Frequently asked questions

​The V-number is your number as a foreign national (vreemdeling). You receive such a number as soon as you initiate the application for a residence permit. You'll find the number as a reference in letters from the IND and on the back of your residence document.

The IND does not provide information on the status of your application as long as a decision has not been made. In most situations, a (statutory) decision period applies. The IND can make use of the entire decision period to process your application.

Follow your application in My IND.

Do you not have DigiD? And has the decision period ended? Please, call the IND.

Have you applied for asylum and are you waiting for a decision? Find out more information about the processing of asylum applications on Asylum: latest developments.

If you would like information on your application (requirements, requested documentation, decision period, letters sent by the IND), we advise you to check our website first.

If you have any additional questions, you can call us at 0880 - 430 430 (normal charges apply, Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm).

Have you received a letter from the employee who is processing your application and do you have specific questions concerning this application? Then, you can contact the employee who is processing your application directly. For instance, if you cannot provide us in time with requested documentation.

You will find the direct phone number of the employee concerned in those letters (under ‘Contactpersoon’).
 

If you have sent an application to the IND, a notification of receipt will be sent to your home address.  You can follow your application in My IND. Does the application have the status 'received'? Then the IND has received your application.

An application that is submitted online usually is visible after a few minutes. Can't see your application after a few minutes? Then something is wrong. Please, don't call immediately. One of our employees will check your application. After a maximum of 5 days your application will be visible in My IND. A written application is registered in about 10 days. 

No. It is not possible to pay the fees in installments. Your application is only processed when you have paid the total fee of your application.

If you have a residence permit for another EU country, you are not automatically allowed to live and work in the Netherlands.

With a residence permit from another EU country, you can enter the Netherlands without a visa and stay for up to 90 days. Do you want to stay in the Netherlands for more than 90 days? Then you must apply for a Dutch residence permit and sometimes also an entry visa (mvv).

Do you also want to work in the Netherlands? Then you may also need a work permit (TWV). A work permit must be applied for by your employer.

Yes, this is possible. You can transfer the fees from your foreign bank account to the account of the IND.

​The purpose of the mvv is that the IND can check whether you meet all conditions before you come to the Netherlands. Therefore, it is not desirable for you to be in the Netherlands during the procedure. The IND strongly advises against it.

Do you have an urgent reason to be in the Netherlands during the mvv application? Report this reason to the IND before you come to the Netherlands.

Are you coming to the Netherlands during the procedure? Then this is your own responsibility. You also always need to collect the mvv at the Dutch embassy in your country of origin or in the country of continuous residence.

​A country of continuous residence is a country (other than the country of origin) where you have legal stay for more than 3 months. This means you have a valid residence permit for that country. Or that you are waiting for your application for a residence permit to be approved. Are you in a country in your visa free period? Or with a visa for short stay (maximum of 3 months)? This is not continuous residence.

You can request a payment reference from the IND. Call +31 (0)88 - 043 0430 (normal rate).

No, that is not possible. The fee is paid for reviewing the application. 

No. A Dutch residence permit allows you to enter and exit the Netherlands and travel through the Schengen Area. However, a Dutch residence permit does not give you the right to work in other countries. If you want to work in another (Schengen member) state, you will have to apply for a 
residence permit and/or a work permit in that country.