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Pathway

Netherlands Company Transfer Residence Permit

Netherlands Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

This route is for internal company transfers into a Dutch branch or entity.

Roles
Managers, specialists, and trainee employees
Employer
Transfer must be within the same company group
Prior employment
At least three months with the company outside the EU, EEA, and Switzerland before the transfer

Summary

This is a work route for employees being transferred within the same corporate group to a Dutch entity.

This is an internal transfer route, not a local-hire permit. The applicant normally keeps the employment contract with the company outside the EU, and the transfer documents must show the role, location, duration, pay, working conditions, and right to return to a non-EU branch.

The employee transfers within the group while remaining employed abroad
  1. Confirm the group link and qualifying role Document the manager, specialist, or trainee category and prior overseas employment.
  2. Prepare the transfer terms Show duration, duties, location, pay, conditions, and the right to return.
  3. Choose the first-permit or EU mobility procedure Count previous ICT time and check the applicable employment and licensing requirements.

A direct Dutch hire or unrelated contractor does not meet the intra-group transfer basis.

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Eligibility

EEA means the EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.

The applicant must be a non-EU, non-EEA, non-Swiss national and, at the time of application, live outside that area or hold an ICT permit in another EU country for long-term mobility. The transfer must last more than 90 days.

The core requirements include:

Regulated professions require Dutch permission to practice. A waiting or maximum-duration rule can apply after a previous ICT transfer.

What This Route Allows

The permit authorizes the documented work at the Dutch branch. The holder may also be self-employed while continuing to satisfy the ICT conditions. Employment with a different company generally requires that employer to obtain a work permit.

Managers and specialists can hold ICT status for up to 3 years in total across participating EU countries. Trainee employees are limited to 1 year. Short-term mobility from another EU ICT country for no more than 90 days in 180 generally needs an employer notification to UWV rather than a Dutch residence permit; longer mobility requires a Dutch ICT permit.

What This Route Is Not

It is not for someone hired directly by a Dutch company, a contractor with no qualifying group transfer, or an employee who has not worked for the overseas company for at least 3 months. A possible future transfer is not yet an eligible case.

The time limits are hard maximums across EU ICT assignments. This route is classified as temporary. Continuing after the maximum normally requires a different permit, such as Highly Skilled Migrant status, with all of that route's requirements.

Next Steps

  1. Confirm the corporate-group relationship and the applicant's role definition.
  2. Verify at least 3 months of prior overseas employment and a transfer longer than 90 days.
  3. Prepare the foreign contract and assignment letter with every item IND lists.
  4. Check the 2026 salary criterion, Dutch working conditions, employer compliance, and any professional license.
  5. Count all earlier EU ICT time and decide whether the case is a first permit, short-term mobility, or long-term mobility.

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