Dutch residence for Brits: the highly skilled migrant scheme, the self-employed permit and Withdrawal Agreement rights

If you're a Brit moving to Amsterdam for a career, the highly skilled migrant permit is almost certainly your route; going it alone as self-employed is possible but much harder.

The short version

• The highly skilled migrant (HSM, or kennismigrant) permit needs an employer that's an IND recognised sponsor and a 2026 salary of at least EUR 5,942 a month gross (about £4,950) at 30 or over, or EUR 4,357 (about £3,630) under 30 [2][3].
• The EU Blue Card has the same EUR 5,942 threshold in 2026 but a lower one for recent graduates, and it travels better around the EU [2].
• The self-employed permit depends on the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) scoring your business as being of "essential interest" to the Dutch economy [5].
• First-time permit fees are EUR 423 (about £350) for HSM, Blue Card and self-employed in 2026 [4].
• Brits resident before 1 January 2021 keep their rights under the Withdrawal Agreement, proved with an Article 50 TEU residence document [1].

Pound conversions use the Bank of England spot rate of 5 November 2026 (£1 = EUR 1.2002).

The highly skilled migrant scheme

Think of the HSM permit as the Dutch answer to the UK's Skilled Worker visa, minus most of the pain. There's no labour market test and no list of eligible occupations. What matters is the employer, the salary and the contract.

The employer must be a recognised sponsor

Only a company or institution on the IND's public register of recognised sponsors can bring you in as a highly skilled migrant, and only the employer can apply, online through the IND Business Portal or on form 7511 [3]. Recognition costs the employer EUR 5,080, or EUR 2,539 for a business with up to 50 staff [4], which is why bigger Amsterdam employers are almost all on the list and very small start-ups often aren't. Check the register before you resign from your UK job.

The salary thresholds for 2026

Source: IND income requirements, amounts for 2026 [2].

A few rules catch people out [2]:

• Holiday allowance doesn't count. Dutch employers pay a holiday allowance on top of salary each year, but the IND ignores it. A thirteenth month can count if it's paid in twelve monthly instalments.
• Turning 30. If you got in on the under-30 amount, it still applies when you extend with the same employer. Change employer after your 30th birthday and you need the full EUR 5,942.
• Annual changes. The thresholds change every 1 January, so a job offer that clears the bar in November may not clear it in January if the start date slips.

On top of the threshold, the salary must be "in line with the market rate" for the job [3].

How it runs

1. Your employer applies and pays the EUR 423 fee [3][4].
2. As a Brit you don't need an MVV entry visa, so you can usually be in the Netherlands while the IND decides [6].
3. You register with the City of Amsterdam within five days of arriving and get your BSN; see BSN, DigiD and registering at the gemeente.
4. The permit runs for the length of your contract, up to five years [3]. Your partner and children can apply through the same sponsor on form 7514 [3].

If the job ends, you have three months to find a new recognised sponsor, or six months if you've held the permit for two years or more and became unemployed on or after 22 May 2026; after that the IND may withdraw the permit [3]. The tax side matters as much as the permit: many HSM hires also qualify for the expat scheme, covered in the 30% ruling for Brits.

HSM or EU Blue Card?

The Blue Card comes with its own conditions on qualifications and contract length (the IND's Blue Card page sets them out), and for most people over 30 the pay bar is the same in 2026 [2]. Its advantage is mobility: it's an EU-wide scheme, so moving on to Berlin or Dublin later is smoother. The HSM permit is simpler, with no labour market test. Your employer will usually pick for you.

The self-employed permit

This is the route for founders and freelancers, and it's tough. You need [5][6]:

• registration in the Trade Register of the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KVK), no older than three months when you apply;
• any licences your profession needs (healthcare professionals also need BIG registration);
• for freelancers, one or more actual commissions in the Netherlands;
• a business plan showing you'll meet the income requirement, with at least three years of turnover and liquidity forecasts, checked by an independent professional.

The points test

The IND asks the RVO whether your business is of "essential interest" to the Dutch economy, meaning broadly that it brings something new. The RVO scores three areas: personal experience, business plan and added value for the Netherlands. You pass with at least 30 points in each area, or 45 for experience plus 45 for the business plan [5]. Self-employed artists are assessed on value to Dutch culture instead, with advice from the culture ministry [5].

The income requirement for a self-employed person is gross profit of EUR 1,766.77 a month (about £1,470) including holiday allowance, for the period 1 July to 31 December 2026 [2]. The fee is EUR 423 [4].

Start-up permit as a stepping stone

If your idea is genuinely innovative, the start-up permit gives you one year working with an RVO-recognised facilitator (a mentor), after which you can move to the self-employed permit [7]. It's a common path for tech founders.

One thing Brits sometimes hear about is the Dutch-American Friendship Treaty, which lets Americans set up with a modest investment. It only applies to US and Japanese nationals [5], so it's no help to a British passport.

Withdrawal Agreement residents: if you were here before 2021

If you lived in the Netherlands before 1 January 2021 and have stayed legally since, the rules above don't apply to you. You hold, or must apply for, a "Withdrawal Agreement residence document (Article 50 TEU)" from the IND, renewed every five or ten years depending on how long you've lived there [1]. Keep it with your passport: residents holding one don't register on the Entry/Exit System, and without it you could be flagged as an overstayer when you come back from a weekend in Brighton [1]. Our guide to Brits in the EU after Brexit explains how long you can be away without losing those rights.

The long game: permanent residence and the Dutch passport

After five consecutive years on a valid residence permit you can apply for permanent residence [1]; the first application for EU long-term resident status costs EUR 254 (about £210) [4]. Naturalisation costs EUR 1,139 for one person [4], but in most cases the Netherlands expects you to give up British citizenship to become Dutch [1], so many Brits stop at permanent residence. Swapping notes with others at the same stage is half the fun in our community group for Brits in the Netherlands.

Fees from the IND fee table [4].

Sources

1. GOV.UK (FCDO): Living in the Netherlands (updated 23 December 2025)
2. IND: Required amounts income requirements (2026 amounts; page updated 1 September 2026)
3. IND: Highly skilled migrant (last updated 29 October 2026)
4. IND: Fees, costs of an application (last modified 22 October 2026)
5. IND: Residence permit self-employed person (last update 13 October 2026)
6. IND: Form 7524-2026/2, application for residence as a self-employed person
7. Business.gov.nl: Residence permit for foreign start-ups

Keep reading

• Moving to Amsterdam as a Brit: visa and residence routes
• The 30% ruling for Brits
• Freelancing in the Netherlands: ZZP, KVK and false self-employment
• Brits in the EU after Brexit: residence rights and the 90/180-day rule