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If you come from outside the EU, you need a residence permit to live in the Netherlands: an official card that says you may stay. For most expats, that permit is linked to something: a job, a partner or a study. If you lose that job, partner or study, your permit is in danger. After 5 years, you can change that. A permanent residence permit lets you stay for good, without depending on an employer or anyone else. Many people who could get one never apply. Often they think the Dutch exam is harder than it is, or they don't know which of their years count. This guide explains, from the start, the two kinds of permanent permit, the rules that trip people up, and how to apply.
The idea in simple words
Your current permit is like a ticket that says: "you may stay because of this job (or this partner)". If the reason goes away, the ticket can be taken away.
A permanent permit is a ticket that says: "you may stay, full stop". You can change jobs, lose your job, or start your own business, and you can still stay.
To get it, you need 5 years in a row here, a simple Dutch exam, and enough income.
The most important facts
- Who: people from outside the EU with 5 years without a break on a Dutch residence permit, whose current permit is for a long-term reason, such as work as a A residence permit for skilled workers hired by a Dutch employer approved by the IND. In Dutch: kennismigrant., an An EU-wide residence and work permit for highly qualified workers., or living with a partner.
- Two permits: the EU long-term resident permit, and the Dutch national permanent permit. The Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst: the Dutch immigration office. It decides on residence permits. checks the EU permit first, automatically.
- Years as a student: count fully for the national permit, but only half for the EU permit.
- Dutch exam: the civic integration exam at level A2 is a basic level of a language: you can understand and use simple everyday sentences. Levels go from A1 (beginner) to C2 (very advanced). (basic Dutch), unless you don't have to take it.
- Income: enough, and steady. At least €1,635.90 a month for a single person (July to December 2026).
- Fee: €254 in 2026. The IND decides within 6 months.
Why it's worth applying
- Your job no longer decides whether you can stay. With a highly skilled migrant permit, losing your job starts a search period of only 3 or 6 months to find a new one. With a permanent permit, there's no search period. See losing your job as a highly skilled migrant.
- Work freely. You can work for any employer, at any salary, or for yourself, without a work permit or an approved sponsor.
- No more new applications with every job change. The permit has no end date. Only the card must be renewed every 5 years, like a passport.
- Your family is safer too. A partner or child living with you on a permit linked to yours then lives with someone who can stay for good.
Your 30% ruling (a tax benefit for some expats) doesn't change: it depends on your job, not on your type of residence permit.
Two permits: national, or EU long-term resident
There are two permanent permits, and one application covers both. The IND first checks if you can get the EU long-term resident permit. If not, it checks the national permit. Only if you ask for the EU permit alone does the IND skip the second check. Then, if you don't qualify, your application is simply refused.
| EU long-term resident | National permanent permit | |
|---|---|---|
| Dutch name | EU-langdurig ingezetene | Verblijfsvergunning regulier onbepaalde tijd |
| Years as a student | Count for half | Count fully |
| Other short-term permits (orientation year, moving within your company from abroad) | Don't count | Check your case with the IND |
| Time abroad allowed | Trips shorter than 6 months in a row, and no more than 10 months in total during the 5 years | The Netherlands must stay your main home |
| No income rule after 10 years | No | Yes |
| Moving to another EU country | Easier to get a permit there | No advantage |
| When you can lose it | After 12 months in a row outside the EU | When you move your main home abroad |
The EU permit is usually the better one, mainly because it helps if you later move to another EU country. But the national permit is the backup for people whose student years or time abroad don't fit the EU rules.
Which years count towards the 5 years
You need at least 5 years in a row on a valid Dutch residence permit, right before you apply, with the Netherlands as your main home. And the permit you have now must be for a long-term reason (the IND calls this "non-temporary"):
| Long-term reason (can lead to permanent residence) | Short-term reason (can't, on its own) |
|---|---|
| Highly skilled migrant | Study |
| EU Blue Card | Orientation year (zoekjaar) |
| Self-employed, including DAFT | Moving within your company from abroad (intra-corporate transfer) |
| Researcher (under EU Directive 2016/801) | Work experience, seasonal work, exchange |
| Living with a partner or family member who is Dutch or has a long-term permit | Living with a family member who has a short-term permit |
Example: the international student
Ana studied for 4 years in Delft. She has now worked as a highly skilled migrant for 1 year, with no gap between the two permits. For the national permit, her student years count fully: 4 + 1 = 5 years, so she can get it. For the EU permit, they count for half: 2 + 1 = 3 years, so she's short. The IND will refuse the EU permit and give her the national one, if she meets the other rules. In 2 more years, she can apply again for the EU permit.
The gaps that make you start again from zero
- A gap between permits (verblijfsgat). If your application to extend your permit reached the IND even one day after your old permit ended, your 5 years start again. Always apply before the end date.
- Long stays abroad. As a rule, the IND thinks you have moved your main home if you were abroad for more than 6 months in a row, or for 4 months or more in each of 3 years in a row. A long period of working from abroad, or a long stay with your parents, can cost you years.
- Not being registered. You must be registered at your address in the population register (Basisregistratie Personen: the Dutch population register at your municipality.) the whole time.
EU Blue Card holders have more freedom. For the EU permit, they may be away for up to 12 months in a row, and 18 months in total. And years with a Blue Card in other EU countries can count.
The civic integration exam
You must pass the civic integration exam (inburgeringsexamen) at level A2, which is basic Dutch. Most expats with a work permit never had to do this, so they take it by choice, through The Dutch government office for education payments and exams, including the civic integration exam.. It has 5 parts:
- Reading, listening, writing and speaking Dutch, at A2 level.
- Knowledge of Dutch Society (Kennis van de Nederlandse Maatschappij, KNM): healthcare, work, housing, history and Dutch habits and values.
Each part costs about €50, so around €250 in total. You book and pay for each part separately with Your personal login for Dutch government websites., and you can take a part again if you fail it. Many people who have lived here a few years pass after a few months of evening classes or studying by themselves.
You may not have to take it. You don't need the exam if, for example, you have the Dutch state exam (Staatsexamen NT2) at level B1 or higher, a Dutch diploma from a programme taught in Dutch, or if you have reached the state pension age (AOW age). The application form lists every exception. A degree taught in English doesn't count.
Plans to make it harder
The government has suggested two changes for becoming a Dutch citizen: a higher Dutch level (B1), and waiting 10 years instead of 5. In October 2026, neither had become law, and there was no fixed date. If you can apply now, it's safer to do it sooner rather than later.
The income rule
Your income must be enough and steady. For July to December 2026, enough means at least:
| Household | Per month before tax, without holiday allowance | With holiday allowance |
|---|---|---|
| Single person, or single parent | €1,635.90 | €1,766.77 |
| With a partner | €2,337.00 | €2,523.96 |
Steady means:
- Your work contract runs for at least another 12 months when you apply. A contract with no end date counts, even during a trial period.
- Or, with 6 to 12 months left, you had enough income in the past 12 months.
- Or, with less than 6 months left, or with flexible work, you had enough income over the past 3 years.
Unemployment money (Werkloosheidswet: money from the UWV for a while after you lose your job.) and sickness money count as income. Social assistance (bijstand, money from the government for people with no other income) doesn't. If you've had a residence permit for 10 years or more in a row, the income rule doesn't apply for the national permit. It still applies for the EU permit.
Tip: if your contract is ending, or you are about to change jobs, apply while you still have 12 months left on your current contract.
How to apply
- Check your 5 years: collect the dates of all your permits, and look for gaps and long stays abroad.
- Pass the civic integration exam, or check that you don't have to.
- Collect proof of income: your work contract, a letter from your employer, and recent payslips.
- Apply online with DigiD on the IND website, or by post with form 6009. You can apply from 3 months before your current permit ends, or at any time if you have had a permit for more than 5 years.
- Pay the €254 fee. If the IND says no, you don't get it back.
- Wait up to 6 months. You can stay in the Netherlands while the IND decides.
- Pick up your new card at an IND office. You need an appointment.
Permanent residence, or becoming Dutch?
After 5 years, you can usually also apply to become a Dutch citizen (naturalisatie), with the same A2 exam. It gives you a Dutch passport and EU citizenship. It costs €1,139 in 2026, and you usually have to give up your current nationality. There are exceptions, for example if you are married to a Dutch citizen. For many expats, giving up their passport is what decides it. Permanent residence lets you keep your passport and still gives you most of the security.
Your permanent residence checklist
- Count your years on a residence permit, and check that your current permit is for a long-term reason.
- Check for gaps between permits, and stays abroad of more than 6 months.
- Book the 5 parts of the A2 civic integration exam, or check if you don't have to take it.
- Make sure your work contract runs for at least another 12 months when you apply.
- Apply online with DigiD and pay the €254 fee.
Official sources and useful links
- IND: permanent residence permit
- IND: residence permit for long-term EU residents
- IND: application form 6009, with the rules and exceptions (Dutch, PDF)
- IND: short-term and long-term reasons for a permit
- IND: the income rules
- IND: required amounts
- IND: exceptions to the 5-year rule, including the EU Blue Card
- DUO Inburgeren: the civic integration exam (Dutch)
- Rijksoverheid: plan to make the wait for citizenship 10 years (Dutch)
This is general information based on the rules in October 2026. The income amounts change on 1 January and 1 July, and the fees on 1 January. Your history of permits can be complicated. If you've had gaps, long times abroad, or several kinds of permit, ask an immigration lawyer to check your case before you apply.
