Work visa
EU Blue Card Netherlands
The EU Blue Card is the European work permit for higher educated professionals, and the Dutch version has become genuinely attractive. It gives you the right to live and work in the Netherlands, and it builds mobility rights across the EU that a national permit does not.
Our reputation was built in the embassy world, and Blue Card files reward exactly that kind of precision: a correctly evaluated degree, a compliant contract and a clean submission. We make sure yours is all three.
What is the EU Blue Card?
The EU Blue Card is a European residence and work permit for university-educated professionals. Where the Dutch highly skilled migrant permit only asks about salary and a recognised sponsor, the Blue Card also asks for a completed higher education programme, and in return it gives you rights that reach beyond the Netherlands.
That is the real difference. A Blue Card builds towards mobility inside the European Union and towards EU long-term resident status, which the national permit does not. It is the better choice when the Netherlands is a chapter rather than the whole book.
Is this your route?
- Professionals with a university degree and a Dutch job offer
- Specialists who may move between EU countries during their career
- Employees whose employer is not an IND recognized sponsor
- Experienced IT professionals who may qualify on work experience
Blue Card conditions
The Blue Card is decided on three things: your qualification, your contract and your salary. This is where the lines sit.
- A completed higher education programme of at least three years, or for ICT roles at least three years of relevant experience gained in the last seven.
- Gross monthly salary from 5,942 euro, or 4,754 euro under the reduced criterion for recent graduates and shortage professions (2026, excluding holiday allowance).
- An employment contract or binding job offer running for at least six months.
- Foreign diplomas must be evaluated by IDW or Nuffic. Dutch qualifications need no evaluation.
- Your employer does not need to be a recognised sponsor, which is the practical advantage over the highly skilled migrant permit.
- Thresholds are indexed on 1 January and applied as at the filing date, not the contract date.
How we handle it
Route comparison
We compare the Blue Card against the highly skilled migrant permit for your specific case, because for some profiles one is clearly better than the other.
Degree evaluation
Foreign diplomas usually need recognition in the Netherlands. We guide the credential evaluation so your qualification is accepted without back and forth.
Salary and contract review
Your contract must meet the current IND salary threshold and duration requirements. We review it before submission, not after a rejection.
Application handling
We prepare and manage the full IND application with your employer and monitor it until the decision lands.
Your route, step by step
- 01
Assessment
We check your degree, offer and salary against the current Blue Card conditions.
- 02
Recognition and file
Diploma evaluation is set in motion while we build the application file in parallel.
- 03
Submission and arrival
After approval we plan your entry, registration and first appointments in the right order.
Professional fees for an EU Blue Card application
Investment from €1,295
- Qualification and salary tested against the Blue Card criteria before you commit
- Diploma evaluation arranged where the IND requires one
- Application prepared and filed, including the employer side of the file
- Monitoring until the decision, including any request for further evidence
Investment figures represent our professional service fees only and are intended as a guideline. Government fees (including IND filing fees), VAT, legalisation and apostille costs, sworn translations, consular charges and any third-party expenses are not included unless explicitly stated in the proposal.
The Blue Card in practice
How does EU mobility actually work?
After twelve months of legal residence as a Blue Card holder you can move to another member state under a shortened procedure, and years spent in different member states count together towards EU long-term resident status. A Dutch highly skilled migrant permit gives you none of this.
Blue Card or highly skilled migrant?
If your employer is a recognised sponsor and you intend to build your career in the Netherlands, the highly skilled migrant permit is usually faster and simpler. If your employer is not recognised, or your career is likely to move across Europe, the Blue Card is the stronger instrument. You get the comparison in writing before you commit.
Can I qualify on experience instead of a degree?
Only in ICT. Managers and specialists in information and communication technology can qualify on at least three years of relevant experience obtained in the seven years before the application. Every other profession needs the diploma.
How long does diploma evaluation take?
IDW usually returns an evaluation in about four weeks, longer where an institution is slow to confirm authenticity. We start it in parallel with the rest of the file so it never becomes the bottleneck.
What does the Blue Card build towards?
Once you have five years of legal residence in the EU with at least two of them in the Netherlands, you can apply for EU long-term resident status here. That accumulation across borders is unique to this permit.
Practical questions
What salary do I need for the EU Blue Card?
The threshold is set by the IND and adjusted each year, with a lower level for recent graduates. We check your offer against the current figures during intake rather than publishing numbers that expire.
Blue Card or highly skilled migrant, which is better?
It depends. The highly skilled migrant route is often faster if your employer is a recognized sponsor. The Blue Card wins on EU mobility and does not require sponsorship. We advise per case, honestly.
Can I bring my family?
Yes. Your partner and children can apply with you, and your partner may work in the Netherlands without a separate work permit.
Does the 30 percent ruling count towards the salary threshold?
No. The IND tests your gross salary before the ruling is applied. A contract that only reaches the threshold once the ruling is counted will be refused, and this is one of the most common reasons a Blue Card file fails.
Building a European career?
Send us your degree and offer details. We will tell you whether the Blue Card is your strongest route to the Netherlands.
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