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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.

Page contents

You arrived in the Netherlands before 1 January 2021

You are a UK national or the family member of a UK national. You come under the Withdrawal Agreement if one of the following situations applies to you:

  • You were already living in the Netherlands before 31 January 2020; or
  • You came to live in the Netherlands after 31 January 2020 and before 1 January 2021. 

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

 As a result of the Withdrawal Agreement (WA), Brexit will not change your current situation in 2020. A transition period now applies starting on 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 after the transition period.  You may not need a residence document if Brexit does not affect your right of residence.

Submit your application online as soon as possible

The Dutch government wants to provide a decent solution for all British nationals who wish to continue living in the Netherlands after the transition period. The IND is working to ensure that, as far as possible, you and your family members receive a residence document before the end of 2020. Have you not yet submitted an application? Then, to arrange your residency we advise you to submit your online application as soon as possible and by 31 December 2020. The sooner you submit your application, the sooner you will receive a decision and your residence document. You can then use your residence document to easily show that you have a right of residence in the Netherlands starting on 1 January 2021. The WA offers the possibility to apply for residency up to and including 30 June 2021. 

Invitation IND no longer needed to apply for  a residence document

  • You came to live in the Netherlands before 1 August 2020
Around 35,000 UK nationals and their family members living in the Netherlands have received an invitation letter from the IND.  The letter was sent to UK nationals and their family members who came to live in the Netherlands before 1 August 2020 and were registered in the Personal Records Database (Basisregistratie Personen or BRP) at their town hall. In the letter (and in some cases an additional reminder letter), they were invited by the IND to apply online for a residence document.

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)? If you have the right to live here, you can now apply online without an invitation. Please do this as soon as possible.

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

Apply for temporary or permanent residency

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? Do 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. With your new document you can easily prove that you are allowed to continue to live, work and study in the Netherlands in 2021 and beyond. 

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 for 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 statistics: 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 October 2020, the IND:

  • sent 34,391 invitations
  • received 29,844 applications
  • took 28,171 decisions.

Infographic with statistics on status of residence document applications UK nationals

(Click on image to view larger version)

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

The main rule is that as a UK national you do not come under the Withdrawal Agreement (WA). As a result of Brexit, you are no longer an EU citizen and are now a third country national. A third country national is someone who does not have EU, EEA or Swiss nationality. 

From 1 January 2021, you can still come to live in the Netherlands for the first time. Then you need a residence permit which you have to apply for. The provisions for third country nationals are often stricter than for EU citizens. You will need a residence permit for a specific residence purpose. A residence purpose is a ground on which you are allowed live in the Netherlands. 

Exception: UK or non-UK family members who come to live with you (a UK national), in the Netherlands on or after 1 January 2021. They do come under the WA if you have a right to live in the Netherlands under the WA. Read more about family reunification under the WA.

Most important residence purposes for third country nationals

On ind.nl/en, you can submit an application for any of the different residence purposes. The most important residence purposes are:
  • Residence with your partner: you would like to live with your partner as a family in the Netherlands.
  • Study: you would like to come to study in the Netherlands (university, or secondary or vocational education).
  • Work: you would like to work in the Netherlands. There are various options for paid work for an employer (employment). You can also set up your own business as a self-employed person or start-up. 
  • Dutch citizenship: Dutch nationals can of course live in the Netherlands. Perhaps you can quickly and easily become Dutch. This applies for example, if you were Dutch before. Another possibility is that your mother is Dutch (though your father is not) and you born before 1 January 1985.

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. If you like, you can apply for a residence document for permanent residence under the Withdrawal Agreement. Your current residence permit will then be exchanged for a new residence document. Find out more about exchanging your permit in our Q&As Brexit with a deal.
  • 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.

Dutch nationals returning after Brexit

You are Dutch and are currently living as an EU citizen in the UK. You would like to move back to the Netherlands with your partner after Brexit. Find out more on the page about Dutch nationals returning after Brexit.

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.