Netherlands · NL-BLUE · Work visa

EU Blue Card Netherlands

Valid until 3 months after your employment contract ends, for at most 5 years.

8 official facts · checked 5 Nov 2026

Cost
€423
Time
30 days
Stay
60 months
Netherlands NL-BLUE

EU Blue Card Netherlands

8 verified facts

Cost
Application fee: €423.
Time
Legal decision period: 30 days when a recognised sponsor applies (or for long-term mobility). The IND can extend it, e.g. if the application is incomplete.
Stay
Valid until 3 months after your employment contract ends, for at most 5 years.
Leads to
With a European Blue Card you can in some cases apply for long-term EU residency after 2 years instead of 5.
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The details

What the official rules say

Each line links to its official source and the date we checked it. Anything we could not check is marked.

Cost

€423

Application fee: €423.

≈ USD 473 — indicative only, at the ECB reference rate of 3 Nov 2026. Not an official fee.

ind.nl ↗ · checked 4 Nov 2026

How long it takes

Legal decision period: 30 days when a recognised sponsor applies (or for long-term mobility). The IND can extend it, e.g. if the application is incomplete.

Legal maximum, not the usual time

ind.nl ↗ · checked 4 Nov 2026

Legal decision period: 90 days for all other applications. The IND can extend it.

Legal maximum, not the usual time

ind.nl ↗ · checked 4 Nov 2026

How long you can stay

Valid until 3 months after your employment contract ends, for at most 5 years.

ind.nl ↗ · checked 4 Nov 2026

Can it lead to living there permanently?

With a European Blue Card you can in some cases apply for long-term EU residency after 2 years instead of 5.

ind.nl ↗ · checked 4 Nov 2026

Rules

2026: at least €5,942 gross a month (€4,754 under the reduced criterion).

Applies to €4,754 reduced criterion for eligible applicants; gross per month, 2026, excluding holiday allowance.

ind.nl ↗ · checked 4 Nov 2026

You need an employment contract for highly qualified work in the Netherlands, valid for at least 6 months.

ind.nl ↗ · checked 5 Nov 2026

These are the official rules we have so far. There may be more. Read the official page before you apply.

Official page

European Blue Card residence permit — IND

ind.nl ↗ · checked 4 Nov 2026

What can come next
  1. This visa EU Blue Card Netherlands
  2. Next step Dutch Permanent Residence Usually needs 5 years
  3. Then Dutch Citizenship (Naturalisation) Usually needs 5 years

A possible next step. Times come from each visa's official rules. See what long-term visas need.

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