Immigration support for hiring expats in the Netherlands

Hiring a non-EU national in the Netherlands isn’t just a matter of getting the right visa. The Dutch system links immigration approval directly to employment, and both must comply with national law from day one. You can’t sponsor a residence permit without legal status in the country. You can’t employ someone locally without registering as an employer. And you can’t separate who sponsors the visa from who controls the employment.

This creates a real problem for international companies that don’t yet have a Dutch entity or don’t want to open one just to hire a single person.

What’s needed isn’t just immigration advice. It’s a legal employment path that satisfies Dutch authorities and allows you to bring the person on without triggering permanent establishment risk, payroll violations, or sponsor mismatches.

That’s where we come in.

What You Can Do (and What You Can’t)

If you’re hiring a non-EU citizen into a Dutch-based role and you don’t have a local legal entity, your options are narrow.

You can’t:

• Sponsor the visa yourself
• Employ the person directly
• Run them through another country’s payroll
• Use a visa-only provider and separate employment vendor.

Each of these paths fails under Dutch law, either by breaking immigration rules, misclassifying the employment, or falling short of tax and social insurance obligations.

You can:

• Use an authorised employer in the Netherlands who can sponsor the permit and employ the person lawfully on your behalf

This is exactly what we do. We are registered as a recognised sponsor with the IND, and we engage the employee under a fully compliant Dutch employment arrangement. Once the permit is granted, the individual works exclusively for you, but is employed, paid, and protected under our legal responsibility.

How It Works in Practice

Most expatriate hires fall under the Highly Skilled Migrant (kennismigrant) scheme — the main route for non-EU professionals in the Netherlands. If the person is outside the EU, they’ll need an MVV entry visa, which we apply for as part of the process. Once they enter the country, we finalise the residence registration, secure the residence card, and activate them on Dutch payroll.

The legal steps are tightly linked. There’s no window for non-compliant onboarding or post-arrival fixes.

By the time the person starts, we’ve already:

• Registered the employment with the tax and social authorities
• Coordinated residence and BSN (citizen number) registration
• Issued a Dutch employment contract meeting local legal and CLA terms
• Set up payroll with the correct tax withholdings and employer contributions
• Aligned benefits, sick leave, and leave accruals based on Dutch labour law

You remain in control of the person’s work. We handle everything else that’s legally required to make the employment valid under Dutch law.

Timelines and Permit Requirements

In most cases, hiring a non-EU national in the Netherlands requires applying under the Highly Skilled Migrant route. If the person is outside the EU, the application includes an MVV, a provisional residence visa required before entry.

The total timeline depends on two things: how quickly the employer (that’s us) can file, and how quickly the individual submits their supporting documents and appears for the visa appointment.

Here’s how it plays out in practice:

• Once we receive all required documentation, the standard processing time at the IND is 2 to 4 weeks
• If the individual needs an MVV, they’ll collect it from the Dutch consulate in their home country after approval — timing varies slightly by location
• Entry to the Netherlands can happen immediately after MVV issuance
• The residence permit is collected in-country from the IND
• The employee registers at the municipality (gemeente) to receive their BSN, which is required for payroll and tax registration.

The entire process, from submission to legal work eligibility, typically takes 4 to 8 weeks. There are no shortcuts. The individual cannot begin working until all steps are complete.

What’s Required from the Employee

There are no unusual requirements, but Dutch immigration is procedural. Documents must be correct, current, and in the right format, especially those requiring legalisation.

Most cases require:

• A valid passport
• Signed antecedents declaration (confirming no criminal convictions)
• Legalised birth certificate showing parentage, with certified translation
• Travel insurance for the first 90 days (min. €30,000 coverage)
• Proof of address in the Netherlands (rental contract or landlord consent form)
• A biometric appointment at the IND
• MVV visa application (if required, for non-EU nationals applying from abroad)

We manage all coordination between the employee, IND, and immigration authorities, and review all documentation before submission to prevent delays or rejections.

What Happens After Approval

Once the individual has their permit and BSN, we onboard them to payroll immediately.

Their employment is registered under Dutch law. Tax and social contributions begin from day one. Payslips are issued monthly, in Dutch or English. Holiday allowance, pension contributions, and statutory benefits are administered in full.

You manage the role, the performance, and the day-to-day objectives. We manage everything else as the legal employer and sponsor.

This is not a back-door solution. It’s the legal route for international employers who want to hire expats into Dutch roles without cutting corners, and without setting up a Dutch entity they don’t yet need.

What Acumen International Provides

We act as both immigration sponsor and legal employer in the Netherlands — enabling you to hire expatriate staff lawfully, without setting up a local entity or navigating the IND process yourself.

Unlike advisory-only firms or global tech platforms, we don’t hand off immigration to third parties or separate it from employment. We take responsibility for both — and make them legally match.

Our role includes:

• Applying as recognised IND sponsor under the Highly Skilled Migrant or EU Blue Card route
• Issuing compliant Dutch employment contracts tied to the sponsored role
• Coordinating the MVV visa process (if applicable), IND registration, and BSN issuance
• Onboarding the employee to fully compliant Dutch payroll, including holiday allowance, tax deductions, and employer contributions
• Administering local benefits, probation tracking, and lawful termination if needed
• Providing additional support — housing arrangements, dependent relocation, or health insurance — where contractually required

This service is used by global employers who need to:

• Onboard a specific non-EU hire for a Dutch-based role
• Relocate internal talent into the Netherlands before or without local incorporation
• Retain cross-border candidates in a compliant, long-term employment arrangement
• Transition key personnel from contractor status to legal employment with permit sponsorship

We do not provide immigration services to individuals. We only work with employer companies, and only where immigration is legally paired with employment.