{ "country": { "code": "NL", "name": "Netherlands" }, "route": { "id": "nl-hsm-30plus", "name": "Highly skilled migrant — 30 or older (kennismigrant)", "kind": "res-work", "summary": "The Dutch highly skilled migrant permit. No degree is needed — the salary is what qualifies you. A lower salary counts if, within the last three years, you graduated from a Dutch university or research institution, or from a foreign institution the Dutch immigration service designates.", "info_url": "https://ind.nl/en/residence-permits/work/highly-skilled-migrant", "scope": { "value": "some-conditions-stated-not-asked", "reason": "Every rule that decides this route is a question you answer; three conditions the authority states — pay that matches what the job normally pays, an employer on the recognised-sponsor register, and the healthcare register where it applies — are listed with the rules below and never asked, and the orientation year permit that also opens the lower salary is never asked about. The provisional residence permit this application needs is listed with the rules below too, and your passport decides both whether the Dutch immigration service exempts you from it and whether the recognised-sponsor condition applies to your employer at all.", "not_asked": [ "reduced-also-for-orientation-year-permit-holders", "salary-must-match-the-market-rate", "employer-must-be-a-recognised-sponsor", "big-register-for-healthcare-professions", "mvv-needed" ] }, "criteria": [ { "field": "citizenship", "op": "eq", "value": "third_country" }, { "field": "destination", "op": "in", "values": [ "nl", "all" ] }, { "field": "situation", "op": "eq", "value": "offer", "source": { "source_url": "https://ind.nl/en/residence-permits/work/highly-skilled-migrant", "quote": "You have an employment contract with an employer or research institution in the Netherlands. This employer is a sponsor recognised by the IND.", "retrieved_at": "2026-09-07" } }, { "op": "any", "label": "located in the Netherlands", "paths": [ { "label": "Netherlands chosen as destination", "criteria": [ { "field": "destination", "op": "eq", "value": "nl" } ] }, { "label": "offer in the Netherlands", "criteria": [ { "field": "situation_country", "op": "eq", "value": "nl" } ] } ] }, { "field": "age_band", "op": "in", "values": [ "a30to35", "a35to40", "o40" ], "short_reason": "an age of 30 or older" }, { "op": "any", "label": "the salary this route asks for", "short_reason": "at least €5,942/month — or €3,122/month with a degree from the last 3 years, from a Dutch institution or from one the Dutch immigration service designates", "paths": [ { "label": "the standard salary", "criteria": [ { "field": "salary_eur_month", "op": "gte", "threshold_label": "30 or older, 2026", "threshold": { "amount": 5942, "currency": "EUR", "source_url": "https://ind.nl/en/required-amounts-income-requirements", "quote": "Highly skilled migrants 30 years or older € 5,942.00", "retrieved_at": "2026-09-04", "legal_basis": "Dutch highly skilled migrant scheme — required amounts 2026 (change every 1 January)", "history": [] } } ] }, { "label": "the lower salary for a recent graduate", "criteria": [ { "op": "any", "label": "where you studied", "short_reason": "a degree from the last 3 years, from a Dutch institution or from one the Dutch immigration service designates", "paths": [ { "label": "a Dutch university or research institution", "criteria": [ { "field": "nl_recent_grad", "op": "eq", "value": "yes" } ] }, { "label": "a foreign institution the Dutch immigration service designates", "criteria": [ { "field": "top200_grad", "op": "eq", "value": "yes" } ] } ], "source": { "source_url": "https://ind.nl/en/required-amounts-income-requirements", "quote": "The highly skilled migrant has never had a residence permit for an orientation year for highly educated persons, but does meet the requirements for that residence purpose.", "retrieved_at": "2026-09-02" } }, { "field": "salary_eur_month", "op": "gte", "threshold_label": "lower amount for a recent graduate, 2026", "threshold": { "amount": 3122, "currency": "EUR", "source_url": "https://ind.nl/en/required-amounts-income-requirements", "quote": "Highly skilled migrants reduced salary criterion € 3,122.00", "retrieved_at": "2026-09-04", "legal_basis": "Dutch highly skilled migrant scheme — reduced required amount 2026 (change every 1 January)", "history": [] } } ] } ] } ], "statements": [ { "id": "reduced-also-for-orientation-year-permit-holders", "kind": "caveat", "text": "The lower salary also applies if you hold, or have held, a Dutch orientation year permit for highly educated people. We do not ask about permits you already hold, so the answer above does not count one.", "source": { "source_url": "https://ind.nl/en/required-amounts-income-requirements", "quote": "The reduced salary criterion applies in these 3 cases: The residence permit for a highly skilled migrant is applied for during the residence permit for an orientation year for highly educated persons. The highly skilled migrant no longer has a residence permit for an orientation year for highly educated persons, but did have this permit.", "retrieved_at": "2026-09-02", "legal_basis": "Dutch immigration service, required amounts — the reduced highly-skilled-migrant rows (read from the watched snapshot of 2026-09-02)", "history": [] } }, { "id": "salary-must-match-the-market-rate", "kind": "precondition", "text": "The salary must match what the job normally pays — the Dutch immigration service judges this", "source": { "source_url": "https://ind.nl/en/residence-permits/work/highly-skilled-migrant", "quote": "The agreed salary is in line with the market rate.", "retrieved_at": "2026-09-07" } }, { "id": "employer-must-be-a-recognised-sponsor", "kind": "precondition", "text": "Your employer must be a sponsor the Dutch immigration service (IND) recognises, listed in its public register of recognised sponsors", "source": { "source_url": "https://ind.nl/en/residence-permits/work/highly-skilled-migrant", "quote": "This employer is a sponsor recognised by the IND. A recognised sponsor is listed in the public register of recognised sponsors.", "retrieved_at": "2026-09-07" }, "except": { "citizenship": [ "TR" ], "text": "Your employer does not have to be a recognised sponsor — for employees with Turkish nationality the Dutch immigration service does not require one, and you can submit the application yourself.", "source": { "source_url": "https://ind.nl/en/turkish-citizens-and-living-in-the-netherlands", "quote": "Have you found work as a highly skilled migrant? Or work as a researcher under Directive (EU) 2016/801? Normally, only recognised sponsors can apply for these residence permits. For employees with Turkish nationality, a recognised sponsor is not required. You can also submit the application yourself.", "retrieved_at": "2026-09-10", "legal_basis": "Dutch immigration service, Turkish citizens and living in the Netherlands — Obligatory recognised sponsor not required", "history": [] } } }, { "id": "big-register-for-healthcare-professions", "kind": "precondition", "text": "If you will work in individual healthcare in a profession the Individual Healthcare Professions Act lists, you must be in the BIG register of healthcare professions", "source": { "source_url": "https://ind.nl/en/residence-permits/work/highly-skilled-migrant", "quote": "Are you going to work in individual healthcare? And do you practise a medical profession that is listed in Article 3 and Article 36a of the Individual Healthcare Professions Act (BIG Act)? If so, you must be registered in the BIG register.", "retrieved_at": "2026-09-07" } }, { "id": "a-contract-abroad-is-a-transfer", "kind": "caveat", "text": "Your employment contract is with the employer in the Netherlands. If your contract is with a company outside the EU and that company is transferring you to a branch here as a manager, specialist or trainee, the intra-corporate transferee permit is the one that applies to you, not this one.", "source": { "source_url": "https://ind.nl/en/residence-permits/work/highly-skilled-migrant", "quote": "Do you have an employment contract with a company located outside the EU? And are you going to be transferred as a manager, specialist or trainee? Then you are an intra corporate transferee and other requirements apply to you.", "retrieved_at": "2026-09-08" } }, { "id": "mvv-needed", "kind": "precondition", "text": "This application needs a provisional residence permit (MVV).", "source": { "source_url": "https://ind.nl/en/residence-permits/work/highly-skilled-migrant", "quote": "A valid provisional residence permit (MVV) is needed for this application", "retrieved_at": "2026-09-10" }, "except": { "citizenship": [ "AU", "CA", "JP", "MC", "NZ", "VA", "GB", "US", "KR", "CH" ], "text": "You do not need a provisional residence permit (MVV) — the Dutch immigration service names your passport among the nationalities that need none.", "source": { "source_url": "https://ind.nl/en/mvv-exemptions", "quote": "You do not need an MVV if you have the nationality of one of these countries. Australia Canada Japan Monaco New Zealand Vatican City United Kingdom United States South Korea Switzerland An EU/EEA Member State", "retrieved_at": "2026-09-10", "legal_basis": "Dutch immigration service, MVV exemptions — Your nationality is decisive", "history": [] } } } ] }, "page": "https://permitrulebook.com/netherlands/highly-skilled-migrant-30-or-older/", "dataset_version": "2026.09.18", "schema_version": "0.8.2", "licence": "CC BY 4.0", "source": "https://github.com/OytunOnal/permit-rulebook-data", "rules_read": "2026-09-17" }