Application procedure

Your Dutch employer or host institution will probably handle most of the paperwork in the form of an “advisory procedure”. This precedes the formal application for the provisional residence permit. You must submit this formal application yourself in person at a Dutch embassy or consulate.

Advisory procedure
The “advisory procedure” is a shortened procedure. This involves your Dutch employer or host institution asking the Dutch immigration authorities (IND) to advise the Dutch embassy or consulate about your planned application for a provisional residence permit. Your employer will send all the necessary paperwork to IND. IND will then assess if you meet all criteria.

If IND concludes that you are not eligible for a provisional residence permit, your employer will be notified.

If IND concludes that you are eligible for a provisional residence permit, it will notify both the employer and the Dutch mission accordingly. From that moment on, you may hand in your formal application to the Dutch embassy or consulate. Since IND has already assessed your case, this is a mere formality. The embassy or consulate will confirm your identity based on your passport, and you will need to complete a form.

An advisory procedure usually takes between 2 and 9 weeks. This depends on the purpose of stay for which the employer applies and whether a work permit is needed.

Applying for the provisional residence permit
You must apply for a provisional residence permit in person at a Dutch embassy or consulate. It is not possible to authorize somebody else to apply on your behalf. You may visit the nearest Dutch mission in your home country. It is also possible to apply at a Dutch embassy or consulate in another country, as long as you have lawful residence in that particular country. Lawful residence means that you have a residence permit for that country, that will be valid for at least another 3 months. If you hold a tourist visa, you do not qualify as a lawful resident.

The embassy or consulate might ask you to show a legalised birth certificate.

Find out where the nearest Dutch embassy or consulate is located on the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.