Eligibility quiz
Are you a citizen of an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland?
Benefits
Benefits for youBenefits for you
Live in the Netherlands
With a valid passport or national ID card, you can live in the Netherlands for up to three months.
Longer stays have conditions, but after five years of continuous lawful residence you gain permanent residence.
Study in the Netherlands
You can study in the Netherlands.
Work in the Netherlands
You can work for an employer or yourself without a work permit.
Workers have equal workplace treatment, including pay, safety, social security and relevant tax advantages.
Get help abroad
Outside the EU, if your country has no embassy or consulate, you can seek help from one belonging to another EU country.
Help can include an emergency travel document or help after an arrest, serious illness, crime, death, conflict or disaster.
Vote and be heard
You can vote and run in European Parliament elections and, when living in another EU country, in its local elections.
You can petition the European Parliament, complain to the European Ombudsman, and write to EU institutions in any official treaty language and get a reply in that language.
Use public healthcare
Standard health insurance in the Netherlands covers care such as GP visits, hospital treatment and prescriptions.
You can also get care across the EU, including necessary or planned treatment, under insurance, approval and repayment rules.
How to apply
From outside the NetherlandsFrom outside the Netherlands
Enter the Netherlands
Travel to the Netherlands with your valid passport or national identity card. You do not need a Dutch residence permit or visa for this route, and you generally do not need to register with the IND; the registration steps below are for when registration is required or you choose to register.
See travel requirementsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I travel to the Netherlands as an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen?”
Once in the NetherlandsOnce in the Netherlands
Download the application form
Download the IND’s Registration for EU-citizens form, number 6021.
Download the formFill in the form
Fill in and sign the form, choosing the option for having sufficient means of your own.
Get form instructionsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I fill in the Netherlands IND Registration for EU-citizens form for sufficient means of support?”
Gather your documents
Prepare the required documents for the IND.
See required documentsBook an appointment
If the form tells you that an appointment is needed, book one with the IND.
Book an appointmentSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I book a Netherlands IND appointment for Registration for EU-citizens?”
Submit your registration
Submit your signed form and clear A4 copies to the IND as the form instructs, and attend your appointment if one is required. Do not send original documents by post.
Get submission instructionsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I submit the Netherlands IND Registration for EU-citizens form 6021?”
Find your town hall
Find the town hall where you live if you will stay in the Netherlands for more than four months.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “Where do I register as a resident at the town hall in your city, Netherlands?”
Register your address
Register with the town hall where you live if you will stay for more than four months.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I register in the Netherlands population register at the town hall in your city?”
Arrange health insurance
Obtain Dutch health insurance if you are required to have it. Your valid passport or identity card remains your evidence that you can live in the Netherlands; you do not normally need to collect a residence card.
Find insurance instructionsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I obtain health insurance in the Netherlands as an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen?”
Documents needed
Required to applyRequired to apply
Proof of your money
Provide documents showing the money available to you or paid to you regularly, such as evidence of a pension, benefit, inheritance, maintenance, property, savings or income from work abroad. If someone else supports you, include evidence of their income, such as a wage slip or a recent shared-account statement, or other evidence that the money is available to you.
Application form
If you are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen registering with the IND, complete and sign Registration for EU-citizens, form 6021, and select the option for sufficient means of support. If you hold long-term EU resident status in another EU country, complete and sign form 7528 and select economically inactive, code 763.
Proof of health insurance *
Provide proof of your medical insurance covering the Netherlands. You can use your insurance card or medical insurance policy.
* Only if you are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen registering with the IND.
Copy of residence permit *
Make a copy of your long-term EU resident permit issued by the other EU country. Send a copy rather than the original.
* Only if you hold long-term EU resident status in another EU country.
Copy of your passport or ID *
Make a clear copy of the identity-details page of your valid passport or national identity card. Send a copy rather than the original.
* Only if you are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen registering with the IND.
Considerations
Things to think aboutThings to think about
Conditions for longer stays
After three months in the Netherlands, a student or person not working generally needs enough money and health insurance to stay.
Before permanent residence, claiming certain public benefits can put your right to stay at risk.
Rent, healthcare, childcare and child-related allowances alone do not end it.
Citizenship and residence loss
Your EU citizenship ends if you no longer hold citizenship of any EU country.
Your right to stay can end if you no longer meet its conditions or following a lawful removal decision, including on public-order, security or health grounds.
Permanent residence can be lost after a long absence.
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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