Would you like to know which residence permit your employee needs? See an overview of residence permits for work as an employee.
A sponsor is a person or organisation that has an interest in a foreign national coming to stay in the Netherlands. The sponsor can submit an application for a residence permit from the Netherlands. When you employ a foreign national, you become this employee's sponsor. You can be a sponsor for several employees at the same time.
There is a difference between a sponsor and a recognised sponsor. Only organisations can become recognised sponsors, persons cannot. To become a recognised sponsor, your organisation must be a reliable partner for the IND. After recognition, your organisation will be registered in the Public Register for Recognised Sponsors.
Recognition as sponsor is divided into categories. As an employer, you can apply for recognition for the categories:
To hire highly skilled migrants and researchers, your company has to be recognised by the IND. There is an exception for highly skilled migrants and researchers with Turkish nationality.
As a recognised sponsor, you can of course also submit applications for the residence purposes for which recognition is not mandatory. Then you also follow the application procedure that applies to recognised sponsors.
Watch the animation video 'How do I apply for recognition as a sponsor?' for an explanation in 5 steps. Or read the transcript.
Recognition as a sponsor not mandatory
Recognition is not required to employ employees from abroad for the purpose of:
You can have yourself recognized voluntarily, if you wish. Then the same rights and obligations apply to you as for mandatory recognition. Do you want to be a sponsor, but not a recognised sponsor? In that case, a number of obligations still apply. Read more under Rights and obligations of a (recognized) sponsor.
Recognition as a sponsor has a number of advantages:
You can use the online Business Portal to submit digital applications and notify changes. Read more about the IND's Business Portal.
Would you like to apply for recognition as a sponsor for Labour? Then you will be subject to the general conditions that apply to all recognised sponsors. Would you like to apply for recognition for Research? In addition to the general conditions, you must meet one of the following additional conditions:
As a sponsor, you have a number of rights:
As a sponsor, you also have a number of obligations:
For more information about these obligations, please visit the web page Legal obligations (recognised) sponsor labour-related purposes. Or the web page Legal obligations recognised sponsor researcher (Directive (EU) 2016/801).
As a recognised sponsor, you have a responsible role. You review all residence applications for the employee and submit the application. The IND has little to no contact with your individual employees. Everything runs through you or your authorised sponsor if you have appointed one. You are also responsible for organisations (e.g. relocation agencies) that you have authorised to submit applications for you.
After the residence permit has been issued, the IND will check whether:
If you do not meet your legal obligations, this can have consequences. Read more about enforcement by the IND and possible sanctions.
Watch the animation video 'How does the IND check the recognised sponsor?' for a short explanation. Or read the transcript.
This application costs € 4125.
- Your company has already been recognised as a sponsor and has 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.
The application form explains which documents you need for your application.
You have to have official foreign documents legalised and translated into Dutch, English, French or German.
As a recognised sponsor, you can easily and quickly submit applications online in the Business Portal. Read more about the IND's Business Portal.