Rule changes
- Since 3 April 2026: Families may join a posting abroad of up to eight months.
Looking for a retirement visa? The Netherlands doesn't offer one — both its routes here require a job offer from a Dutch employer. See other countries' guides
Working in the Netherlands: do you qualify?
A country built around one clear idea: a recognised employer sponsors you, and the process moves quickly once they do.
When rules change mid-way, the date your application is filed is what often decides which rules apply to you. Where are you right now?
The conditions behind the routes above
Your degree, work experience or occupation has to clear a bar set for that specific route.
An employer, a government nomination, or an approved endorsing body has to stand behind the route.
Pick a route, see the real commitment
Every official figure below is what Immimaps has verified for that route against Netherlands's official programme rules — not a marketing minimum. Service fees are what independent firms publish for the route, shown only once five or more are on file.
€4,500 – €11,250 placed as capital, exposed until the residency conditions are met.
The EU-wide route, open to a slightly broader band of job types and salaries than the Kennismigrant permit — worth checking if a job offer doesn't fit the Dutch-specific route's criteria.
The long-standing Dutch-specific route for skilled hires, sponsored directly by the employer.
Within the 3 years before applying: an accredited Dutch bachelor's or master's, a Dutch post-master's of at least 10 months or Dutch PhD, an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master, a study under the Cultural Policy Act or Dutch development-cooperation policy, or a master's, post-master's or PhD from a foreign institution in the top 200 of at least two ranking lists from different publishers (Times Higher Education, QS, ShanghaiRanking) on the graduation or PhD date. A foreign bachelor's degree does not qualify. Foreign diplomas need a Nuffic credential evaluation.
€1,766.77 shown as proof of means — nothing is transferred.
What each route costs, stage by stage
Added up from the official figures on file for each route — split into money spent for good, money locked and returned later, and money shown but never transferred. Not a modelled estimate.
Dutch-American Friendship Treaty (DAFT) Self-Employed Residence Permit▾
At application
Decision — reported: 3 months.- Spent for goodGovernment fees on file: €423, paid to the government for the initial application.
- Locked€4,500 placed as capital — recoverable in principle, exposed in practice.
2 ways to qualify — shown: the cheapest. Alternatives: €4,500 (shown) / €11,250.
EU Blue Card▾
At application
Decision — reported: 1 month.- Spent for goodGovernment fees on file: €423, paid to the government for the initial application.
- Shown, never leaves you€4,754 shown as proof of means every month — nothing is transferred.
2 ways to qualify — shown: the cheapest. Alternatives: €5,942 / €4,754 (shown).
Highly Skilled Migrant Visa (Kennismigrant)▾
At application
Decision — reported: 1 month.- Spent for goodOfficial fees: €423, paid to the government for the initial application.
- Shown, never leaves you€3,122 shown as proof of means every month — nothing is transferred.
3 ways to qualify — shown: the cheapest. Alternatives: €5,942 / €4,357 / €3,122 (shown).
Netherlands — Orientation Year for Highly Educated Persons (Zoekjaar Hoogopgeleiden)▾
At application
Decision — reported: 3 months.- Spent for goodOfficial fees: €85 – €254, paid to the government for the initial application.
Netherlands — Start-up and Self-Employed Residence Permit▾
At application
Decision — reported: 3 months.- Spent for goodOfficial fees: €423, paid to the government for the initial application.
- Shown, never leaves you€1,766.77 shown as proof of means every month — nothing is transferred.
2 ways to qualify — shown: the cheapest. Alternatives: €1,766.77 (shown) / €1,766.77.
The order EU Blue Card follows
- 2026-01-01Minimum salary thresholds for the Kennismigrant and EU Blue Card permits rose for 2026 — to €5,942 a month for applicants aged 30 and over, €4,357 for those under 30, and €3,122 for recent graduates of a Dutch or top-ranked international university. The immigration service resets these figures each year for wage growth. source
Strategy Path takes your occupation, your situation and whether you have an employer, and lays the route out step by step — cost, milestone and wait on each leg.
Upload it and Immimaps checks it against what Netherlands's official programme actually requires, and reads the contract clause by clause. Free, no account.
Check my documentEvery official figure on this page is checked against Netherlands's official immigration sources. Service fees are what independent firms publish for a route — not an official figure, and never any one firm's price. Immimaps does not publish success rates, approval odds or any probability score — here or anywhere else.
Don’t take a life-changing move on someone else’s word.
Immimaps is not an agency and takes no placement fees. We show the real figures on every route, show the working, and tell you what it actually costs.
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