Visa sponsorship jobs in the Netherlands: how it works in 2026
To work in the Netherlands from outside the EU, most professionals need an employer that the IND recognises as a sponsor to apply for a highly skilled migrant permit for them. In 2026 the job must pay at least €5,942 gross a month if you are 30 or older, €4,357 if you are under 30, or €3,122 on the reduced criterion for recent graduates. Holiday allowance does not count.
Who needs visa sponsorship to work in the Netherlands?
Citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland can work in the Netherlands without a permit. Everyone else needs a residence permit that allows work, and for a corporate job that almost always means an employer applying for one on your behalf.
That includes British nationals who moved to the Netherlands after 31 December 2020: the IND's Brexit page says they need a regular residence permit, like any other national from outside the EU.
Sponsorship is not something you apply for yourself. For the highly skilled migrant permit, the IND says plainly that only an employer it recognises can apply for your permit. Your part is finding that employer and a job that pays enough.
What salary do you need for a work permit in 2026?
The IND publishes the amounts on its required amounts page. They are gross monthly salaries, without holiday allowance, and they change every 1 January. The amount that counts is the one in force on the date your employer applies.
| Permit | Who it applies to | Gross a month |
|---|---|---|
| Highly skilled migrant | 30 years or older | €5,942 |
| Highly skilled migrant | Younger than 30 | €4,357 |
| Highly skilled migrant, reduced criterion | Orientation year holders, and graduates applying within three years of graduating | €3,122 |
| EU Blue Card | Anyone with the degree or experience it asks for | €5,942 |
| EU Blue Card, reduced criterion | Graduates applying within three years of graduating | €4,754 |
Two things catch people out. A salary that clears the bar only once holiday allowance is added does not clear it. And an offer made in December can fall short if the employer applies in January, after the amounts have gone up.
How do you check whether an employer can sponsor you?
The IND keeps a public register of recognised sponsors for regular labour and highly skilled migrants. It lists each organisation by name with its Chamber of Commerce (KVK) number, and the IND updates it once a month. The version we read was updated on 5 October 2026.
- Search the register for the company's legal name, which can differ from its brand. The KVK number settles it.
- If the company is not listed, it cannot apply for a highly skilled migrant permit today. It could still hire you on an EU Blue Card, which does not need a recognised sponsor.
- Being listed does not mean the company is hiring, or that it will sponsor the role you want. Ask in the first conversation, not after the offer.
How is the EU Blue Card different?
The EU Blue Card has the same headline salary as the highly skilled migrant permit for someone over 30, but it asks different things of you and your employer.
| What differs | Highly skilled migrant | EU Blue Card |
|---|---|---|
| Employer | Must be an IND recognised sponsor | Recognition is not required |
| Your background | No degree requirement; the salary must be in line with the market | A higher education degree of at least three years, or at least five years of relevant experience |
| Contract | The permit lasts as long as the contract, up to five years | At least six months |
| Moving within the EU | Tied to the Netherlands | Easier to move to another EU country later |
| IND fee in 2026 | €423 | €423 |
What is the orientation year, and who can get it?
The orientation year (zoekjaar hoogopgeleiden) is a one year permit to look for work after you graduate, during which you can work without your employer needing a permit for you. It is open to people who graduated in the Netherlands within the last three years, and to holders of a master's degree or PhD from a foreign university ranked in the top 200 of recognised rankings. A foreign bachelor's degree on its own does not qualify. The fee in 2026 is €254.
It matters for salary too. If you then move onto a highly skilled migrant permit, the reduced criterion of €3,122 a month applies, which opens far more graduate roles than the €4,357 an under 30 would otherwise need.
Does the 30 per cent ruling come with the job?
Not automatically. The 30 per cent ruling, now called the expat scheme, is a tax arrangement your employer and you apply for together at the Belastingdienst. It is not part of the residence permit, so ask whether an employer offers it before you compare two salaries.
- In 2026 your taxable salary has to be above €48,013 a year, or above €36,497 if you are under 30 and hold a Dutch academic master's degree or an equivalent.
- You must have lived more than 150 km from the Dutch border for more than 16 of the 24 months before you start.
- It lasts up to five years. The government's own page says the tax free share falls from 30 to 27 per cent from 2027, with a higher salary norm, for rulings that started from 2024 onwards.
Do you need to speak Dutch?
Not for the permit: the IND lists no language requirement for the highly skilled migrant permit or the EU Blue Card. The job is another matter. Plenty of adverts in the Netherlands ask for Dutch, and some are written only in Dutch.
arkerah shows you the adverts written in a language you told us you read. A Dutch advert that says English is enough stays in your list, because those are often the most reachable jobs for an English speaker.
What can arkerah do for a job search that needs sponsorship?
arkerah ranks open corporate jobs in the Netherlands and four other European countries against what you tell it about yourself, and writes a CV for each one from your own facts. Tell it you need sponsorship, and it removes the adverts whose own words say they cannot sponsor a visa. Two readers checked that rule against 231 employers on 30 September 2026 and agreed with it on 228.
What it cannot do is promise that a job left in your list will sponsor you. Most adverts say nothing about sponsorship either way: 96.8 per cent of the ones we measured. We do not match employers against the IND register yet, so check the register yourself for any company you are serious about.
Questions
Can I apply for a highly skilled migrant permit myself?
No. Only an employer the IND recognises as a sponsor can apply for it. You find the job; the employer applies.
Does holiday allowance count towards the salary threshold?
No. The IND's amounts are gross monthly salary without holiday allowance, so the base salary on its own has to clear them.
What if the company I want is not on the sponsor register?
It cannot apply for a highly skilled migrant permit today. It could still hire you on an EU Blue Card, which does not need a recognised sponsor, if you meet the Blue Card's degree or experience requirement.
Do these amounts change?
Yes, every 1 January. The amount that applies is the one in force on the day your employer applies, so an offer close to the line made late in the year needs checking again in January.