutch Embassy.
Non-EU citizen?
If you don’t have to apply for a provisional residence permit but you’re not an EU citizen, please note you will still have to apply for a residence permit. Please check for all entry conditions on the residence wizard on the website of the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND). This website makes a clear distinction between the different types of residence/work permit you need; different conditions apply in each category. Therefore, please select the correct reason for your stay when you use the residence wizard.
A provisional residence permit (MVV) is not needed for:
This is a list of countries whose nationals do not need a provisional residence permit if staying in the Netherlands for more than 3 months. (Note: the IND updates this list periodically. Please use the residence wizard on the IND website to check the latest version.)
You are a citizen of one of the following countries:
- Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Monaco, Vatican City, United States of America, or South Korea.
- An EU/EEA Member State or Switzerland.
