Netherlands dependent visa
The Netherlands has no stand-alone "dependent visa." Family reunification runs through a single combined procedure the IND (Immigration and Naturalisation Service) calls entry and residence (TEV): your family member in the Netherlands acts as your sponsor and applies, and the file covers both the MVV (machtiging tot voorlopig verblijf) — a national long-stay entry visa issued as a Type-D sticker in your passport — and the residence permit (verblijfsvergunning) that lets you actually live there. Indian nationals are not MVV-exempt, so the MVV is compulsory. There is no separate fast track for family: your right to come is tied to the sponsor's own status and to the strength of the documented relationship, and the IND assesses the sponsor's situation as closely as it assesses yours.
The sponsor must hold Dutch nationality or a valid Dutch residence permit, live at a registered municipal address, and — for a partner — show independent, sustainable and sufficient income. Each family member needs their own permit and their own file: a spouse and each child are separate applications, even when filed together. The application is lodged with the IND in the Netherlands (online or by post, usually by the sponsor, or by the employer for a knowledge migrant). Only after the IND approves it do you, as the Indian applicant, book an appointment at a Netherlands mission in India to collect the MVV sticker and give your biometrics — fingerprints and signature — before you travel.
Who this visa is for
- ✓Spouses, registered partners and unmarried partners in a genuine, exclusive and durable relationship qualify; both the sponsor and the partner must generally be at least 21 (18 is accepted only if you were already married abroad before the move).
- ✓Minor children under 18 can join a parent who is lawfully resident; you must be able to prove the family tie and, where relevant, legal custody or the other parent's consent to the child leaving India.
- ✓The sponsor must hold Dutch nationality or a valid Dutch residence permit and live at the same registered municipal address as the family member being brought over; some temporary-purpose permits (au pair, working holiday, seasonal work) do not allow sponsorship.
- ✓For a partner, the sponsor must show independent, sustainable and sufficient income: the IND publishes a required monthly amount — set at the level of the full statutory minimum wage — which the government revises on 1 January and 1 July each year, and the IND weighs whether the income is stable and long-term, not just its size on paper.
- ✓Partners normally pass the basic civic integration exam abroad (basisexamen inburgering) before the MVV is issued, unless an exemption applies; children are exempt.
- ✓India is not on the tuberculosis (TB) exemption list, so the TB requirement applies: you sign a declaration of intent at the application stage and take the test in the Netherlands within three months of arrival.
Visa options for Netherlands
Residence permit with a partner
For a spouse, registered partner or an unmarried partner in a lasting relationship joining a sponsor who is Dutch or holds a Dutch residence permit. The income requirement applies and both partners must normally be 21 or older.
Residence permit for a minor child with a parent
For a child under 18 coming to live with a resident parent. You must document the parent-child relationship and, where the child has another parent, legal custody or that parent's consent to the child leaving India.
Family member of a highly skilled (knowledge) migrant
Where the sponsor works in the Netherlands as a knowledge migrant, the recognised-sponsor employer usually files for the family too. These files often move faster, and the family member gets free access to the Dutch labour market.
Family member of a student or other permit holder
Partners and children of someone on a study or other residence permit can join, but the family permit is tied to — and never lasts longer than — the sponsor's own permit, so it must be renewed alongside it.
Documents typically required
- ✓Passport valid well beyond the intended stay, with blank pages for the MVV sticker
- ✓Completed IND application form for the relevant family purpose, plus the signed antecedents certificate (declaration of good conduct) for applicants aged 12 and over
- ✓Recent passport photographs meeting the Dutch photo specifications
- ✓Marriage or registered-partnership certificate, or — for unmarried partners — evidence of a genuine and durable relationship
- ✓Birth certificates for any children and, where applicable, proof of legal custody or the other parent's consent to relocation
- ✓Indian civil-status documents legalised with an apostille and translated into Dutch, English, French or German by a sworn translator
- ✓Proof of the sponsor's income (employment contract, recent payslips, employer's declaration) or, for a knowledge migrant, the recognised-sponsor employer's documents
- ✓Copy of the sponsor's residence permit or proof of Dutch nationality, plus the signed sponsor's declaration
- ✓Signed declaration of intent to undergo a TB test in the Netherlands (the test itself is taken there within three months of arrival)
- ✓Proof that the partner has passed the basic civic integration exam abroad, unless exempt
Your exact checklist depends on your profile — we confirm it during your case analysis. Every visa decision rests with the embassy or consulate.
The file is lodged with the IND in the Netherlands — usually by your sponsor, or by the employer if your sponsor is a knowledge migrant — either online with a DigiD or by post; you do not submit it at a visa centre. The India step comes only after the IND approves the application. At that point you book an appointment online at the relevant Dutch mission (via the NetherlandsWorldwide site) to collect the MVV sticker and give your biometrics (fingerprints and signature) in person. For the long-stay MVV this is handled directly by the Dutch missions, not by the Schengen visa centre: the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in New Delhi and the Consulates-General in Mumbai and Bengaluru. Your MVV is valid for 90 days to travel; after arrival you register with your municipality (BRP) and collect your residence permit from the IND, and you complete the TB test in the Netherlands within three months.
Frequently asked questions
Do you guarantee the visa?
No. The decision rests solely with the relevant immigration authority, and no one can honestly guarantee a visa. What we can promise is a frank reading of your case and the strongest, best-documented application we can build around it. Over the last 2-3 years, the applications we have handled have carried a 97% success rate.
Can I work in the Netherlands on a dependent permit?
In most cases, yes. Family members of Dutch nationals, permanent residents and knowledge migrants generally have free access to the labour market and need no separate work permit — the residence card carries a labour-market note confirming what you are allowed to do. Because the exact right depends on the sponsor's category, always check the note printed on your own permit before you start work.
Is there an income requirement for my sponsor?
Yes. For a partner, the sponsor must show independent, sustainable and sufficient income — the IND publishes a required monthly amount, set at the level of the full statutory minimum wage, which the Dutch government adjusts on 1 January and 1 July each year. The IND assesses whether the income is stable and long-term, not just its size on paper. In a limited set of situations the requirement can be reduced or waived.
How long does the process take?
The IND works to a legal decision period of up to 90 days, which it can formally extend if it needs more information. Applications filed by a recognised sponsor, such as a knowledge migrant's employer, are frequently decided well within that window. Only after approval do you attend a Netherlands mission in India for the MVV sticker and biometrics, so build in extra time for that appointment and for travel.