A residence permit for an economically inactive long-term EU resident entitles you to live in the Netherlands. On this page you read about the conditions and how to apply for the residence permit.
You are a long-term EU resident in another EU country. That means you hold a long-term resident EU residence permit in another EU country. That is a European residence permit for an indefinite period. You want to move to the Netherlands to live, but will not be working. You will therefore be economically inactive in the Netherlands.
There are some general conditions which apply to everyone who applies for a residence permit.
The following conditions apply to the residence permit for an economically inactive long-term EU resident:
You need to submit documents to demonstrate that you fulfil the conditions. You need the following documents to apply for a residence permit for an economically inactive long-term EU resident:
Official foreign documents must be legalised and translated into Dutch, English, French, or German. Find out more about legalisation and translation of official documents.
You can only submit this application in writing.
You will receive a letter to pay the cost of your application (fee). The letter will indicate the amount due and the bank account to which you need to transfer it. The IND will only assess your application once you have made the payment.
The costs of the application for a residence permit for an economically inactive long-term EU resident are € 192.
The IND has 90 days to decide on your application for a residence permit for an economically inactive long-term EU resident. This period is called the decision period. It is specified by law. You will receive a letter stating the date by which the IND will decide on the application.
You can track your application in My IND. To do that, you need to log in using DigiD. Find out more about My IND and logging in.
Employers can apply for review of the decision within 4 weeks. The decision letter explains how to do this. Find out more about applying for review or appealing a decision from the IND.
Has the decision period passed and you have still not received a decision on your application or review? Then the IND is late in deciding. Find out what you can do if the IND is late with its decision.
Your residence permit is valid for 5 years. After that period has expired you can extend your residence permit or apply for a permanent residence permit.
You will not be working straight away, but with this residence permit you are allowed to work freely in the Netherlands. Your employer will not require a separate work permit (tewerkstellingsvergunning or TWV) for you. The back of the residence permit states: 'arbeid vrij toegestaan. TWV niet vereist' (Free to work. No work permit required).
You have to comply with a number of legal obligations. Find out which legal obligations you must comply with.