Residence Permit

Residence Permit and Identification

Citizens from EU/EEA member states, do not need a residence permit in order to be allowed to work in the Netherlands. Once you have been in the Netherlands for more than 3 months, you should register with the IND. For more information consult the IND website www.ind.nl. On this website, you will find a residence wizard through which you can find out about the rules for residency in the Netherlands for yourself and any family members.

Even if not directly needed, a residence permit can come in handy: sometimes employers ask for it before they enter into a contract with you, banks also ask for it when you open a bank account and other official institutions ask for this document as well. You can apply for a residence permit at the IND office nearest to where you are residing. As of 1 January 2005, everyone aged 14 or older must be able to submit valid identification documents to prove his or her identity. If you are a national of one of the EU member states or of the European Economic Area, you can identify yourself with a passport or an EU/EEA aliens document.