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.
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:
As a result of Brexit your right of residence in the Netherlands has changed. You are no longer an EU citizen. You will need a residence document to continue to live, work or study here after the transition period. This transition period ended on 31 December 2020. During the transition period you only needed a valid passport to continue living, working or studying in the Netherlands.
From 1 January 2021 you need to be able to prove that you are entitled to live in the Netherlands under the Withdrawal Agreement. The easiest way to do this is with a residence document. You can also use other documents until you have your residence document. The Withdrawal Agreement provides that you can apply for a residence document up to and including 30 June 2021. After this date you must have a residence document. You may not need a residence document if Brexit does not affect your right of residence.
The Dutch government would like to provide a decent solution for all British nationals who wish to continue living in the Netherlands after the transition period. What if you have not yet submitted an application for a residence document? Then the IND advises you to submit your online application for residency as soon as possible. You can do this on 30 June 2021 at the latest. 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.
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 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.
(Click on image to see larger version)
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.
An application for a residence document costs the same as the application for permanent residence as an EU citizen: € 64 for adults and € 33 for children under 18.
Some UK nationals living in the Netherlands had a permanent EU residence document (duurzaam verblijf). As a result of Brexit, they can no longer use this residence document. This is because UK nationals are no longer EU citizens. The IND therefore asked them to exchange their residence document for a new residence document. By the end of 2020, all UK nationals living in the Netherlands who had a permanent EU residence document had been offered a new residence document.
The infographic below shows the status of applications for residence documents from UK nationals after Brexit. Every month we will publish the latest stats. In the period February 2020 up to and including February 2021, the IND:
(Click on image to view larger version)
Furthermore, in 2020 the IND also exchanged more than 5,500 old EU residence documents from British nationals in the Netherlands for a new residence document.
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.
Call our Brexit line if you have any questions (Mon-Fri 09:00-17:00)
More information
Immigration and Naturalisation Service
Main Brexit web pageQ & As Brexit with a dealBrexit newsletter
Employee Insurance Agency (UWV)
UWV Brexit website (Dutch only)
Dutch government
Europe
United Kingdom