Residence permit self-employed person under the Dutch-American Friendship Treaty (DAFT) or the Dutch-Japanese Trade Treaty
Route status
Open to new applications under the rules recorded below.
| Open only to nationals of | United States, Japan as of 2026-07-10[5][6] The IND applies this permit's treaty test only to nationals of the United States (Dutch-American Friendship Treaty) and Japan (Dutch-Japanese Trade Treaty). Nationals of other countries apply for the same permit under the ordinary self-employed test, recorded as nl-self-employed. |
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Residency route facts
Identity
| Official name (local) | arbeid als zelfstandige op grond van het Nederlands-Amerikaans Vriendschapsverdrag of het Nederlands-Japans Handelsverdrag as of 2026-07-10[5][6] |
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| Official name (English) | Residence permit self-employed person under the Dutch-American Friendship Treaty (DAFT) or the Dutch-Japanese Trade Treaty as of 2026-04-09[2][5] The IND issues the same self-employed permit and charges the same fee; the treaty route differs in its qualifying test, which is why it is recorded as its own route. |
| Legal basis | Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the United States of America (1956) and the Dutch-Japanese Trade Treaty, applied through the Vreemdelingencirculaire 2000 (B) as of 2026-07-10[5][6] |
| Instrument type | residence permit as of 2026-04-09[5] |
Who can apply
| Criminal-record condition | Not established from a qualifying source |
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Permit terms
| Initial duration | up to 2 years as of 2026-04-09[5] Maximum validity stated for the self-employed permit as a whole, which is the permit issued on this basis. |
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| Renewable | Yes as of 2026-04-09[5] On extension the IND requires the annual accounts and a balance sheet or income statement, to check that the company has been active and that the invested capital stayed in the business. |
| Renewal duration | Not established from a qualifying source Not stated on the IND page. |
| Work rights | self-employment only as of 2026-04-09[5] Same endorsement as the general self-employed permit: self-employment free, dependent employment only with an employer-held work permit (TWV). |
Permanent residence and citizenship
Requirements
| Minimum capital | EUR 4,500 as of 2026-07-10[5][6] Vreemdelingencirculaire 2000 (B): for a sole proprietorship (eenmanszaak) the IND assesses the capital needed to run the business case by case but applies a minimum of EUR 4,500; for a general partnership (vof) a share of at least 25% of the firm capital with the same floor. The IND's English page states that for most business forms it requires a minimum investment of EUR 4,500. |
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| Business plan required | Not established from a qualifying source |
| Endorsement required | No as of 2026-04-09[5] No facilitator, sponsor or committee endorsement appears among the treaty conditions. |
| Innovation criterion | No as of 2026-04-09[5] The treaty conditions replace the essential-Dutch-interest test: the applicant must trade between the Netherlands and the US or Japan, or develop and manage the business operations of a Dutch business (representing a US or Japanese business in a key position, practising an independent profession, or investing substantial capital). No novelty or innovation condition is stated. |
| Jobs to be created | Not applicable[5] No job-creation condition is stated among the treaty conditions. |
| Own means requirement | Not established from a qualifying source[5] |
Process
| Where to apply from | either as of 2026-06-12[2][5] The IND describes both first-time applications by people not yet holding a Dutch permit and changes of residence purpose invoking a treaty. |
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| Statutory processing time | 90 days as of 2026-07-06[1] |
| Fees |
|
Physical presence
| maximum consecutive absence | 6 months · to keep the permit as of 2026-07-20[3] Country-wide main-residence rule for regular residence permits: more than 6 continuous months outside the Netherlands (counted per calendar year, separate periods not added together) may be treated as moving main residence, which can cost the permit. |
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| maximum consecutive absence | 4 months · to keep the permit as of 2026-07-20[3] |
Family inclusion
| Family members may be included | Yes as of 2026-04-09[5] |
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| Eligible relations | Not established from a qualifying source[5] |
| Family may apply at the same time | Not established from a qualifying source |
| Family members' work rights | full as of 2026-04-09[5] Family members' residence documents are endorsed 'arbeid als zelfstandige toegestaan, arbeid vrij toegestaan, TWV niet vereist' – work free, no work permit required. |
Your next step
Read the requirements above considering your own situation: the income multiple, the absence limits, who you can bring. Check the country record for the reference figure those amounts are calculated from, and for anything that has changed recently.
The next step is your own case. That assessment is legal work. Create profile for our assistance in this.
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Verification
| Sources cited | 6 |
|---|---|
| of which official (tier 1) | 6 |
| Oldest as-of date | 2026-04-09 |
| Newest as-of date | 2026-07-20 |
| Reviewed on | 2026-08-11 |
| Schema version | 1.1 |
Sources
- [1] Decision periods – statutory decision periods per application type
Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst (IND), Ministry of Justice and Security · official guidance · Tier 1 · Published 2026-07-06 · Accessed 2026-08-09 · Archived copy - [2] Fees: costs of an application (leges)
Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst (IND), Ministry of Justice and Security · fee schedule · Tier 1 · Published 2026-06-12 · Accessed 2026-08-09 · Archived copy - [3] Main residency – when the IND considers main residence moved abroad
Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst (IND), Ministry of Justice and Security · official guidance · Tier 1 · Published 2026-07-20 · Accessed 2026-08-09 · Archived copy - [4] Permanent residence permit – conditions
Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst (IND), Ministry of Justice and Security · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-05-20 · Accessed 2026-08-09 · Archived copy - [5] Residence permit self-employed person – conditions, permit terms, fees and treaty route
Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst (IND), Ministry of Justice and Security · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-04-09 · Accessed 2026-08-09 · Archived copy - [6] Vreemdelingencirculaire 2000 (B), version valid from 10-07-2026 – substantial capital under the DAFT / Dutch-Japanese Trade Treaty
Ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken en Koninkrijksrelaties / overheid.nl (wetten.overheid.nl) · official guidance · Tier 1 · Published 2026-07-10 · Accessed 2026-08-09