European Blue Card residence permit
Residency route facts
Identity
| Official name (local) | verblijfsvergunning Europese blauwe kaart as of 2026-06-15[2] Taken from the IND's own Dutch-language endorsement text quoted on the English page: 'Arbeid als houder van de Europese blauwe kaart en als zelfstandige toegestaan, andere arbeid toegestaan met TWV'. |
|---|---|
| Official name (English) | European Blue Card residence permit as of 2026-06-15[2] |
| Legal basis | Vreemdelingenbesluit 2000 art. 3.30b; Vreemdelingencirculaire 2000 B6/2.6, B6/3.1.5, B6/3.2.5, B6/3.3.5 and B6/4.6; Directive (EU) 2021/1883 as of 2026-06-15[2] |
| Instrument type | residence permit as of 2026-06-15[2] Type I temporary regular residence permit. |
Who can apply
| Nationals not served by this route | EU, EEA as of 2026-06-15[2] |
|---|---|
| Criminal-record condition | Yes as of 2026-03-20[4] Public-order and national-security condition applying to every regular residence permit. Everyone over 12 must submit a completed Appendix Antecedents Certificate (form 7601) declaring any offence or crime. The same page carries the two other universal conditions: a valid travel document, and a tuberculosis test after arrival unless exempt (nationals of listed countries, holders of an existing Dutch permit changing purpose, people born and always resident in the Netherlands, children of 11 or under, a TB test taken in the Netherlands in the last 6 months, and long-term EU residents and their family members). |
Permit terms
| Initial duration | up to 5 years as of 2026-06-15[2] |
|---|---|
| How the initial term is set | matches the contract |
| Renewable | Yes as of 2026-06-15[2] |
| Renewal duration | Not established from a qualifying source Not stated on the IND page. |
| Work rights | own activity only as of 2026-06-15[2] |
Permanent residence and citizenship
Requirements
| Job offer required | Yes as of 2026-06-15[2] An employment contract valid for at least 6 months, for highly qualified work. |
|---|---|
| Salary threshold |
|
| Labour-market test | Not established from a qualifying source[2] |
| Qualification requirement | degree, equivalent experience, regulated profession as of 2026-06-15[2] Alternative qualifying routes. Degree: a higher education programme of at least 3 years, relevant and appropriate to the profession or sector, with foreign diplomas evaluated by Nuffic. Experience: at least 5 years of relevant experience at higher-education level, reduced to 3 years within the preceding 7 for IT managers and IT professionals. Regulated professions (doctor, lawyer, and the Wet BIG healthcare professions) must additionally show authorisation to practise in the Netherlands – listed here because it is a distinct qualifying condition, not because it is an alternative to the other two. |
| Employer sponsorship | Yes as of 2026-06-15[2] The employer is the sponsor and applies, but – unlike the highly skilled migrant route – IND recognition as a sponsor is NOT required. The employer must carry out economic activity and must not have been fined in the past 5 years under the Wav, Atw, Waadi, Arbowet, Awr or Wml. |
| Paid in-country | Yes as of 2026-06-15[2] |
| Job-search route | No as of 2026-06-15[2] |
Process
| Where to apply from | either as of 2026-06-15[2][3] The employer normally applies, but the employee may apply in person (form 9532 / 7515). Long-term mobility from another participating Member State and the fee schedule's change-of-purpose line both give in-country paths. Stays of no more than 90 days in any 180 need no permit at all (short-term mobility). |
|---|---|
| Statutory processing time | 90 days as of 2026-07-06[1] Statutory decision period for a regular temporary residence permit; extendable. |
| Fees |
|
Physical presence
| maximum consecutive absence | 6 months · to keep the permit as of 2026-07-20[5] 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. |
|---|---|
| maximum consecutive absence | 4 months · to keep the permit as of 2026-07-20[5] |
Family inclusion
| Family members may be included | Yes as of 2026-07-24[6][7] Dedicated IND application form for family members of an EU Blue Card holder (7573). |
|---|---|
| Eligible relations | spouse, registered partner, unmarried partner, minor child as of 2026-07-24[6][7] |
| Family may apply at the same time | Not established from a qualifying source Not stated. |
| Family members' work rights | full as of 2026-07-24[7] The IND states that the partner of a European Blue Card holder is free to work. |
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.
Profile benefits
- A 30-minute call with our consultant, who reads your profile first.
- An offer for legal support built around your case, covering the whole process.
Verification
| Sources cited | 9 |
|---|---|
| of which official (tier 1) | 9 |
| Oldest as-of date | 2026-03-20 |
| Newest as-of date | 2026-07-24 |
| 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] European Blue Card residence permit – conditions, salary criterion and permit terms
Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst (IND) · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-06-15 · Accessed 2026-08-09 - [3] 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 - [4] Requirements that apply to everyone – general conditions for every regular residence permit
Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst (IND) · official guidance · Tier 1 · Published 2026-03-20 · Accessed 2026-08-09 - [5] 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 - [6] Residence permit for minor child to stay with parent – conditions and permit terms
Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst (IND) · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-07-24 · Accessed 2026-08-09 - [7] Residence permit for partner – conditions, sponsor rules and permit terms
Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst (IND) · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-07-24 · Accessed 2026-08-09 - [8] 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 - [9] Required amounts income requirements (normbedragen)
Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst (IND), Ministry of Justice and Security · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-07-13 · Accessed 2026-08-09 · Archived copy