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Intra-corporate transferee residence permit (Directive 2014/66/EU)

Last update: 8 January 2024

You want to apply for an intra-corporate transferee (ICT) residence permit to work in the Netherlands. Find out what the requirements are and how your employer applies for the permit.

What is an intra-corporate transferee residence permit?

An intra-corporate transferee residence permit is a work and residence permit for managers, specialists and trainees with a nationality from outside the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland. These are the situations in which your employer can apply for an intra-corporate transferee residence permit for you.

  • You work for a company established outside the EU and you will be transferred to a branch of this company in the Netherlands.
  • You work for a company within the EU and have an intra-corporate transferee residence permit from a different EU country. You will be transferred to a branch in the Netherlands for a period of more than 90 days. We call this long-term mobility (Mobile ICT).

Will you be transferred to branches in various EU countries? Then your employer needs to apply for the residence permit in the country where you will work the longest.

No residence permit for short-term mobility

An employee who comes for short-term mobility does not need a residence permit. Short-term mobility applies if you have an intra-corporate transferee residence permit from a different EU country, and you will work in the Netherlands for less than 90 out of 180 days.

Report short-term mobility to the Employee Insurance Agency (UWV)

In the case of short-term mobility, your employer must notify the Employee Insurance Agency (in Dutch: Uitvoeringsinstituut Werknemersverzekeringen or UWV) that you are coming to work temporarily in the Netherlands. Your employer arranges this by using the notification forms of the UWV.
 

Employer: sponsor or recognised sponsor

Your employer is your sponsor. The IND can also recognise your employer as a sponsor. A recognised sponsor can apply more quickly and easily for residence permits for employees and their family members. Recognition is not required for the intra-corporate transferee residence permit.

Requirements

These are the requirements for an intra-corporate transferee residence permit.

  • You meet the requirements that apply to everyone.
  • You live in a country outside the European Union (EU) at the time of the application. Or you live in a country within the EU with an intra-corporate transferee residence permit. You will be transferred to a branch in the Netherlands for a period of more than 90 days.
  • You are going to work in the Netherlands as a manager, specialist or trainee.
  • You will be transferred to a branch of the same company in the Netherlands.
  • You have already worked for at least 3 months for the company outside the EU.
  • You have a valid employment contract with the company outside the EU. You have an engagement letter from the employer. The employment contract or the engagement letter contains this information:
    • the duration of the transfer and the location of the branch in the Netherlands;
    • that you are going to work as a manager, specialist or trainee;
    • the salary and employment terms and conditions during the transfer; and
    • that at the end of the transfer you will be able to work in a branch outside the EU.
  • Do you have a protected profession such as a physician or architect? Then you must show that you are allowed to practise this profession in the Netherlands.
  • Are you going to work in the healthcare sector? Then you must be listed in the register of Individual Healthcare Professions, the BIG-register.
  • The employment conditions, employment relationships or working conditions comply with the law. And they are at least on the level that is customary in the business sector.
  • Your salary is on market terms. The salary is on market terms if it meets the salary criterion for highly skilled migrants.
  • The branch in the Netherlands was not established in order to make it easier to have transferred employees come to the EU. The branch in the Netherlands carries out economic activities.
  • You have not been transferred to the Netherlands before in the past 6 months. Or you have not yet reached the maximum duration of stay during a previous transfer. This also applies to transfers in other member states.
  • Your employer may not have been fined in the 5 years before the application. This means a fine for violation of Section 2 of the Foreign Nationals (Employment) Act (Wav). Or a fine for not paying or not paying enough income tax or contributions for employees’ or national insurance schemes.

Process and costs

These are the steps in the application process for the residence permit.

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Application forms

Recognised sponsors can apply online. The online application forms can be found in the Business Portal.

Written application forms

Make sure that you download the right form. Fill in the form and send it by post.
I am an employer and recognised sponsor:
I am an employer and non-recognised sponsor:
I am an employer and recognised sponsor:
I am an employer and non-recognised sponsor:

Written application forms

Make sure that you download the right form. Fill in the form and send it by post.
I am an employer and recognised sponsor:
I am an employer and non-recognised sponsor:
I am an employer and recognised sponsor:
I am an employer and non-recognised sponsor:
I am an employer and sponsor, my employee has EU long-term resident status:

The residence permit

Find out what else you need to know about the residence permit.

TB test

Did your employer indicate at the time of the application that you will take a TB (tuberculosis) test? Then make an appointment with the public health service (in Dutch: Gemeenschappelijke Gezondheidsdienst or GGD). Do this within 3 months after you have received your residence permit. Take with you to the appointment:

Appendix TB test referral form 7604(PDF, 230.36 KB)

Working with the residence permit

With this residence permit the employee may work at the branch of the company in the Netherlands. The back of the residence permit says: ‘Arbeid wegens overplaatsing binnen een onderneming en arbeid als zelfstandige toegestaan, andere arbeid toegestaan met TWV’ (Work as an intra-corporate transferee and on a self-employed basis permitted, other work permitted with a TWV). TWV is the abbreviation for tewerkstellingsvergunning (work permit).

Working on a self-employed basis

The intra-corporate transferee residence permit allows you to work on a self-employed basis in addition to your work for your employer. But you must continue to meet the requirements for the intra-corporate transferee residence permit.

Work permit needed for a different employer

Do you want to work for a different employer? Then this employer needs a TWV (work permit) for you. This employer must apply to the Employee Insurance Agency (in Dutch: Uitvoeringsinstituut Werknemersverzekeringen or UWV) for the TWV. Find out more about applying to the UWV for a TWV.

Legal obligations

As a recognised or non-recognised sponsor, your employer has an obligation to provide information and keep records. You only have an obligation to provide information.

Find out more about the legal obligations of the sponsor or recognised sponsor and the foreign national’s obligation to provide information. 

The IND checks whether you meet your obligations. If you do not, then you may get an administrative fine.

Validity of residence permit

The single permit (GVVA) for managers and specialists is valid for a maximum of 3 years. The single permit for trainees is valid for a maximum of 1 year. The maximum period of validity includes transfer between EU countries.

Other applications

Replacement of residence permit

Has the residence permit been damaged, lost or stolen? Visit the web page Residence permit damaged or change of personal details or Residence permit lost or stolen.

Extension of residence permit

Will the residence permit expire soon? Then you can extend the residence permit.

Intra-EU mobility to a different EU country

As an intra-corporate transferee you can also be transferred to a branch in a different EU country. This is called intra-EU mobility. There are two types of intra-EU mobility:

  • Short-term mobility for a transfer of a maximum of 90 out of 180 days.
  • Long-term mobility for a transfer of more than 90 out of 180 days. For this purpose your employer must apply for a separate residence permit in the other country.

For more information your employer can contact the immigration service in the country to which you will be transferred. Denmark and Ireland do not participate in this, so you cannot be transferred to these 2 countries under Directive 2014/66/EU.

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