Moving from India to the Netherlands for work

To move from India to the Netherlands for work, you need a job offer from an IND recognised sponsor that pays at least €5,942 a month (or €4,357 under 30) in 2026. Your employer applies for the permit, you have your birth certificate apostilled by the Ministry of External Affairs, and you collect the MVV in New Delhi, Bengaluru or Mumbai. Within 5 days of landing you register with your municipality and receive your BSN.

Rules and figures as of October 2026. Check your own situation with the IND or a qualified adviser before you act on it.

the route: a highly skilled migrant permit

For a skilled job, the usual route from India is the highly skilled migrant (kennismigrant) permit. Two things decide whether it works: the employer must be on the IND register of recognised sponsors, and the salary must meet the 2026 threshold of €5,942 gross a month at 30 or older, €4,357 under 30, or €3,122 if you qualify for the reduced criterion (for example a Dutch degree in the last 3 years). Holiday allowance does not count. The employer applies for you; the IND fee is €423. The full process is in the highly skilled migrant guide.

documents from india

India and the Netherlands both apply the Apostille Convention, so Indian documents need an apostille from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), not embassy legalisation. Documents in English do not need translating. Documents in Hindi, or in any language other than Dutch, English, French or German, must be translated by a sworn translator, and the translation is apostilled too if it is made in India.

To register at your Dutch address you need your legalised birth certificate (with a translation if required), and for a partner or children, legalised marriage and birth certificates. Ask your municipality in advance which other documents it wants. Once legalised, birth and marriage certificates stay valid; how old they are does not matter.

timeline, step by step

where you collect the mvv

You book an appointment online at the Dutch embassy in New Delhi or the consulate-general in Bengaluru (Bangalore) or Mumbai. You may use a different post from the one named in the IND letter without asking permission. You have 3 months from the IND's decision to apply for the visa sticker, and getting your passport back can take up to 10 working days. Your passport needs at least 2 empty pages.

Your passport must be valid for at least another 6 months on the day of the appointment and have at least 2 empty pages. You give fingerprints, a photo and a signature at the appointment.

money: the 30% ruling

If you are recruited while living in India, you meet the 30% ruling's distance rule (more than 150 km from the Dutch border for more than 16 of the 24 months before you start). With a taxable salary above €48,013 in 2026 (€36,497 if you are under 30 with a qualifying master's), your employer can pay up to 30% of your salary tax-free. You and the employer apply to the Tax Administration within 4 months of your start date. Details in the 30% ruling guide.

pitfalls that cost people weeks

• Starting documents after the offer. You need the legalised birth certificate in your first week in the Netherlands, so start early.
• Applying to employers that cannot sponsor. For this permit only registered sponsors can apply. Check a company before you spend time on it; every employer on JobThing is already on the register.
• Paying for a job. The employer files the application, and the IND fee is paid when it is submitted. Be wary of anyone who asks you for money to get you a job or a visa: Dutch law generally forbids charging job seekers a fee for placement, and you can report fraud to the IND.
• Missing the TB test. Nationals of India are not on the IND's exemption list, so the test is required.
• Driving on your Indian licence too long. You may drive on it for the first 185 days after you move. It cannot normally be exchanged for a Dutch licence, except if the 30% ruling applies to you: then the RDW lets highly skilled migrants exchange a licence from any country.
• Paying visa fees into a bank account. Netherlands Worldwide warns that the embassy in India never asks anyone to deposit application or visa fees into a bank account.