The IND may send you a letter for various reasons.

• The IND is asking for further information about documents or your situation.
• The IND has rejected your application for a residence permit.
• You are having problems extending your residence permit.
• The IND intends to withdraw your residence permit, for example because you have committed a crime or have not been in the Netherlands for a long time.
• The IND wants to impose an expulsion order or an entry ban on you.

It is a good idea for you to contact an attorney as quickly as possible. Your attorney may need to start legal action for you. It is important that you do this in good time.

If you have received a letter from the IND and you want to know what we can do about it, e-mail or call our attorneys for a telephone consultation without obligation.

There can sometimes be problems with your residence permit, such as if you no longer meet the conditions for residence, have committed a crime or have been outside the Netherlands for too long. The Immigration & Naturalisation Service (Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst, or ‘IND’) may then send you a notice of the intention to withdraw your residence permit. It is important that you contact an attorney quickly, because this can have major consequences for your residence status in the Netherlands.

We regularly assist clients in proceedings against the IND about the withdrawal of their residence permit. If you need an attorney because your residence permit is being withdrawn, e-mail or call our attorneys for a telephone consultation without obligation.

Whether and when you qualify for a Dutch passport is often a complicated issue. For example, you can obtain Dutch citizenship through naturalisation if you have lawfully lived in the Netherlands for a number of years.

If you would like to find out whether you can apply for Dutch citizenship, e-mail or call our attorneys for a telephone consultation without obligation.

The attorneys at Prakken d’Oliveira are known for their extensive track record in the area of asylum law. We assist clients in all phases of the process. We can also assist with a repeat application if you qualify for this.

Over the years the attorneys at Prakken d’Oliveira have built up expertise in so-called ‘1F cases’ involving applicants who are suspected of international crimes as well as in cases relating to family reunification for asylum seekers (‘subsequent travel’).

If you would like to find out whether you qualify for asylum or need support with your asylum or subsequent travel process, e-mail or call our attorneys for a telephone consultation without obligation.

Special rules apply to Turkish-, Japanese- and US-citizens under the treaties that the Netherlands or the European Union has concluded with these countries.

If you are Turkish, Japanese or American and want to live and work in the Netherlands e-mail or call our attorneys for a telephone consultation without obligation to explore your options.

The rules for citizens of other European Union countries are less strict. You do not need to apply for a residence permit and you may work here just like Dutch citizens. You do not require a work permit for this. You do have to comply with the following requirements:

• You must register in the municipality where you are going to live.
• You must take out health insurance.
• You must be able to support yourself financially. That means that you cannot call upon public resources and cannot apply for (social security) benefits. There are exceptions to this.

After five years of lawful residence in the Netherlands, you qualify for ‘permanent residence’. That means that you will have almost the same rights as Dutch citizens.
If you would like to find out whether you can live in the Netherlands as an EU-citizen, e-mail or call our attorneys for a telephone consultation without obligation.

You can visit the Netherlands for a period of up to 90 days. This might be for a family visit, work or a holiday. Someone in the Netherlands must then act as your guarantor. It is also important that you show that you have sufficient reason to return to your own country.

If you live and legally reside in another country in the European Union, you can remain in the Netherlands for a period of 90 days without a visa. You therefore do not need to apply for a visa.

Visas for short (family) visits are regularly refused. It may therefore be advisable to obtain legal advice before submitting your visa application. We can help you to maximise your chances when applying. We are also happy to help you with an appeal against the rejection of a visa application.

There is no visa requirement for some situations and countries. If you are a citizen of one of these countries you do not need to apply for and obtain a visa in your country.

If you would like to know whether you can obtain a visa or start an appeal, e-mail or call our attorneys for a telephone consultation without obligation.

Many people who have a residence permit in the Netherlands would like to bring their family members over. We call this ‘family reunification’. You can apply for family reunification if – for example – you work in the Netherlands or if you have fled to the Netherlands and have been granted an asylum permit here.

Not all your family members qualify for family reunification. It depends on your residence permit and your relationship to the family member. Hence spouses, partners and minor children can come to the Netherlands more easily than adult children and parents.

If you would like to find out whether your family member can come to the Netherlands, e-mail or call our attorneys for a telephone consultation without obligation.

You can obtain a residence permit in the Netherlands for a ‘search year’ straight after graduating. This residence permit allows you to spend a year in the Netherlands working or looking for work. This can also be done if you have completed a doctorate or carried out scientific research, or have graduated in a country other than the Netherlands.

During the search year you can look for work. For example, you can seek a job as a knowledge migrant, start your own business or establish a start-up. You do not need to have a work permit during the search year.

Specific conditions apply in order to be able to work as a knowledge migrant. Your employer must be approved as a sponsor by the Immigration & Naturalisation Service (Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst, or ‘IND’). You can check here whether the employer to whom you are applying is an approved sponsor. Your employer must also pay you a market rate salary. The level of the salary that the employer must pay depends on your age and your situation.

If you would like to find out whether you qualify for a residence permit for a search year, e-mail or call our attorneys for a telephone consultation without obligation.

The university or school where you want to study can apply for a residence permit for you after you have been admitted. This educational institution must be approved as a sponsor. The Openbaar Register Onderwijs (Public Education Register) maintained by the Immigration & Naturalisation Service (Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst, or ‘IND’) shows whether an institution is approved.

Ask the university or school where you want to study whether they can apply for a residence permit for you.

If you would like to find out what the requirements are for studying in the Netherlands, e-mail or call our attorneys for a telephone consultation without obligation.

The Dutch authorities are generally keen to issue residence permits to people who want to establish a ‘start-up’ in the Netherlands. This residence permit gives you a year to start your business in the Netherlands. In order to qualify for this, you must meet the following conditions:

• Your product or service must be innovative in nature
• You must produce a step plan explaining how you plan to turn your idea into a business
• You have an approved facilitator who has experience of supporting start-ups

You must have sufficient funds to live and work during the period in which you are setting up your own business in the Netherlands. You may not perform any other work in order to earn income alongside your work for the start-up. Nor will you receive any money from the Dutch state. However, someone else (a person or business) may fund your stay in the Netherlands. The funding must then be available for the entire period of your stay.

If you would like to find out how to establish a start-up in the Netherlands, e-mail or call our attorneys for a telephone consultation without obligation.

You can start your own business in the Netherlands and work as a self-employed trader. In order to obtain a residence permit for this, your business must meet the following conditions:

• Your work must be of fundamental importance to the Dutch economy
• You must earn sufficient income from your business. This means that you must earn at least 70% of the statutory minimum wage

Whether your business is of fundamental importance to the Dutch economy will be determined by the Immigration & Naturalisation Service (Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst, or ‘IND’) on the basis of a points system. The IND will examine three aspects: your personal experience, your business plan and the added value that your business offers the Netherlands.

Different conditions apply to Turkish, Japanese and American citizens.

Different conditions apply if you want to establish a ‘start-up’. You can read these conditions here.

If you would like to find out whether you can start your own business in the Netherlands, e-mail or call our attorneys for a telephone consultation without obligation.

You sometimes need a work permit in order to be able to work in the Netherlands. Your employer must apply for this permit for you. These rules only apply if you come from outside the European Union.

If you want to work in the Netherlands for more than 90 days, your employer must also apply for a residence permit. Your employer will then apply for a combined residence and work permit. In principle you must meet the following conditions:

• The employer must first try to find a suitable candidate in the Netherlands
• The employer must notify your vacancy to the UWV (Employees Insurance Agency)

Only if your employer is unable to find a suitable candidate in this way will you qualify for a residence and work permit. Different rules or exceptions apply to some employees, such as interns and employees with a specific role.

You do not need a work permit for other residence purposes, such as family or asylum. You may then work in the Netherlands on the basis of your residence permit alone.

If you would like to find out whether you are allowed to live and work in the Netherlands, e-mail or call our attorneys for a telephone consultation without obligation.