NL
Netherlands · Verblijfsvergunning zelfstandig ondernemer · Freelancer visa · apply embassy, in country · processing up to 90 days
The Netherlands has no digital nomad visa. This is the residence permit for work as a self-employed person, including a self-employed artist. It is a permit to run a business in the Netherlands, not a permit to work remotely for a foreign employer. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens do not need it. The Netherlands Enterprise Agency scores the standard route. Essential Dutch interest is met with at least 30 points on each of personal experience, the business plan and added value, or with at least 45 points on personal experience and 45 on the business plan when added value scores below 30. Turkish nationals are not scored on that system. A self-employed artist is assessed on advice from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. A degree is evidence in the points test, not a condition. From 1 July 2026 through 31 December 2026 the IND required amount for this permit is €1,766.77 gross profit a month, including holiday allowance. The annual figure shown is twelve times that monthly amount (€21,201.24). The IND publishes no separate annual norm, and the amount changes on 1 January and 1 July. For a first self-employed permit the 18-month income history does not apply; a partner or child application looks at expected income in the business plan. Profit is operating income minus costs. US and Japanese treaty applicants are not held to this profit figure: the IND asks for capital of at least €4,500 in a sole proprietorship, general partnership, limited partnership or private limited company, or at least €11,250 in a public limited company. The first permit is valid for at most two years. Each extension is for at most five years. There is no statutory cap on the total stay. The startup permit under the same heading is a different one-year permit and is not covered here. The IND fee for a first application, a change of purpose and an extension on or after 1 January 2026 is €423, about $473 at the ECB euro reference rate of 1.1186 on 8 October 2026. Turkish nationals pay €85. Citizens of San Marino and Israel pay nothing. A partner's own residence application is €254, about $284, and a child under 18 is €85. From 1 July through 31 December 2026 a partner application uses €2,337.00 a month without holiday allowance, or €2,523.96 with it. There is no per-person supplement and no numeric cap on children. Most nationalities apply for the MVV and the residence permit together at a Dutch embassy or consulate. Nationals of Australia, Canada, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vatican City, and people who already hold a Dutch residence permit, can apply in the Netherlands without an MVV. The statutory decision period is 90 days. It can be extended by up to six months when the IND needs advice or an investigation by a third party, which includes the Enterprise Agency. Residents are taxed on worldwide income. Box 1 for 2026, below state-pension age, is 35.75% up to €38,883, 37.56% up to €78,426 and 49.50% above that. The 30% expat scheme is an employer facility and is not part of this permit. Someone who lives or works in the Netherlands must take out Dutch basic health insurance, with cover from arrival and the policy arranged within four months. The in-country form requires a signed antecedents certificate. The 2026 forms do not ask for a lease. Permanent residence and naturalisation both use five years of lawful residence. Work as a self-employed person is a non-temporary purpose of stay.
Netherlands also offers these long-term residency programs
Last verified Oct 9, 2026 Last changed Oct 10, 2026 Source
proof of employment and proof of accommodation are no longer listed as required. The 2026 forms require a business plan and scoring evidence, and an antecedents certificate, not an employment contract or a lease (https://ind.nl/en/forms/9531.pdf).
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