Eligibility quiz
Is one of your grandparents a Dutch citizen?
Benefits
Benefits for youBenefits for you
Live in the Netherlands
You can live in the Netherlands with the family member whose European citizenship gives you this right, as long as the conditions are met.
Your card is normally valid for 5 years, but you can prove your right to live here without it.
Study in the Netherlands
You can study in the Netherlands, under the usual rules for residents and educational institutions.
Before permanent residence, a study grant or loan is not guaranteed; special exceptions apply to workers, self-employed people and their families.
Work in the Netherlands
You can work for an employer or work for yourself in the Netherlands, without a separate work permit.
Travel with family
Your card helps prove your family relationship and residence right when you travel with or join the family member whose citizenship gives you this right.
It can help you get a visa where one is needed, but you still need a valid passport or other travel document.
Gain permanent residence
After 5 years of continuous lawful residence with your qualifying family member, you gain permanent residence.
Absences of up to 6 months a year normally count, as can one absence of up to 12 months for an important reason.
The permanent card lasts 10 years, or 5 years if you are under 18, and can be renewed.
Access financial support
You can receive equal treatment with Dutch citizens for support within the scope of these rights.
Social assistance may be unavailable for the first 3 months or a longer job-seeking period.
Healthcare, housing, childcare and child-budget benefits depend on your income and the conditions for each benefit.
How to apply
Applying from inside NetherlandsApplying from inside Netherlands
Download the application form
Download the application form for residence with an EU family member, form B10002E.
Download the formFill in the form
Fill in and sign the form. If you are a child, ask your parent or guardian to help you.
Get help with formSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I fill in the Netherlands verification against EU law application form for a family member?”
Gather your documents
Prepare the required documents for your residence application.
See required documentsMail your application package
Mail your completed form and document copies to the Dutch immigration service, the IND, using the address on the form. You can authorise your qualifying family member to submit it for you, and online submission is also possible where the IND offers it.
Get the mailing addressPay the application fee
Wait for the IND's payment letter, then pay the fee using the instructions in it.
Find payment informationSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I pay the fee for a Netherlands verification against EU law application for a family member?”
Get your residence sticker
If the IND tells you to get a residence sticker, follow its letter to book an appointment and get the sticker. The sticker and your passport show that you can stay while you wait and whether you can work.
Book your sticker appointmentSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I book a Netherlands residence endorsement sticker appointment after applying for verification against EU law for a family member?”
Book your biometrics appointment
After you receive the IND's letter, book an appointment to give your photo, fingerprints and signature.
Book your appointmentSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I book a Netherlands biometrics appointment for a verification against EU law application for a family member?”
Go to your appointment
Bring the required identity document to the IND desk or listed service point. The staff will take your photo, fingerprints and signature.
Find appointment informationSearches DuckDuckGo for “What do I bring to a Netherlands biometrics appointment for a verification against EU law application for a family member?”
Wait for the decision
Wait for the IND's decision and respond if it asks you for more information or documents. You can follow your application in My IND.
Follow your applicationSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I follow my Netherlands verification against EU law application for a family member in My IND?”
Collect your residence document
If your application is approved, collect your residence document at the IND location named in your letter. You can then use it to show your right to live in the Netherlands as an EU citizen's family member.
Find collection informationSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I collect my Netherlands residence document after verification against EU law for a family member?”
Documents needed
Family certificates and recordsFamily certificates and records
Birth certificates
Get your birth certificate and your parent’s birth certificate to show how you are related to your Dutch grandparent. If you were adopted or the relationship was legally acknowledged, include the relevant adoption or acknowledgement documents, or a family-court decision.
Grandparent's identity document
Provide a colour copy of your Dutch grandparent’s passport or identity card to show their identity and nationality. Include the identity page and any relevant pages with travel stamps.
Previous residence documents *
Provide the EU-law residence documents showing that you and your Dutch grandparent lived together outside the Netherlands for at least three months before your grandparent returned to the Netherlands.
* Only if you apply for visa facilitation.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationGrandparent's residence evidence *
Provide documents showing that your Dutch grandparent has a qualifying right to live in the Netherlands under EU rules. Your grandparent must have lived with you outside the Netherlands under those rules before returning; Dutch ancestry alone is not enough.
* Only if you apply for the residence card in the Netherlands.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationConsiderations
Things to think aboutThings to think about
Residence and card renewal
Before permanent residence, you must keep qualifying through the family member whose citizenship gives you this right.
They generally must work, be self-employed, or have enough money and full health insurance; some people keep worker status after stopping work.
Renew your card before it expires.
Residence can be lost
Before permanent residence, your right can end if you no longer qualify, live mainly elsewhere or apply for social assistance; fraud can also cause loss.
Expulsion is possible for public order, safety or health reasons; permanent residents have stronger protection.
Permanent residence can end after more than 2 years in a row outside the Netherlands.
Discuss
Online communitiesOnline communities
Netherlands Visas & Immigration 🇳🇱
English Facebook group for people living in the Netherlands interested in Dutch visas
Request to joinLiving in the Netherlands | Expats & Locals
English Facebook group for people living in the Netherlands interested in Dutch visas
Join on FacebookInburgering A1 (Basisexamen Inburgering)
Facebook group for people living in the Netherlands interested in Dutch visas (Dutch & English)
Join on FacebookConsultation
Talk to a professionalTalk to a professional
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