From Latin America to the Netherlands: permits and routes

Sources checked on 19 October 2026 · 13 min read

Many guides about the Netherlands are written for European citizens, who can live and work without a permit. If you have a Latin American nationality (and not an EU one as well), the path is different: you need a specific legal route, usually with an employer or institution that sponsors you, and the IND decides. Here we explain the routes, the general requirements with 2026 amounts and how to protect yourself from false promises.

Dutch terms in this guide: IND, MVV, verblijfsvergunning, kennismigrant, referent, erkend referent, TWV, GVVA, inburgeringsexamen buitenland

Who this is for

People with a Latin American nationality, or any other nationality from outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland, who want to live or work in the Netherlands, including those already living in Spain or another European country.

What you need

Knowing your exact nationality or nationalities: if one is from the EU, the rules change completely.
Being clear about the purpose of your stay (work, study, partner…): each purpose is a different route.
A valid passport; for the MVV, the IND requires at least 6 months' remaining validity.
On almost every route, a company, educational institution or partner acting as sponsor (referent).

EU citizenship or a third country

People with the nationality of an EU country, the EEA (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) or Switzerland can live and work in the Netherlands without a residence or work permit. The IND calls everyone else third-country nationals: they need a permit that matches their nationality and the purpose of their stay.

If, besides your Latin American nationality, you also hold, for example, Spanish or Italian nationality, you enter the Netherlands as an EU citizen with that passport or ID card. If your partner is a citizen of another EU country (not Dutch) and moves with you, EU law for family members may apply, with its own IND procedure.

Living in Spain or another EU country is not enough

A Spanish residence permit lets you travel in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, but it does not allow you to live or work in the Netherlands. For that you need a Dutch permit. According to the IND, if you hold a regular (non-asylum) residence permit from another Schengen country and have a recognised sponsor in the Netherlands, you may be exempt from the MVV, but you still need the Dutch permit.

Long-term EU residence from another country: according to the IND, it does not let you simply live in the Netherlands, but you need a Dutch permit for a specific purpose, but without an MVV (nor do your partner and minor children if you lived together in that country); to work, your employer needs a work permit (TWV) only for the first 12 months.
EU Blue Card from another country: after at least 12 months in a country that applies it, you can apply for a Dutch Blue Card (long-term mobility) without an MVV, for you or for family who lived with you. The IND decides within 30 days; if it does not and your application was complete, you may start working.
If you obtain Spanish nationality (or another EU nationality), you get the rights of an EU citizen.

Short stay versus living or working

A short stay in the Schengen area is at most 90 days in any 180-day period. Depending on your nationality, you will need a Schengen visa or be exempt; check NetherlandsWorldwide before you travel.

Being visa-exempt does not give you permission to work. According to the IND, even to work during a short stay, including volunteer or unpaid work, your employer may need a work permit (TWV) from UWV. To stay longer than 90 days you need a residence permit.

Main legal routes

Route	Who applies	Key points (checked on 19-10-2026)
Highly skilled migrant (kennismigrant)	Your employer, which must be an IND-recognised sponsor	Minimum salary by age (see 2026 amounts); no TWV needed for that job; the IND decides within 90 days.
EU Blue Card	Your employer (it need not be a recognised sponsor)	A higher education qualification of at least 3 years or, in some cases, experience; a contract of at least 6 months; 2026 minimum salary.
Regular employment: single permit (GVVA)	Your employer, with the IND	UWV checks that the job cannot be filled in the Netherlands or the EU/EEA: the company must search for at least 3 months and report the vacancy 5 weeks beforehand; it must also provide suitable housing.
Higher education	The educational institution, as a recognised sponsor	You may work as an employee if your employer has a TWV for you, choosing between a maximum of 16 hours a week or full time in June, July and August; you must make progress in your studies.
Orientation year	You	For graduates of the last 3 years in the Netherlands or from foreign universities in the top 200 of the rankings named by the IND; 1 year, free to work without a TWV.
Partner or family	Your partner in the Netherlands (sponsor)	Both 21 or older (with exceptions); the sponsor's income; often a civic integration exam abroad before the MVV.
Working Holiday	You, at the Dutch embassy or consulate	Only Argentina and Uruguay among Latin American countries: aged 18 to 30, up to 100 people a year per country, 1 year, occasional work to fund your stay; €85.
Other routes	Depends on the case	Self-employed, start-up, researcher, internship, intra-corporate transfer or seasonal work: each has its own IND page.

MVV, residence permit and work permit

The MVV is an entry visa (type D) for stays of more than 90 days. Whether you need one depends on your nationality: the IND's exemption list includes, among others, EU/EEA countries, Switzerland, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea, and no Latin American country. That is the nationality exemption; the IND also has exemptions based on your situation, for example if you are a family member of an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen (not Dutch), if you hold long-term EU residence or a regular permit from another Schengen country with a recognised sponsor here, or an EU Blue Card from another country for at least 12 months. If you also hold an EU nationality, you enter as an EU citizen and do not need an MVV. The MVV and residence permit are normally applied for together, by your sponsor in the Netherlands. After a positive decision you have 3 months to book an appointment at the embassy or consulate, and the MVV is valid for 90 days to travel.

The residence permit lets you live here for a specific purpose. To work, the permit must also allow it or your employer must hold a TWV from UWV. For work of up to 90 days a TWV is used; for longer stays, the single permit (GVVA), which combines residence and work and is handled by the IND with advice from UWV. Some permits, such as highly skilled migrant or the Blue Card, already include work.

The IND and recognised sponsors

The IND (Immigration and Naturalisation Service) decides on the MVV and residence permits. On many routes the application is submitted by a sponsor (referent): your employer, your educational institution or your partner.

For the highly skilled migrant permit and for study, the employer or institution must be an IND-recognised sponsor. For the Blue Card or the single permit it need not be.
You can check whether an organisation is recognised in the IND public register, which is updated once a month.
Companies that hire out staff (agencies) must also be in the Stichting Normering Arbeid (SNA) register: see employment agencies.
The sponsor has duties to inform the IND; if it does not meet them, it can be fined.

Income, documents and contract

Amounts the IND requires, gross per month. They change every 1 January; the partner amount also every 1 July. According to the IND, holiday allowance does not count towards the highly skilled migrant salary criterion:

Case	Amount	Period
Highly skilled migrant, 30 or older	€5,942	2026
Highly skilled migrant, under 30	€4,357	2026
Highly skilled migrant, reduced criterion (for example, after studying in the Netherlands)	€3,122	2026
EU Blue Card	€5,942	2026
EU Blue Card, reduced criterion	€4,754	2026
Partner: sponsor's income, excluding holiday allowance	€2,337	From 1-7-2026 to 31-12-2026

Besides the amount, the salary must be in line with the market or the collective agreement. The fee for each application is on the IND website and is paid to the IND, not to middlemen.

A valid passport; birth or marriage certificates when requested, sometimes legalised or apostilled and translated.
Depending on your nationality, the IND may require a TB test within 3 months of receiving the permit; the list of exemptions is in an IND appendix.
A written employment contract, with pay, hours and duration, when the route is employment.

How to check an offer and avoid false promises

Nobody can guarantee you a visa or permit: not an agency, not a lawyer and not Ruta NL. The IND decides.
Check that the company exists in the trade register (KvK) and, if it says it will sponsor you as a highly skilled migrant, that it is in the IND public register.
Be wary if you are asked for money up front for the "visa", the contract or housing, or told to travel as a tourist to "sort it out there": on a short stay you cannot start working without permission.
Official fees are paid directly to the IND; if the application is refused, they are not refunded.
Get the offer in writing and compare it with the job offer comparison and the minimum wage.
If you suspect fraud with contracts or permits, you can report it to the IND. More warning signs in Avoid scams.

After you get the permit

Travel with the MVV and collect your residence document from the IND (with an appointment for photo and fingerprints, if these were not taken before).
If it applies to you, take the TB test within the following 3 months.
Register with the municipality where you live: that gives you your BSN. See Municipal registration and BSN.
Take out health insurance, open a bank account, apply for DigiD and find a GP.
Your permit is tied to a purpose: if it changes (another job, end of studies, separation), report it and check with the IND which application applies.
If you are recruited from abroad, also see the 30% ruling.

Family, partner and changes in your situation

Your partner can come with you or join you if they meet the requirements of the family route. According to the IND, the partner of someone with a highly skilled migrant, Blue Card, researcher, intra-corporate transfer, essential start-up personnel or self-employed permit is free to work; the partner of a student is not.

If you lose your job on a highly skilled migrant permit or Blue Card, you generally have up to 3 months to find another, counted from the end of your contract and never beyond the validity of your permit. With the highly skilled migrant permit, if you become unemployed on or after 22-5-2026 and have held the permit for at least two years, or if you have been a victim of labour exploitation, the period is up to 6 months; the Blue Card also allows up to 6 months after two years. If no new employer registers you in time, the IND may revoke your permit.
If your purpose changes (for example, from study to work), you need to apply for a change of purpose of residence, with its own requirements.
If the relationship ends and your permit depended on your partner, ask the IND about your options as soon as possible.
Children and other relatives have their own conditions at the IND.

Hypothetical cases to understand the routes

These cases are invented and simplified. They do not mean a permit will be granted: the IND assesses every application.

Hypothetical situation	Route to look at	What to check
29-year-old engineer with an offer from a Dutch company	Highly skilled migrant or Blue Card	Whether the company is a recognised sponsor and whether the salary meets the 2026 amount for her age.
25-year-old Argentine who wants to get to know the country for a year	Working Holiday	The annual quota, age, that the work is occasional, and the embassy appointment.
Peruvian with temporary residence in Spain and an offer in Rotterdam	A Dutch route (for example, the single permit)	That the Spanish permit is not enough and whether the employer can apply for the single permit.
Mexican married to a Dutch citizen	Partner or family	The sponsor's income, age and the civic integration exam abroad.

Current rules and future changes

This guide describes the current rules as checked on 19-10-2026. Amounts are updated every year and the IND changes procedures often: a proposal or announcement does not apply until it takes effect. Before you decide, check your specific case on the IND website or with its information service. Your exact nationality, the purpose of your stay and other circumstances can change the conditions.

We do not write a guide for each Latin American country because the rules are almost always the same for all of them. The real differences today are, for example, the Working Holiday (Argentina and Uruguay) and whether you need a visa for a short stay.

Steps

Confirm your nationality or nationalities: if one is from the EU, follow the EU rules.
Choose the route that matches your purpose: work, study, partner or Working Holiday.
Find an employer or institution that can sponsor you and check it in the IND register.
Check the IND requirements and the current year's amounts.
Let the sponsor submit the MVV and permit application, and book the embassy appointment after the decision.
On arrival: residence document, TB test if it applies to you, municipal registration and BSN.

Common mistakes

Assuming the rules for Spanish citizens apply to every Spanish speaker.
Believing that residence in Spain lets you work in the Netherlands.
Travelling as a tourist to look for work and starting work without a permit.
Paying middlemen who "guarantee" the visa.
Relying on amounts from previous years: they change every year.

General information, not legal advice. Ruta NL does not assess your eligibility or handle permits, and will not ask you for personal documents. Rules and amounts change: always check the official source before deciding.

Official sources

Deadlines, amounts and requirements change. Always check them with the source.

How we write our guides

Frequently asked questions

Can I work in the Netherlands with my Spanish residence permit?

Not on its own. You need a Dutch permit. With long-term EU residence from another country there is a separate procedure, without an MVV.

Do I need a visa to visit as a tourist?

It depends on your nationality. Check NetherlandsWorldwide. Even if you do not need one, you cannot work without permission.

Can I apply for the work permit myself?

On most employment routes your employer applies. On others, such as the orientation year or the Working Holiday, you apply yourself.

Can Ruta NL tell me whether I qualify?

No. We explain the general rules; the IND assesses your specific case.

Is there a guide for my country?

The rules are almost always the same across Latin America. Where there are real differences, such as the Working Holiday for Argentina and Uruguay, we point them out here.