Bringing your partner and children on a highly skilled migrant permit

Yes, your partner and children under 18 can join you on a highly skilled migrant permit, and your employer can file their applications together with yours. In 2026 the fee is €254 for a partner and €85 per child. Your partner may work in the Netherlands without a work permit, and does not need to pass the civic integration exam abroad.

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

who can come

• A spouse or registered partner. You show a legalised marriage or partnership certificate, unless the marriage is already registered in the Dutch BRP.
• An unmarried partner in a lasting and exclusive relationship. You both sign a declaration of relationship, fill in the IND partner questionnaire with evidence such as photos, messages and travel tickets, and provide legalised proof that each of you is unmarried.
• Your children under 18. You need a legalised birth certificate. If the other parent with custody stays behind, you also need their signed consent, legalised proof of custody and a copy of their ID.

Age rule: both partners must be 21 or older. If you were already married while you both still lived outside the Netherlands, 18 or older is enough. The IND does not make an exception to the age rule for highly skilled migrants.

what is easier for the family of a highly skilled migrant

step by step

1. Start legalising documents first. Marriage and birth certificates must be legalised or apostilled in the country that issued them, and translated into Dutch, English, French or German if they are in another language. This is usually the slowest part. See the country guides for India, Nigeria and Pakistan.
2. Ask your employer to file all applications together if you are moving at the same time. The IND asks recognised sponsors to submit them simultaneously, using form 7514 or the Business Portal. You remain your family's sponsor and carry the sponsor's duties.
3. Pay the fees: €254 for a partner, €85 for each child (2026). Who pays is between you and your employer.
4. Wait for the decision. The legal decision period for a family permit is 90 days. The two-week target is the IND's aim for applications from recognised sponsors; do not count on it for family members, and plan for longer.
5. Collect the MVVs and travel. Each family member who needs an MVV collects it at the Dutch embassy or consulate, then travels within its 90-day validity.
6. Register everyone at your municipality within 5 days of arrival, so each person gets a BSN, and take out health insurance for each family member within 4 months.

pitfalls

• Unmarried and under 21. The partner cannot come on a family permit until you are both 21.
• Documents that do not match. Names and dates must be the same on the passport, birth certificate and marriage certificate. Get errors corrected where the document was issued, before you legalise it.
• Telling the IND about changes. An unmarried couple must report the end of the relationship within 4 weeks. Family permits depend on your residence, so a job loss affects them too; see changing jobs.