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Family visas for Europe · Netherlands

Netherlands family visa from the UK

To move to the Netherlands to live with your Dutch husband, wife or partner, you usually need an MVV entry visa and a residence permit, applied for together. Your partner normally files it with the IND for 254 euros, after you pass the civic integration exam abroad unless exempt. The IND decides within 90 days. Joining an EU citizen there, the visa is free and there is no exam.

We prepare it with you from a £399 service fee, confirmed before you pay. Any official fee is paid by you to the embassy.

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Your route depends on your partner

The Dutch Embassy in London takes MVV appointments and the civic integration exam for UK residents, and the IND in the Netherlands decides the residence permit. The free visa for partners of EU citizens is handed in at VFS Global, the visa centre operator, in Birmingham, Edinburgh, London or Manchester. Every line below comes from an official page, linked beside it, read on 2 November 2026.

Joining a Dutch citizen

An MVV and residence permit applied for together, usually by your Dutch partner with the IND in the Netherlands. You may instead apply yourself at the Dutch Embassy in London.

Your partner starts this one in the Netherlands. We tell you exactly what is theirs and prepare your side from the UK.

Visa
An MVV, an entry visa sticker (type D), and a residence permit to stay with your partner, applied for at the same time. Source
Who needs an MVV
Nationals of the UK, the EU and EEA, Switzerland, the USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Monaco, New Zealand and Vatican City do not. Source
Your partner's step
Your Dutch partner, as sponsor, applies to the IND in the Netherlands, online or by post. You may also apply yourself at a Dutch embassy abroad. Source
Applying yourself from the UK
Book an MVV and residence permit appointment online at the Dutch Embassy in London. Source
After the embassy appointment
Send your application and documents to the IND, and pay the fee, within 3 weeks of the date the embassy fills in on your form. Source
Who qualifies
Married, registered or unmarried partners. You must both be 21 or older, or 18 if you were already married while you both lived outside the Netherlands, and you will live together at one registered address. Source
Income
Your partner needs at least 2,337 euros gross a month without holiday allowance, the figure valid from 1 July to 31 December 2026. Source
Civic integration exam
You must pass it before the application: Dutch at A1 level (speaking and reading) and knowledge of Dutch society. It costs 150 euros and is taken at the Dutch Embassy in London. Source
Exam exemptions
You are exempt if you are under 18, at state pension age, or a national of the UK, an EU or EEA country, Switzerland, the USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Monaco, New Zealand or Vatican City. Source
Fee
254 euros to the IND for the MVV and residence permit together. Source
Processing time
The IND must decide within 90 days, and can extend this, for example if the application is not complete. Source
MVV sticker
After a positive decision you have 3 months to book the sticker appointment, and the sticker can take up to 10 working days. Source
Legalisation
UK birth and marriage certificates need a normal apostille. Documents in English need no translation. Source
Translation
Documents not in Dutch, English, French or German must be translated into one of those languages. Source
If you lived together in another EU country
Other requirements may apply to Dutch nationals who have lived with their partner in another EU country. Source

Joining an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen who lives in the Netherlands

A free Schengen visa if your passport needs one, then an 85-euro residence document you apply for in the Netherlands. No exam.

Visa
Visa facilitation: a free Schengen visa for family members of EU citizens moving to the Netherlands to live with them. Source
Who qualifies
Spouses and registered partners, and unmarried partners who have lived together for at least 6 continuous months or had a sustainable relationship for at least 6 months. Source
Your partner's position
Your EU partner must have health insurance and sufficient income. Source
How to apply from the UK
At VFS Global, the visa centre operator, in Birmingham, Edinburgh, London or Manchester, if you live in the UK. Source
Fee
No visa fee. VFS Global charges its service fee. Source
Processing time
Under EU rules, a family member's visa taking more than 15 days should be exceptional. Source
After you arrive
You apply to the IND from inside the Netherlands for an EU residence document: 85 euros, decided within 6 months, valid for 5 years, and you may work. Source
Language
No civic integration exam for this route. Source

Joining a non-EU national who lives in the Netherlands

The same MVV and residence permit as for a Dutch partner, usually filed by your partner with the IND. You may instead apply yourself at the Dutch Embassy in London.

Your partner starts this one in the Netherlands. We tell you exactly what is theirs and prepare your side from the UK.

Your partner's position
Your partner needs a valid Dutch residence permit. Some permits, such as au pair, working holiday and seasonal work, cannot bring a partner. Source
Waiting rule
A partner who is obliged to integrate in the Netherlands must first have lived there for at least 1 year on a valid permit, unless it is in the interest of your minor children that you come now. Source
Your partner's step
Your partner, as sponsor, applies to the IND in the Netherlands. You may also apply yourself at a Dutch embassy abroad. Source
Online filing
Not possible if your partner has a temporary residence permit; the written form is used instead. Source
Who qualifies
The same age, income and living-together rules as for a Dutch partner. Source
Civic integration exam
Needed as for a Dutch partner, except when your partner's permit is for a temporary residence purpose. Source
Fee
254 euros to the IND. Source
Processing time
The IND must decide within 90 days. Source
Permit length
If your partner has a temporary residence permit, yours ends on the same date. Source

Documents most applicants need

The full list depends on your route. We send you yours, item by item, once you order.

  • Passport valid for at least 6 months, with at least 2 empty pages
  • Your marriage or registered partnership certificate, legalised or apostilled
  • Your civic integration exam result from DUO, less than 1 year old, or proof you are exempt
  • Your partner's passport and income documents
  • Your UK residence permit, if you are not British
  • The Antecedents Certificate appendix, filled in

What we do

  • Check your case and tell you which visa applies, and whether we can help, before you pay
  • Build your document list from the embassy's own requirements for your country
  • Check every document, translation and apostille before it goes in
  • Fill in the application form with you, in your own account where the embassy uses an online portal
  • Prepare you for the appointment and stay with you until the decision

What you do

  • Get the certificates, apostilles, translations and any language test your country asks for
  • Sign and submit the application yourself, and attend the appointment in person
  • Pay any official fee directly to the embassy or consulate

We are a private company, not an embassy, consulate or visa centre. We do not give legal advice, and we do not handle visas into the UK.

Questions about the Netherlands family visa

Can I apply for a Dutch partner visa from the UK?
Yes. Your Dutch partner usually applies to the IND in the Netherlands, or you can apply yourself at the Dutch Embassy in London if you live in the UK. After a positive decision, the IND letter says where you collect the MVV sticker.
How long does a Dutch partner visa take?
The IND must decide within 90 days, and can extend this if the application is not complete. Before that, the exam result takes up to 8 weeks. After a positive decision, the MVV sticker can take up to 10 working days.
How much does it cost?
254 euros to the IND for the MVV and residence permit, plus 150 euros for the civic integration exam abroad. Joining an EU citizen, the visa is free and the residence document costs 85 euros. Our service fee starts at £399.
Do I need to pass a Dutch test?
Yes, the civic integration exam abroad at A1 level, before you apply, unless you are exempt. Nationals of the UK, the EU and EEA, Switzerland, the USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Monaco, New Zealand and Vatican City are exempt, as are people under 18 or at state pension age.
My partner is Italian and lives in Amsterdam. Which visa do I need?
EU rules apply: a free Schengen visa if your passport needs one, handed in at VFS Global, then an 85-euro residence document from the IND in the Netherlands. There is no civic integration exam.
Tell us your Netherlands case on WhatsAppReplies within the hour, day or night.

What you are protected by

WayaNerd Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 16269713. 48 Margery Park Road, London, E7 9JY. Contact us

Official sources

Read on 2 November 2026. Rules change: we check your embassy's page again for your case.

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