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Recognition as a sponsor

You are an employer and you wish to hire foreign employees. In some cases you first have to be a (obligatory) recognised sponsor to do this. What are the conditions for recognition? And how does the application procedure work?

​This page only gives you information on recognition as sponsor for employment and researcher (Directive (EU) 2016/801). You can find the conditions for work-related residence permits on the pages of these purposes of stay (in the text on this page your can find links to a few of these purposes; the other purposes can be found through the page Work). However, you can find here the notification forms for work.

A sponsor is a person or organisation having an interest in the residence of a third-country national in the Netherlands. When you engage a foreign employee, you are the sponsor for this employee. You can be a sponsor for several employees at the same time.

Advantages of recognition

As an employer, you can have your company be recognised as a sponsor by the IND. Recognition as a sponsor has a number of advantages:

  • The IND handles your applications faster: a decision is usually taken on a completely submitted application within 2 weeks.
  • Fewer pieces of evidence: you need to send fewer pieces of evidence with the application. Your own attestation that the employee meets the conditions is usually sufficient.
  • You can use a special e-mail address in case of questions.
  • You can use the Business Portal to submit digital applications.

Recognition as a sponsor obligatory

To hire highly skilled migrants and researchers, your company has to be recognised by the IND. In order to be recognised as a sponsor, your company must be a reliable partner for the IND. After your organisation has been recognised, it will be entered in the Public Register for Recognised Sponsors. 

Recognition is related to a business entity (with corresponding Chamber of Commerce number - KvK-nummer). Does your company exist of more branche (business entities with their own KvK-number)? All company branches have to be recognised separately.

As a recognised sponsor you can off course also apply for work-related purposes for which recognition is not obligatory through the procedure as a recognised sponsor.

Recognition as a sponsor not obligatory

Recognition is not required for hiring foreign employees in relation to Intra Corporate Transferee (Directive 2014/66/EU), work in paid employment, European Blue Card, work experience and seasonal work. Recognition is also not required for hiring highly skilled migrants and researchers with the Turkish nationality. A non-recognised sponsor has to report changes under the obligation to provide information. You can use the 'Notification form for labour-related residence purposes (sponsor)' listed below.

Conditions

To be recognised as a sponsor your organisation needs to meet certain conditions. There are certain conditions that apply to all recognised sponsors. For recognition as sponsor for researchers within the meaning of Directive (EU) 2016/801 one of the following additional conditions apply:

  • Your institution is a public research institution as referred to in Article 1d, first paragraph, under b, of the Implementation Decree of the Foreign Nationals Employment Act and uses job profiles under the job family 'research and education' for researchers in employment.
  • Your institution is a public research institution and has been included in the Annex to the Higher Education and Research Act.
  • Your institution is a private research institution that has been included in the National Academic Research and Collaboration System (Narcis).
  • Your institution is a private research institution that has been issued with an R&D (Research and Development) statement under the Salaries Tax and National Insurance Contributions (Reduced Remittances) Act.

There are no additional conditions for recognition as sponsor for employment.

Costs

This application costs € 3927.

  • Are you submitting an application for recognition as a sponsor for labour? Is your company a start-up or a small business with a maximum of 50 employees and can you prove this? Then the application for recognition as a sponsor costs € 1963.
  • Your application for recognition as a sponsor also costs € 1963 if:
    - Your company has already been recognised as a sponsor and is merging with another recognised sponsor; or

    - Your company has already been recognised as a sponsor and have been taken over fully by another recognised sponsor; or
    - Your company has already been recognised as a sponsor and your company's legal form is changing. (The nature of your company's activities has not expanded and control of the new company remains the same. This must be evident from the deeds or articles of association.)

Checklist documents

The application form lists the documents that you need for your application.

You have to have official foreign documents legalised and translated into Dutch, English, French or German.

 

Steps in the application process

1. Submit application and payment

You ask for recognition by using the application form. This form is at the bottom of this page. You send this application form and the documents required to the IND. After the application has been received, the IND sends a letter stating how the fees are to be paid.

Reduced fee

​If you are a start-up or enterprise with a maximum of 50 employees, that wants to bring employees to the Netherlands for labour a reduced fee applies. Is the enterprise part of a group of enterprises with more than 50 employees, the reduced fee rate does not apply.

When the legal form of your enterprise has changed the reduced fee also applies. Your enterprise was recognised as a sponsor before that change and a notarial deed shows that:

  • the nature of the business activities has not expanded; and
  • the control of the new enterprise or legal entity remains the same. 

More information can be found in the application form.

2. Receipt and check application

​After your application has been received, the IND sends a confirmation letter. The confirmation letter states the date the IND has received your application. It also states the period within which the IND makes a decision.

Please make an appointment online to provide your biometric information after you have received a confirmation letter.

The IND will then check to see if your application is complete. Are documents missing or not correct? In that case, the IND will send a letter: a request to rectify the omission. This letter lists what you still need to sent. Send the requested documents before the mentioned date to the IND.

3. Decision

The IND checks whether your organization meets all conditions for recognition. The IND tries to take a decision within a period of 4 weeks after receiving the fee. The 4-week period does not apply if the application has not been submitted in full or if additional research is required. This is the case, for example, when an advice is requested from the RVO (Netherlands Enterprise Agency). In these situations the statutory decision period of 3 months applies.

  • Negative decision

    If your organisation does not meet all the conditions, the IND will reject the application for recognition. You can register an objection against this decision.

  • Positive decision

    If your organisation meets all the conditions, your organisation will be a recognised sponsor. You will be informed of this.

4. Entry in the public register

​​Your organisation is entered in the Public Register of Recognised Sponsors. Foreign employees can check here to see if the company they wish to work for is recognised.

Application forms and costs
Application form for 'Recognition as Sponsor'7501

​Use this form if you want to apply for recognition for your organisation.

Checklist documents

The application form lists the documents that you need for your application.

Costs application

This application costs € 3927.

  • Is your company a start up or a small business with no more than 50 persons? The application for recognition as sponsor costs € 1963.
  • The application recognition as sponsor due to change in business entity costs € 1963.

Download  

Notification form for labour-related residence purposes (recognised sponsor)7593

Use this form to inform the IND of changes in the situation of the employee.

In the portal recognised sponsors you can inform the IND online that you are no longer the sponsor of the employee. You need to log in with e-Herkenning. You do not have e-Herkenning yet? You can apply for e-Herkenning in the portal.​

Report termination sponsorship  Download  

Notification form for scientific research within the meaning of Directive 2005/71/EC7595

Use this form to inform the IND of changes in the situation of the scientific researcher.

In the portal recognised sponsors you can inform the IND online that you are no longer the sponsor of the scientific researcher. You need to log in with e-Herkenning. You do not have e-Herkenning yet? You can apply for e-Herkenning in the portal.​

Report termination sponsorship  Download  

Notification form for labour-related residence purposes (sponsor)7594

Use this form to inform the IND of changes in the situation of the employee.

In the portal recognised sponsors you can inform the IND online that you are no longer the sponsor of the employee. You need to log in with e-Herkenning. You do not have e-Herkenning yet? You can apply for e-Herkenning in the portal.​

Download  

Notification form for changes concerning the recognised sponsor 7588

​Use this form for notifications concerning changes in the situation of the recognised sponsor.

The changes can be of a general nature, but also specific changes in relation to the purpose of stay for which you are a recognised sponsor.

Download  

After the recognition

Recognition only serves the purpose for which the recognition was given

You are recognised sponsor for the purpose of stay 'employment' or 'research within the meaning of Directive (EU) 2016/801'. This recognition only applies to this purpose of stay. Employment includes the following purposes of stay: 

  • Work in paid employment;
  • Seasonal work;
  • Work experience:
  • Highly skilled migrant (including researchers according to the Highly Skilled Migrants Scheme);
  • European Blue Card holders;
  • Intra Corporate Transferees (ICT, Directive 2014/66/EU).

Submit applications for foreign employees and researchers

After your recognition has been approved, you can submit applications for your foreign employees and scientific researchers. Your organisation declares in the application form that your employee meets the conditions. You do not have to send the documents given by your employee to show this, to the IND.

You can find the conditions, procedure and the application forms on the page of the target group in question.

Do you wish to hire highly skilled migrants or are highly skilled migrants working for your organisation? And would you like to learn more about the applications for highly skilled migrants? Team Business organises information meetings and workshops for companies both with little or no experience with applications for highly skilled migrants as for companies that have already gained experience with applications for highly skilled migrants.

Having applications submitted by an authorised representative

You can authorise an organisation or institution to submit the applications on your behalf. You send a one-time authorisation to the IND. This authorisation states who you authorise to submit the applications on your behalf. You sign the authorisation.

The authorised representative enters the name of your organisation and his own data on the application form when submitting the application. The application form has a separate field for this.

Change in business entity

​When the business entity of your institution or company changes, you will again need to apply for recognition as sponsor for the new business entity. This application for recognition costs € 1963.

Rights and obligations

Rights

As a recognised sponsor you have a number of rights: 

  • The aim of the IND is to decide on your applications within 2 weeks. This is only possible if you complete the application in full. Are documents missing? The IND cannot then meet the term of 2 weeks.
  • You can send less documentary evidence to the IND. An own statement is often enough. This states that the employer meets all the conditions set out for entry and stay in the Netherlands.
  • You can direct any questions you have to a special email address.

Obligations

As recognised sponsor you have a responsible task. You assess and submit all the application forms for the employees. The IND hardly has any contact with your individual employees. Everything runs through you.

The migration policy is based on trust in you as recognised sponsor. The IND checks afterwards if:

  • the employee (still) meets the conditions;
  • you continue to meet the conditions for recognition; and
  • if you fulfil your obligations as sponsor.

You are also responsible for organisations (for example relocation agencies) that you have authorised to submit applications on your behalf.

Apart from your rights, you must, as recognised sponsor, meet a number of statutory obligations.

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