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Pathway

Netherlands Work Permit for Skilled Migrants

Netherlands Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

The Dutch Highly Skilled Migrant permit may fit you if you have a job offer from an employer approved by the immigration service, IND, to hire through this route. Your pay must meet the relevant minimum and be normal for the job. This permit is also called the kennismigrant route.

Job offer required?
Yes, from an employer recognized by IND
Pay
2026 monthly thresholds: €5,942 at age 30+, €4,357 below 30, or €3,122 where the reduced rule applies
Pay for the role
The salary must also match the normal rate for the work

Summary

The Netherlands’ Highly Skilled Migrant route lets a qualifying professional live and work there for an approved employer. The Dutch contract and application must come from an employer recognized by the immigration authority, IND. The salary must meet the correct threshold for the worker and also be appropriate for the job. Recognition of the sponsor, age-related pay rules, and any reduced-threshold eligibility therefore need to be checked together.

Could this pathway work for you?

Eligibility

The applicant must have an employment contract with a company or research institution in the Netherlands. Only an employer in the IND public register of recognized sponsors can apply.

For applications in 2026, the gross monthly salary excluding holiday allowance must normally be at least:

The threshold that applies is based on the application date or, after a change of employer, the new contract's start date. Fixed allowances can count only if they are in the contract, paid monthly, and transferred to the employee's bank account. Holiday allowance, benefits in kind, overtime, tips, and other uncertain pay do not count. The total salary must also be in line with the market rate for comparable work.

Regulated professions have extra rules. For example, certain healthcare roles require registration in the Dutch BIG register.

More about this route

There is no general degree requirement and no general list of eligible occupations. The employer, contract, salary, and any professional licensing rule matter more than the applicant's academic title.

Check the employer and required pay
  1. An approved employer Find your employer in the immigration service's current register of approved sponsors.
  2. The right salary Check which minimum applies and which payments count. Pay must also be normal for the job.
  3. The employer applies Provide the contract and any required professional registration.

There is no general requirement to hold a degree. The employer, salary, and job must meet the rules.

What This Route Allows

The permit allows work as a highly skilled migrant for the sponsoring employer. It also allows self-employment alongside that job. Work for another employer generally requires that other employer to obtain a work permit, unless the holder has become free on the labor market after sufficient Dutch work history.

The permit follows the contract or appointment and can be valid for up to 5 years. Family members may accompany the worker, and a partner is generally free to work without a work permit.

If the job ends while the permit remains valid, the holder normally has up to 3 months to find a new recognized sponsor. For job loss on or after 22 May 2026, someone who has held this permit for at least 2 years may have up to 6 months. The search period can never run beyond the permit's expiry date.

What This Route Is Not

It is not a general job-seeker visa. An interview, interest from an employer, or a job offer from a company that is not recognized by IND does not meet the route. A high salary alone is also insufficient if the employer, contract, or market-rate condition fails.

An employee of a company outside the EU being transferred as a manager, specialist, or trainee should compare the intra-corporate transferee route. A worker who wants only self-employment should compare the self-employed or start-up permit.

Next Steps

  1. Verify the employer in the current IND sponsor register.
  2. Match the applicant to the correct 2026 salary category and check what compensation IND can count.
  3. Confirm that pay is market-rate and that any regulated-profession registration is ready.
  4. Have the recognized sponsor submit the residence and, where needed, MVV application.
  5. If changing employers or losing a job, notify IND promptly and calculate the exact search period from the contract end date.

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Discussed in these reports

Similar skilled work pathways in other destinations.

Sources