If you intend to reside in the Netherlands for more than three months and you are not an EU, EER or Swiss national, it is necessary to apply for a Netherlands residence permit upon arrival at the Immigration and Naturalization Services (IND). In most cases you need to apply for an authorization for temporary stay (MVV) in order to enter the Netherlands. The Netherlands residence permit is issued based on your reason for staying in the country.
Primary reasons for staying are:
- Work as an employee – knowledge migrant or labor migrant;
- Staying with a family member;
- Studying.
If you are an EU, EER or Swiss national and you will be staying for more than three months, you need to register with the IND, and they will place a special sticker in your passport.
Depending on your reason for staying in the Netherlands, different documents are required to obtain your Netherlands Residence Permit. For example if you are planning to work in the Netherlands you will need to supply a copy of an employment contract, while someone re-uniting with a spouse would need to supply a valid marriage certificate.
The IND Residence Wizard will walk you through identifying which documents you will need to produce for your unique situation.