Residence permit self-employed person
Residency route facts
Identity
| Official name (local) | verblijfsvergunning zelfstandig ondernemer (arbeid als zelfstandige) as of 2026-04-09[6][7] The IND's Dutch-language page is titled 'verblijfsvergunning zelfstandig ondernemer'; Vb 2000 art. 3.30(1) frames the permit as one issued under a restriction connected with 'het verrichten van arbeid als zelfstandige'. |
|---|---|
| Official name (English) | Residence permit self-employed person as of 2026-04-09[6] |
| Legal basis | Vreemdelingenbesluit 2000 art. 3.30, first and second paragraphs as of 2026-08-09[7] |
| Instrument type | residence permit as of 2026-04-09[6] IND records it as a type I temporary regular residence permit. |
Who can apply
| Criminal-record condition | Not established from a qualifying source |
|---|
Permit terms
| Initial duration | up to 2 years as of 2026-04-09[6] |
|---|---|
| Renewable | Yes as of 2026-04-09[6] |
| Renewal duration | Not established from a qualifying source Not stated on the IND page. |
| Work rights | self-employment only as of 2026-04-09[6] The document is endorsed 'arbeid als zelfstandige toegestaan, arbeid in loondienst alleen toegestaan met tewerkstellingsvergunning (TWV)': self-employment free, dependent employment only where the employer holds a work permit. After 5 years of work in the Netherlands the holder can obtain the 'arbeid vrij toegestaan' endorsement. The vocabulary has no value for 'self-employment free, employment conditional on employer authorisation'. |
Permanent residence and citizenship
Requirements
| Minimum capital | Not applicable[6][7] No statutory minimum capital. Capital employed is one input to the RVO points assessment rather than a threshold. |
|---|---|
| Business plan required | Yes as of 2026-04-09[6] The business plan is one of the three scored areas (personal experience, business plan, added value for the Netherlands) and must also evidence that the income requirement is met. |
| Endorsement required | No as of 2026-04-09[6][7] No applicant-side sponsor or committee endorsement. The IND itself obtains advice from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) on behalf of the Minister of Economic Affairs; art. 3.30(2) requires the essential-Dutch-interest test to run on a ministerially fixed points system or another suitable method fixed by the same regulation. |
| Innovation criterion | Yes as of 2026-04-09[6] The product or service offered must be new for the Netherlands as part of the essential-Dutch-interest test. The test does not apply to Turkish nationals, to long-term EU residents from another member state, or to independent professions such as medical specialists and artists, whose essential interest the IND assesses on other ministries' advice. |
| Jobs to be created | Not established from a qualifying source[6] |
| Own means requirement | 1 × IND required amount for a single person, gross per month including holiday allowance per month as of 2026-07-13[5][6][8] Vb 2000 art. 3.30(1)(b) requires durable and independent sufficient means of subsistence earned from the self-employed activity; the IND publishes the applicable figure as gross profit per month including holiday allowance (EUR 1,766.77 for 1 July – 31 December 2026). Art. 3.74 ties sufficiency to the statutory minimum wage including holiday allowance. |
Process
| Where to apply from | either as of 2026-06-12[2][6] The standard path from abroad is the TEV procedure with an MVV sticker collected before travel; the fee schedule separately prices a 'change in purpose of stay', and the IND describes changing residence purpose while already in the Netherlands, so in-country applications also exist. |
|---|---|
| Statutory processing time | 90 days as of 2026-07-06[1] Legal decision period for other applications for a regular temporary residence permit, with or without MVV. The period starts the day the IND receives the application and can be extended. |
| 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. |
|---|---|
| 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[6] |
|---|---|
| Eligible relations | Not established from a qualifying source[6] |
| Family may apply at the same time | Not established from a qualifying source |
| Family members' work rights | full as of 2026-04-09[6] 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.
Profile benefits
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Verification
| Sources cited | 8 |
|---|---|
| of which official (tier 1) | 8 |
| Oldest as-of date | 2026-04-09 |
| Newest as-of date | 2026-08-09 |
| 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] 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 - [6] 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 - [7] Vreemdelingenbesluit 2000, artikel 3.30 (consolidated text, valid from 12-06-2026)
Ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken en Koninkrijksrelaties / overheid.nl (wetten.overheid.nl) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-09 - [8] Vreemdelingenbesluit 2000, artikel 3.74 (voldoende middelen van bestaan; consolidated text)
Ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken en Koninkrijksrelaties / overheid.nl (wetten.overheid.nl) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-09