To qualify for a highly skilled migrant residence permit in the Netherlands in 2026, you need a qualifying job, a salary that meets the relevant threshold, and pay that is in line with the market rate. As a general rule, an employer recognised by the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) must apply for the permit, although an exception to the recognised-sponsor requirement applies to Turkish nationals. The 2026 minimum gross monthly salary, excluding holiday allowance, is €5,942, €4,357 or €3,122, depending on your age and eligibility for the reduced criterion.
Author: Av. Derya Yurteri Çetin. She works on Dutch employment and immigration law matters at DYC Legal Consultancy.
Key rules for 2026
The gross monthly salary threshold is €5,942 for migrants aged 30 or over and €4,357 for those under 30; the €3,122 reduced threshold applies only where its specific conditions are met.
The threshold is calculated without holiday allowance, and the salary must also be in line with the market rate.
Turkish nationals may use an exception to the recognised-sponsor requirement; the other permit conditions still apply.
After a job ends, the maximum job-search period may be three or six months, but it cannot extend beyond the residence permit’s expiry date.
On changing employers, the applicable salary threshold is assessed by reference to the start date of the new employment contract.
Who can apply for a highly skilled migrant permit?
The highly skilled migrant permit, known in Dutch as the kennismigrant permit, provides a residence route for qualifying employees from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland. A Dutch job offer alone does not secure the permit. The IND considers the employment contract or relationship with a research institution, the applicable income threshold, whether the agreed salary matches the market rate for comparable work, and the general residence requirements. The applicant’s existing residence position and the nature of the work also matter: an intra-company transfer or a research position may fall under a different route. Start with the IND’s highly skilled migrant requirements.
Is a university degree required?
Despite the name of the permit, a university degree is not a universal requirement for the ordinary highly skilled migrant route. The employment, salary and immigration conditions remain decisive. A person claiming the reduced salary threshold on the basis of graduation, however, must demonstrate that the conditions linked to the orientation year are met. Certain regulated healthcare professions also require registration in the BIG register. See the Dutch government’s explanation of degree requirements and the IND’s occupation-specific conditions.
Highly skilled migrant salary thresholds in 2026
The IND publishes the following gross monthly thresholds for 2026. They are calculated excluding holiday allowance. Comparing the figures with net pay or with an annual compensation package alone can give the wrong answer. The relevant date and category must also be checked separately for a first application, an extension and a change of employer. Recheck the IND’s current income requirements before taking action.
These are the figures for the highly skilled migrant permit; other residence routes, including the European Blue Card, have their own rules. The employer must also pay the salary consistently, and the amount agreed must be in line with the market rate. For example, an offer of €4,300 gross per month plus holiday allowance paid once a year does not meet the €4,357 monthly threshold for an applicant under 30 merely because the annual total looks high enough. The IND’s rules on which pay elements count are relevant to this calculation.
Who qualifies for the reduced salary criterion?
The €3,122 threshold is not a general alternative for candidates whose offers fall below the usual amount. It can apply when the highly skilled migrant application is made while the applicant holds an orientation year permit; when a former orientation year permit holder applies within the relevant three-year period after graduation, doctoral defence or expiry of a research permit; or when someone who never held the orientation year permit nevertheless satisfies its eligibility conditions and applies within the relevant three-year period. The dates and evidence differ by situation. Importantly, never having used an orientation year permit does not automatically rule out the reduced criterion. Read the IND’s three qualifying scenarios.
Hypothetical example: A professional who completed an eligible degree in 2025, meets the conditions for an orientation year but did not apply for that permit may potentially use the €3,122 threshold for a highly skilled migrant application in 2026. The graduation date and eligibility must be documented; graduation alone does not establish that every applicant qualifies.
Do bonuses, a thirteenth month and holiday allowance count?
The IND may count certain fixed allowances and expense payments if they are included in the employment contract, transferred to a bank account in the migrant’s name and paid each month. A thirteenth-month payment can count only if it is paid in twelve equal monthly instalments under the applicable conditions. Holiday allowance, benefits in kind and uncertain or irregular payments such as overtime or tips do not count towards the salary criterion. When reviewing an offer, ask what will actually be paid every month, rather than relying on a headline annual amount. See the IND’s explanation of qualifying and excluded payments.
Must the employer be a recognised sponsor?
In the usual process, the employer must be an IND-recognised sponsor (erkend referent) and submits the application. You can check the legal entity against the IND’s public register of recognised sponsors. If the offer involves a subsidiary, a trading name or an intermediary, establish which entity is the actual employer named in the contract. A brand’s appearance on the register does not, by itself, settle the position of every related entity. Recognised sponsors may benefit from a faster target processing time, but recognition is not a guarantee of approval. The IND explains sponsor recognition and its benefits.
The exception for Turkish nationals
There is a significant exception for employees with Turkish nationality. According to the IND’s guidance for Turkish citizens, their employer need not be a recognised sponsor for a highly skilled migrant application, and the employee may also submit an application personally using the appropriate procedure. The Dutch government’s employer guidance confirms the sponsor exception. It depends on nationality and the applicable circumstances, rather than on the language a person speaks. An eligible employment contract, the required salary, market-rate pay and the other residence conditions remain necessary.
Hypothetical example: A small Dutch company offers a Turkish software engineer a job but is absent from the recognised-sponsor register. The permit route should not be ruled out solely because of that absence. The candidate’s Turkish nationality, contract, salary and correct application form must be assessed together. The same conclusion cannot simply be extended to a candidate who does not have Turkish nationality.
How does the application process work?
First identify the correct route. Is the employer a recognised sponsor? Does the exception for Turkish nationals apply? Is the candidate already in the Netherlands, and do they hold a valid residence permit? Next, check the job description, monthly payment structure, intended start date and correct age-based or reduced salary category. Under the usual procedure, the employer submits the application to the IND online or by post. Where a Turkish national applies personally under the exception, different IND forms may be needed. Check the standard IND application steps against the IND’s forms for Turkish citizens.
Some applicants need an MVV, a provisional residence permit used for entry, while nationality and existing residence can affect whether an exemption applies. Prepare a valid passport, employment contract and the evidence required for the particular case. Foreign official documents may have to be legalised and translated into an accepted language. The IND’s online document checklist identifies documents by application type.
The general statutory decision period for a highly skilled migrant application is 90 days. The IND may aim to decide more quickly on a complete application filed by a recognised sponsor, but that target is not a promised decision date; an investigation or missing documents can cause delay. Filing an application does not automatically permit the applicant to start work immediately. If a positive decision arrives before the residence card is ready, check whether that decision authorises work and states the applicable start date. The IND’s decision-period guidance and rules on working while awaiting a card should be read together.
Changing employer or losing your job
Before changing jobs, examine the expiry date of the current permit, the new contract’s start date and the salary category that will apply. According to the IND, the income threshold for a change of employer is the one applicable on the date the new employment contract starts. A worker who first qualified under the under-30 threshold and stays with the same employer may continue under that age-based category on an extension after turning 30. If they change employer after turning 30, the 30-and-over threshold will generally be relevant, subject to the separate rules for anyone who qualifies for the reduced criterion. The change of employer must be reported to the IND, and the residence conditions must continue to be met. Consult the IND’s salary-category table and employer-change guidance.
Hypothetical example: A person receives their first permit at age 29 and remains with the same company after turning 31. Their thirtieth birthday alone need not move them onto the higher age-based threshold at renewal. If they start with a different employer at 31, the threshold for applicants aged 30 or over will generally need to be assessed, unless they separately qualify for the reduced criterion. The salary written on the old permit is not a substitute for checking the new contract.
If employment ends, the job-search period begins on the day the contract ends and cannot last longer than the remaining validity of the residence permit. A person who becomes unemployed on or after 22 May 2026 and has held the highly skilled migrant permit for at least two years may have up to six months to find qualifying work. In the ordinary other cases, the maximum is three months; the earlier unemployment date and any special circumstances must also be checked. If the search period ends without registration by a new employer, the IND may withdraw the permit. The IND’s unemployment rules for highly skilled migrants give the current framework.
Family residence and the 30% ruling
A partner or minor child needs a separate assessment for family residence; the worker’s highly skilled migrant permit does not automatically issue residence cards to family members. The family application has its own requirements concerning identity, relationship, residence and, where relevant, income. A partner who receives the appropriate family residence permit may generally work freely when the sponsor holds a highly skilled migrant permit. Check the wording on the partner’s residence card and the IND’s partner-permit rules.
The 30% ruling is a separate tax arrangement for qualifying international employees. Receiving a highly skilled migrant permit does not automatically grant a tax benefit, and the tax conditions and application must be considered separately. Equally, an attractive tax calculation does not replace the IND’s monthly salary requirement. The Dutch government’s guide to the expat scheme provides an introduction.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a university degree to qualify?
There is no universal degree requirement under the ordinary highly skilled migrant route. A person relying on the reduced salary criterion must, however, prove the relevant orientation year eligibility, and some regulated professions require registration. See the Dutch government’s explanation.
Can a Turkish citizen work for an employer that is not a recognised sponsor?
The exception to mandatory recognised sponsorship may apply. It does not waive the salary or employment requirements, and the correct application route and permission to work should be confirmed first. The IND sets out the exception and forms.
Can a graduate use the lower salary threshold without having held an orientation year permit?
Possibly. The IND permits this where the person meets the conditions for the orientation year and applies within the relevant three-year window. The education, qualification date and individual circumstances must be checked against the IND’s reduced-criterion rules.
Does my salary have to rise to €5,942 as soon as I turn 30?
Not necessarily. Someone who first qualified under the under-30 category and remains with the same employer may keep that age-based category on renewal. A later change of employer can trigger the 30-and-over threshold. The reduced criterion has separate rules. See the IND’s category-by-situation table.
Do holiday allowance and a year-end thirteenth-month payment count?
Holiday allowance does not count. A thirteenth month may count if the IND’s contract, bank-transfer and monthly payment conditions are met; an amount paid only at year-end should not be assumed to close a monthly shortfall. Check the IND’s payment rules.
Which year’s salary threshold applies when I change employers?
The threshold in force on the new employment contract’s start date applies to a change of employer. For a first application, the amount in force on the application date matters. Confirm the date and category using the current IND amounts.
Does everyone get six months to find a job after dismissal?
No. A maximum of six months may apply to someone who becomes unemployed on or after 22 May 2026 and has held the highly skilled migrant permit for at least two years. The general maximum in other cases is three months, and an earlier card expiry cuts the period short. See the IND’s job-search rules.
May my partner work in the Netherlands?
A partner who receives the appropriate family residence permit as the family member of a highly skilled migrant is generally free to work. The family application requirements and work endorsement on the partner’s card still need to be checked. The IND explains partner work rights.
Which route fits your circumstances?
If you have a job offer or are considering a new employer, contact DYC Legal Consultancy to discuss your nationality, employment contract, salary components, employer’s status and existing residence permit. Those documents can determine the right salary category, application route and next steps for you and your family.
Legal note: This article provides general information and is not individual legal or tax advice. Before submitting an application, changing employer or ending a contract, check the current IND thresholds, your permit’s expiry date and any conditions specific to your case. Sources checked: 27 September 2026.
