I have a contract that is not valid for 12 months anymore. Can I use it to fulfil the standard amount?
If you have a contract that is no longer valid for 12 months then in some cases your contract can be added in.
I work as a temporary worker. Can I use it to fulfil the standard amount?
Can I count my probation period at work in a contract for 12 months?
This is possible, the probation period gets counted in. The employment contract (including probation time) must be valid for 12 months at the time the IND receives the application.
Does my student grant count as income?
Student grants are not counted as income. Student grants are subsidies from the Dutch government. They are not independent sources of income.
Can another person be the sponsor of my family member?
This is not possible when you apply for a residence permit to stay with a family member. You (the sponsor) must yourself have a sufficient independent and long-term income in order to support your family member.
Is your family member coming to the Netherlands with a visa for short stay, then another person may be the sponsor of your family member.
I have a residence permit for a stay with a family member or relative. May I or my family member apply for Social Assistance Benefits (bijstand)?
An application for Social Assistance Benefits or other benefits from public funds may have consequences for your right of residence. The IND has to decide whether receiving a general resource has consequences for your right of residence.
I became unemployed, what now?
You must have enough money to support your family member or relative. Unemployment does not have consequences for your residence permit as long as your income is still sufficient and comes from an independent source. For example, Unemployment Benefits (WW-uitkering) count, but Social Assistance Benefits (Wwb-uitkering/bijstand) do not.
Do I need to have my own house?
No, that's not necessary. You and your family member must live together at the same address. Both of you must be registered at this is the address in the municipal Personal Records Database (BRP). There are no requirements concerning the type of housing.
Am I allowed to bring a second spouse to the Netherlands?
No, that is not allowed. In the Netherlands you are only allowed to be married to one person. That also means that only 1 spouse with his/her children is allowed to live with you in the Netherlands.
I live outside the Netherlands with my partner. We want to come to the Netherlands together to live. Is this possible?
This is possible. You have to satisfy all the conditions that apply to stay with family member or relative. You do not have to have lived for 1 year in the Netherlands before you can bring your partner over to the Netherlands. Because both of you live outside the country, you may travel together to the Netherlands as soon as the Regular Provisional Residence Permit has been issued.
Can I bring my child older than 18 years to the Netherlands?
In general it is not possible to bring a child who has reached the age of majority to the Netherlands. Only in exceptional situations can a child at the age of majority receive a residence permit. For further information, contact the IND.
I want to get divorced. Do my spouse and children have to leave the country?
If you get divorced and no longer live together with your spouse and children they no longer fulfil the conditions for a residence permit for family member or relative. They have to leave the Netherlands. Or they have to apply for a different residence permit.
In some cases your partner can apply for a residence permit. For example, if your partner has had a residence permit for 5 years or more and has received the civic integration diploma.
Children can receive an independent residence permit if they have had a residence permit for 1 year or more before they reached the age of 18. If the children continue to live with you then their residence permit remains valid.
Your partner and children may, by the way, also apply for the independent residence permit when you are not getting divorced.
I have a residence permit to stay with my parents. When can I get an independent residence permit?
You can apply for an independent residence permit for continued residence after you have lived in the Netherlands for 1 year continuously as a child younger than 18 years with a residence permit to stay with a parent. If you have fulfilled the conditions of this residence permit for 1 year continuously, then the residence permit for continued residence may be issued.
When do documents have to be legalised and/or translated?
When applying for residency at the IND, you sometimes have to submit documents that have been issued by the authorities of a country outside the Netherlands. In some cases, these documents have to be legalised and/or translated first before you can use them in the Netherlands. For more information, check Legalisation and translation of official documents.