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Living in the Netherlands after Brexit

On 31 January 2020, the United Kingdom (UK) left the European Union (EU) with a deal. The agreements made are set out in the Withdrawal Agreement. You are a UK national or the family member of a UK national and you wish to (continue) to live in the Netherlands. This page provides an overview of what you need to do to arrange your residency after Brexit. Different provisions apply depending on when you arrive(d) in the Netherlands and for how long you have been living here.

Quick links to content further down page:

1. You arrived in the Netherlands before 1 January 2021

2. You will come to live in the Netherlands on or after 1 January 2021

3. When Brexit does not affect your right of residence

4. If you have any questions

1. You arrived in the Netherlands before 1 January 2021

You are a UK national or the family member of a UK national and you were living in the Netherlands before Brexit. Or you are a UK national or the family member of a UK national who came to live in the Netherlands after Brexit and before 1 January 2021. The provisions of the Withdrawal Agreement apply to you.

Transition period in 2020: you can continue to live, work and study in the Netherlands

 As a result of the Withdrawal Agreement, Brexit will not change your current situation in 2020. A transition period now applies from 1 February 2020 up to and including 31 December 2020. During this period you can continue to live, work and study in the Netherlands. You do not need a residence document, just a valid passport.

After the transition period: you will need a Withdrawal Agreement residence document

As a result of Brexit your right of residence has changed. You are no longer an EU citizen. You will need a residence document to continue to live in the Netherlands from 1 January 2021. This residence document will show your right to live in the Netherlands. Submit an application online to the IND to obtain a residence document. You may not need a residence document if Brexit does not affect your right of residence.

Submit your application online before 31 December 2020

You came to live in the Netherlands before 1 August 2020
The IND has sent around 45,000 invitations (and in some cases a reminder letter) to all UK nationals and their family members who came to live in the Netherlands before 1 August 2020 and are registered in the Personal Records Database (Basisregistratie Personen or BRP) at their town hall.

The IND is no longer sending out invitations or reminders. What if you did not receive an invitation for whatever reason (for example because you recently moved house and the IND does not have your new address) and you have the right to live here? You can now submit an application online without an invitation. Please do this as soon as possible and before 31 December 2020.

You came to live in the Netherlands on or after 1 August 2020 and before 31 December 2020
Submit your application online as soon as possible and before 31 December 2020. It is no longer necessary to have an invitation from the IND to submit your application for a residence document.

  • NB: if you have permanent EU residence (EU duurzaam verblijf), a different process and timeline apply (see below).

What you can do now to arrange your residence in the Netherlands for after 1 January 2021

  1. Register yourself in person in the Personal Records Database  (BRP) at your town hall. Everyone who has been living in the Netherlands for over 4 months is required to register in the BRP.
  2. Then apply for a DigiD. With your DigiD, you can easily submit an online application to the IND. Do you already have a DigiD but no sms-verification? You can also set this up on My DigiD.
  3. Then make sure that you will also receive post from the IND digitally. Use your DigiD to log in to MijnOverheid at https://mijn.overheid.nl/. There you can access your Berichtenbox (message box) where you can receive digital post from government institutions, including the IND. Go to Instellingen (Settings) and under Landelijke Organisaties check Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst (Immigration and Naturalisation Service, the IND).
  4. Open a Dutch bank account. You need this to set up iDEAL, an online payment method. You will need iDEAL to pay for an online application for a residence document.
  5. Do you have another EU/EEA or Swiss nationality? Make sure that nationality is listed in the Personal Records Database  (BRP). Then you will not receive an invitation letter because you will not need a residence document.

Which sort of residence document to apply for

There are two sorts of Withdrawal Agreement residence documents. How long you have lived in the Netherlands determines which sort of residence document you should apply for.

The steps for applying for a residence document

The diagram below provides an overview of the different steps in the application process. More information is provided on the pages for applying for a residence document.

Infographic on the invitation process by the IND
(Click on image to see larger version)

The conditions for receiving a residence document

Certain conditions apply for you to receive a residence document. These are the same conditions that already currently apply for you to be allowed to live in the Netherlands. You can find out what the conditions are on the pages for applying for a residence document.

The cost of applying for a residence document

An application for a residence document costs the same as the application for permanent residence as an EU citizen: ​€58 for adults and ​€31 for children under 18.

You have a permanent EU residence document (duurzaam verblijf) : exchange your document

Watch the animation and read the information below (available in English only).

 


Are you a UK national or the family member of a UK national? And you have a permanent EU residence document issued in the Netherlands? Then you need to exchange this residence document for a new permanent residence document.  As a result of Brexit you can no longer use your current residence document. UK nationals are no longer EU citizens. Exchanging your document is free. You can only continue to live, work and study in the Netherlands from 1 January 2021 with your new document.

You do not need to submit an online application. The IND is already aware of your situation because we previously checked whether you met the conditions when you were originally granted permanent residence (duurzaam verblijf). From the first week of June, the IND will, on its own initiative, check your situation again, and decide whether you will receive a new residence document after Brexit or not.

If you are not a threat to the public order and have not lived outside the Netherlands for more than 5 years consecutively, then your situation is in order. You will receive a letter from the IND from the first week of June. This will explain what you now need to do to exchange your current residence document for a new residence document, free of charge.

If your situation is not in order, you will receive a letter from the IND stating that you do not currently meet the conditions. You will have the opportunity to respond and to prove that you do.

Infographic: status of residence applications after Brexit

The infographic below shows the status of applications for residence documents from UK nationals after Brexit. Every month we will publish the latest stats. From February up to and including August 2020, the IND:

  • sent 34,299 invitations
  • received 25,624 applications
  • took 19,284 decisions.

Infographic with statistics on status of residence document applications UK nationals

(Click on image to view larger version)

2. You will come to live in the Netherlands on or after 1 January 2021

Are you a UK national travelling to live in the Netherlands after 31 December 2020 and you are not coming for the purpose of family reunification under the Withdrawal Agreement? In that case, you do not come under the Withdrawal Agreement. To be able to live in the Netherlands, other provisions apply to you. On the IND website you can find out more about the different residence purposes, such as EU, Family, Work and Dutch citizenship. 

3. When Brexit does not affect your right of residence

  • You are a UK national and have a national residence permit for permanent residence. This also includes a residence permit as an EU long-term resident in the Netherlands. Brexit does not affect your right to live in the Netherlands.
  • You are a UK national and also have EU, EEA or Swiss nationality. Brexit does not affect your right to live in the Netherlands because of your other nationality. This also applies to your family members without EU, EEA or Swiss nationality.
  • You are a third country national and the relationship with your British partner (UK national) in the Netherlands has ended as result of divorce or death. You are a third country national if you do not have EU, EEA or Swiss nationality. Under EU provisions, it is possible that you may stay in the Netherlands. In that case, you do not need a new residence document. If you wish, you can apply for a residence document. When considering your application, the IND will check whether your situation meets the conditions.

4. If you have any questions

  • Read the Q & As for Brexit with a deal.
  • On Government.nl you can find more information, including other topics that may be relevant to you.
  • Visit the other pages on this website with more information about applying for a temporary or permanent residence permit and cross-border workers.

Call the Brexit information line: +31 (0)88 04 30410

Here you can ask your questions about your right of residence. The Brexit information line can be reached from Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 17:00.

Public order

Public order is peace and order on the street and in public spaces. The government organises and controls this peace and order in society. Someone who is a danger to the public order is someone who disrupts this order, for example, someone who commits an offence. The IND therefore checks whether an individual has any registered convictions. We also check whether that person is currently a serious threat to society.