Citizeo
Pathway

Netherlands Startup Employee Permit

Netherlands Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

The Netherlands' essential start-up personnel pilot lets a qualifying innovative start-up hire a foreign employee whose skills are essential to the company. Both the salary and employee-participation requirements must be met.

Applicant
Essential employee of a Dutch start-up
Company
Innovative and scalable start-up, usually with no more than 15 employees
Participation
The salary and employee-participation thresholds are both required
Pilot
Current pilot runs through 1 June 2028
What it gives
The employee may work for the sponsoring start-up without a separate work permit.
Main limit
It is not a founder visa, a permit for any small company, or a route based only on a promising interview.

Summary

The essential start-up personnel permit is a pilot route for a non-EU, non-EEA, non-Swiss employee whose specialist expertise is essential to an innovative, scalable Dutch start-up. It is an employee route, not the founder start-up permit.

The pilot has been extended through 1 June 2028. The start-up, job, salary, and employee participation must all meet detailed rules, and IND asks the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) to assess the company and role.

Pathway fit check

Eligibility

The Dutch company must be innovative and scalable. Innovation can mean a product or service new to the Netherlands, new technology in production, distribution, or marketing, or a new way of working and organizing. The start-up can have no more than 15 employees and can sponsor no more than 5 foreign employees under the pilot.

The employee must:

Participation may be in shares, depositary receipts, or share options. It must be granted within 3 years after the contract starts, and entitlement cannot depend on performance conditions or targets.

RVO advises IND about the company's innovation and scalability, the employee's major role, and the participation arrangement. Its company advice is generally valid for 3 years from the first employee's permit start date.

What This Route Allows

The employee may work for the sponsoring start-up without a separate work permit. Another employer needs a work permit for other employment.

The permit follows the employment contract and is valid for up to 3 years. It can be extended for up to another 3 years if the requirements and pilot framework continue to allow it. Family members can normally accompany the employee, and a partner is generally free to work.

After 5 qualifying years of Dutch residence, permanent residence may be possible if the person meets the separate requirements.

What This Route Is Not

It is not a founder visa, a permit for any small company, or a route based only on a promising interview. The applicant needs an actual employment contract. A start-up with more than 15 employees, a routine role, salary below the threshold, or participation below the required level does not fit the pilot.

It also does not allow unrestricted work for other employers. When the pilot or start-up job ends, the employee needs an extension that remains available or a different residence route.

Next Steps

  1. Confirm that the company has no more than 15 employees and that the role is genuinely essential.
  2. Put the employment contract, 2026 salary, and unconditional participation terms in writing.
  3. Prepare evidence of the company's innovation, scalability, business activity, and the employee's specialist role.
  4. Have the start-up submit the application and RVO material; employer recognition by IND is not required.
  5. Recheck the pilot end date and current salary immediately before filing.
Compare your options

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Sources