A Dutch company wants to hire you, and instead of a long permit battle, the whole thing could be settled in weeks. That is the promise of the Netherlands highly skilled migrant visa, known in Dutch as the kennismigrant permit. It works differently from most work visas: you cannot apply for it yourself. Only an employer recognised by the Dutch immigration service can file the application, and your salary must clear a fixed government threshold. Get those two things right and there is no labour market test and no separate work permit in the way.
This guide explains the 2026 scheme: who can sponsor you, how much you must earn, and how the application runs.
Overview
The highly skilled migrant permit is a residence permit for living and working in the Netherlands, handled by the Immigration and Naturalisation Service, the IND. It lets Dutch employers recruit knowledge workers from abroad without first proving that nobody in Europe could do the job.
Two features stand out. First, there is no formal degree requirement: unlike the EU Blue Card, this permit is tested on salary, not on your diploma. Second, it is fast — the legal decision period is 90 days, but for recognised sponsors the IND aims to decide within 2 weeks, per the government portal Business.gov.nl.
The permit runs for the length of your contract, up to five years, and can be extended; after five years you may qualify for a permanent permit. Comparing routes, including the EU Blue Card? See our general work visa guide.
The Recognised Sponsor Rule
Everything starts with the employer. To hire a highly skilled migrant, a company must be a recognised sponsor (in Dutch, erkend referent) — an organisation the IND has approved in advance. The IND keeps a public register of recognised sponsors anyone can search; check your employer on it before you sign, because a company not on the register cannot apply for you, whatever it promises.
Recognition brings legal duties towards the IND:
- Duty to provide information — report changes affecting your permit, such as your contract ending, within 4 weeks.
- Duty of care — select employees carefully and inform them of the conditions.
- Duty to keep records — hold your documents, contract and proof of salary payments for IND checks.
- Salary monitoring — make sure your pay keeps meeting the threshold while you hold the permit.
Sponsors that break these rules can be fined or lose recognition. The consequence: the application is always filed by the employer (or its payroll or agency company, if that is your legal employer), never by you.
Salary Requirements
The salary criterion is the heart of the scheme. The IND resets the amounts every 1 January, and the figure that counts is the one in force on the application date. The official IND required amounts for 2026, gross per month excluding holiday allowance:
- Aged 30 or older: €5,942 per month
- Younger than 30: €4,357 per month
- Reduced salary criterion: €3,122 per month
The reduced criterion is not open to everyone. Per the IND, it applies only in cases tied to recent study or research: you apply during an orientation year permit for highly educated persons, or within three years of graduating, completing a doctorate or finishing a research permit.
A few details decide real cases:
- The salary must be in line with the market rate; pay abnormally low for the role can fail.
- Holiday allowance does not count, nor do payments in kind or irregular extras such as overtime and tips.
- Fixed allowances — a thirteenth month, say — can count, but only if in the contract and paid into your bank account monthly, in equal instalments.
- Change employers, and you must meet the amount in force when the new contract starts — at the higher rate if you have turned 30.
Who Can Apply
You are a candidate for this permit if:
- You are a national of a country outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland (EU citizens need no permit).
- You have an employment contract with a recognised sponsor.
- Your gross monthly salary meets the criterion for your age or situation, at the market rate.
- You hold a valid passport and are no risk to public order or national security.
- You are willing to take a tuberculosis test after arrival, unless your nationality is exempt.
- You will live in the Netherlands as your main residence.
One exception: the salary criterion does not apply to researchers, guest lecturers and doctors in specialist training — Dutch minimum wage rules apply instead. Regulated healthcare roles require BIG register registration first.
How to Apply
The application runs through the TEV procedure (Entry and Residence Procedure): one filing covers both your entry visa and your residence permit. Whether you need the entry visa — the MVV, a sticker placed in your passport by a Dutch embassy or consulate — depends on your nationality. Many need one; others, such as US, Canadian, Japanese and Australian citizens, are exempt and travel directly once approved.
- Find a job with a recognised sponsor. Check the company in the IND's public register first.
- Agree a contract meeting the salary criterion for your category, at the market rate.
- Your employer submits the TEV application — MVV (if needed) and permit in one procedure — and pays the fee, €423 in 2026.
- The IND decides. Legal limit 90 days; the aim is two weeks for recognised sponsors.
- Collect your MVV at the Dutch embassy or consulate, if required, then travel.
- Complete the arrival formalities (below) and collect your residence card from the IND.
Your partner and children can be included: the sponsor applies for their permits alongside yours, and your partner needs no work permit.
Documents
The sponsor files the application, but the documents come from you:
- A valid passport.
- Your signed employment contract showing the role and gross monthly salary.
- A signed antecedents certificate declaring no criminal record that would bar admission.
- Legalised civil documents where asked, with a sworn translation if not in Dutch, English, French or German.
- For family members: marriage or partnership certificate and children's birth certificates.
After You Arrive
Approval is not the finish line. In your first weeks:
- Register with your municipality (the BRP) — this is how you get your citizen service number, the BSN, needed for payroll and banking.
- Give your biometrics and collect your residence card at an IND desk.
- Take the tuberculosis test within three months, if your nationality requires it.
- Take out Dutch health insurance — basic cover is compulsory for residents who work.
Two situations to plan for. If you lose your job, you get up to three months to find a new position with another recognised sponsor; the new employer files a fresh application, and you cannot start until the IND decides or gives temporary authorisation. Separately, many migrants hired from abroad qualify for the 30% ruling, a tax facility of the Tax Administration — worth asking about, though it plays no part in the IND's decision.
Common Mistakes
- Signing with an employer that is not a recognised sponsor. No registration, no application — check the register first.
- Counting the holiday allowance to reach the threshold. The IND figures exclude it; a salary that only qualifies with it included will be refused.
- Assuming a bonus counts like monthly salary. Only fixed amounts in the contract, paid monthly in equal parts, count.
- Forgetting the application-date rule. Thresholds rise every 1 January; a December contract can fall short in January.
- Trying to apply yourself. The individual cannot file this application — the sponsor must.
- Starting a new job too early after changing employers, before the IND decision.
FAQ
Can I apply for the highly skilled migrant permit myself?
No. Only an IND-recognised sponsor can submit it. Your role is to find a qualifying job, agree a salary that meets the criterion, and supply your documents.
Do I need a university degree for the kennismigrant permit?
No. The permit is tested on salary, not qualifications — the IND does not assess your diploma. A degree is required for the EU Blue Card, a different permit.
How long does the application take?
The IND has up to 90 days by law, but aims to decide within two weeks on a complete sponsor application. Collecting an MVV abroad can add time.
Can my family come with me?
Yes. Your partner and children can apply at the same time, through your sponsor, and your partner may work for any employer without a separate permit.
What happens if I lose my job?
You normally get up to three months to find a new job with another recognised sponsor that meets the salary criterion. Find nothing in that time, and the basis for your permit falls away.
Does the 30% ruling affect my permit?
No. It is a tax facility of the Tax Administration, separate from the IND, and does not change the gross salary the IND tests.
Summary
The kennismigrant route rests on two pillars: an employer the IND already trusts, and a salary that clears the official line — €5,942 a month at 30 or older, €4,357 under 30, or €3,122 on the reduced criterion in 2026, excluding holiday allowance. In return: one of Europe's fastest skilled-worker procedures, no labour market test, family who can join and work, and a permit for your contract up to five years. Check the sponsor register, check the salary maths twice, and let the employer run the TEV application.