Verblijfsvergunning

Residence Permit

A residence permit will only be issued to a foreign national if he or she has been granted a work permit (this does not apply to nationals of the European Economic Area). The residence permit is valid for one year and costs EUR 430. The residence permit is no longer valid if the work permit is no longer valid. If the work permit and residence permit are expired the employee has to leave theNetherlands.

Cases when a work permit is not required when applying for a residence permit:

• Foreigners with the nationality of a member-state of the EEA (European Economic Area), his or her spouse and dependent children (not of age). They need to have sufficient means to support themselves and have health insurance.
• Spouse and dependent children of an EU-citizen, who do not have an EU-nationality themselves.
• Self-employed persons.

General registration procedure

Except for EEA citizens, one is required to report to the Aliens Police in one's place of residence and apply for a residence permit within 3 days of arrival. This means foreign nationals who do not need a temporary residence permit to enter the Netherlands are also required to report to the Aliens Police (usually located in the Town Hall in their place of residence) within three days of their arrival in the Netherlands. Sometimes this task is even executed by municipal officers.

In the major cities visits to the Aliens Police can take about 2-4 hours. In smaller towns and villages throughout the country, the waiting time will be considerably less. Some municipalities have an appointment system.

The Aliens Police registers the residence permit application. The applicant is then required to pay a fee for this application based on age:

• ages 12 and over: EUR 430
• ages 11 and under: EUR 285

Preparation of the residence permit usually takes up to two or three months.

Registration at City Hall - Population Register

Law requires registration with the local population register should a stay in the Netherlands exceed six months. The registration office will be called 'Gemeentelijke Basisadministratie (GBA)' or 'bevolkingsregister'. Registration at the population register should not take place until a visit to the Aliens Police has been made.

Tuberculosis test

Depending on their nationality, expatriates are also required to undergo a test for tuberculosis in the Netherlands.
Nationalities that do not need to undergo a test for tuberculosis:

• Nationals of EU member states
• Australia
• Canada
• Iceland
• Israel
• Japan
• Monaco
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Surinam
• Switzerland (incl. Liechtenstein)
• United States of America

Although not required, it is always advisable for the European Economic Area-citizen to apply for a residence permit, a European Union/European Economic Area-document, as it may facilitate a number of administrative procedures. In order to get this EU/EEA-document, it is not necessary for the EU-citizen to be gainfully employed in the Netherlands . However, one is required to live in the Netherlands and needs to have a minimum steady income of at least EUR 508 per month.

Social Fiscal Number

After registration with the Aliens Police and Population Register, one should apply for a Social Fiscal Number (Sofi). A SoFi-number is needed to pay taxes over income received in the Netherlands . Applications are made to the tax authorities in the municipality where you are living. When the foreign national fills out the application form, brings his passport with sticker from the Aliens Police (showing you have been there and have applied for a residence permit) and a copy of your work permit, he can return after two days to collect his SoFi number.

After three years of working

If an employee has had a work permit for a period of three years (uninterrupted; by one or different employers) and the current residence permit needs to be extended again, it is possible to apply for a 'residence permit without restrictions' at the Aliens Police. This permit states that one is free to accept employment and that a work permit is no longer needed. It is very important to ask for a 'residence permit without restrictions' well in advance of the expiration date. Please be aware that the foreign national must be employed at all times during these initial three years. When the foreign national has no employment, the residence permit stating that he is free to accept employment, will be re-evaluated.

Change in purpose for which the residence permit is granted

A residence permit is valid for one purpose (for labor, for study, as a partner of a foreign employee, etc.). A change of the purpose requires a new residence permit.
A new residence permit is needed when:

• a foreign employee marries a Dutch citizen,
• a foreign student wants to work,
• a partner of a foreign employee wants to work,
• a child of a foreign employee reaches the age of 18,
• a foreign employee becomes self-employed.

The application has to be filed at the bureau of the Aliens Police in the city where the foreigner is living (preferably four weeks before the expiration date of the current permit).

Residence permit for children

If expatriates bring their children to the Netherlands , the age of the child is relevant. Children under 18 are simply issued a residence permit if the parent has been granted one. For children older than 18, proof must be provided that the child has always lived with his or her parents, based on the so-called hardship clause. It must also be proved that leaving the child behind is "disproportionately harsh" and that the costs of supporting the child in the Netherlands are paid by the parents.

If a child reaches the age of 18 while resident in the Netherlands, the existing residence permit expires and a new residence permit needs to be applied for. A new residence permit may only be granted on the basis of a substantiated appeal, based on the so-called hardship clause. Individual circumstances determine whether or not a new residence permit is granted.

Note: Though all due care was taken in compiling these texts, certain information may nevertheless be inaccurate or outdated. REWIN is not liable for the consequences of any activities undertaken on the basis of these texts.