Relocate Staff to the Netherlands

Apply for a Recognised Sponsorship to employ Skilled Migrants

This article provides an overview of the necessary steps to apply for the HMS Sponsorship status, at the Dutch IND. Bolder Launch has years of experience in obtaining sponsorship status, and we can assist national and international companies.  

Please consider that you will need to provide at least get all the following documents:

Residency guide for non-EU employees entering the Netherlands

Are you interested in obtaining residency in the Netherlands? Bolder Launch can assist non-EU nationals to obtain residency in the Netherlands. Based on a preliminary check, we can guarantee (or explain the dependencies) if the residency will be granted.
The first step is to discuss with one of our immigration lawyers, who are happy to provide you with more information or do a free intake. Alternatively, our Service Pages provide a lot of information and brochures about getting residency in the Netherlands. In practically all residency programs (and this applies to all countries), there is a distinction between the criteria for either entrepreneurs or employees.

The 30% ruling in the Netherlands

The 30% ruling is a tax exemption for highly skilled migrants who are working or coming to work in the Netherlands. They have to be hired from abroad by a Dutch company.

The ruling makes it possible for employers to give their highly skilled migrants 30% of their salary tax-free. This means that payroll taxes are due over only 70% of their Dutch gross salary. This is only possible when certain conditions are met. The ruling is meant as compensation for the highly skilled migrants to compensate for costs that have incurred when they were relocated to the Netherlands.

Relocation of Staff within the international Group; The ICT permit

The easiest way to apply for residency in the Netherlands would be to apply as an employee in your own company, as key personnel that will be relocated (this is called the ICT permit). There are restrictions concerning owning shares (max 25% of the Group), which needs to be considered when structuring the company. You should have a proper background, and earn a reasonable salary for your ‘management/specialist’ position (which is expected to be 4600-6.000 EUR per month, based on the Employment Contract).

If you decide to apply for a residence permit via the ICT scheme then the following facts must be taken into consideration:

Relocation or employment of Highly Skilled Migrants

Highly Skilled Migrants can obtain a residency permit in The Netherlands quite easily if they meet the criteria. One of the most important criteria is to earn at least 4616 EUR gross salary per month. Another important criterion is that the employee will be working for a recognised Sponsor. Bolder Launch is a recognised sponsor, so we can employ highly skilled employees, also on behalf of our clients.

The main difference between the ICT program and the HSM program (which are both targeted at the same audience) is that the HSM Work Permit requires a sponsorship status for the employer. This status might be difficult to obtain for a starting company in the Netherlands because it has to show it is in good health financially.

European Blue Card for employees entering the EU market

The application process for obtaining a European Blue Card in the Netherlands is quite simple, but it can take several months. The process is not expensive; and to apply for the Blue Card, a sponsorship status is not required by the Employer (similar as to the ICT scheme).

If you decide to apply for an EU Blue Card, then the following facts must be taken into consideration:

Obtain residency as Entrepreneur

The entrepreneur's visa is the solution in case you like to relocate your company to the Netherlands, from a non-European location.

The Netherlands allows non-European entrepreneurs to relocate their company, or start a company in the Netherlands if the company is likely to be successful (over 100,000 ER turnover) and will create added value for the Netherlands (at least 2-3 jobs). Aside from that, it’s important that you are an experienced entrepreneur, or you have the right education to establish and operate the company. The preparation of a solid business plan is very important for this type of residency application.

We can provide immigration advice for entrepreneurs, and perform a pre-check to consider if an application for the entrepreneur's visa could have any potential for our customer.

Dutch Immigration law

Immigration law in the Netherlands can be important for both corporates, as for individuals; and our Immigration lawyers have great experience in both situations. 

When starting a business, you might consider getting a residence permit in your country of choice. Each European country has different procedures and requirements the applicant has to go through first in order to get a legitimate residence permit. Each country is different but getting a residence permit overall could be quite difficult if your country of residence is not in the European Union. In our Launch Guide and Service pages, you find some information will be given towards the different procedures in several countries.

Expat Services

Bolder Launch provides services to employers as expats. When we assist a company to employ, or relocate staff to the Netherlands, the employees typically also prefer to deal with us to discuss all the expat and relocation matters that they have to deal with.

In some cases you might even be a current expat in the Netherlands yourself, planning to finally start your own Dutch business. Also in these cases, our Launch Team is ready to assist!