Family reunification

Family reunification

Bringing family members over to the Netherlands can be a challenging matter. Under certain conditions, your family members can join you when you move to the Netherlands. The specific requirements depend on your nationality, the type of residence permit that you hold or apply for and the nationality of your family members.

In general, spouses, registered partners, and children under the age of 18 are eligible for family reunification. Unmarried partners and same-sex partners can also apply. Other family members, such as children aged 18 years or above or parents, may under strict circumstances also qualify to join you.

Income requirements

The Dutch authorities have set certain income requirements to guarantee that you can support your family members. In general, you should earn at least €1660, 18 gross monthly to be able to sponsor your family members. If you do not meet this threshold, EU law may help you as EU law dictates that family reunification should be facilitated and that governments cannot set income requirements that are too strict.

Civic integration exam

If your family members need a provisional residence permit (MVV) to enter the Netherlands, in principle they will also need to pass the civic integration exam before they can apply for the family permit. There are some exemptions, such as family members of Highly Skilled Migrants.

Duration of residence permit

In most cases, the residence permit of the family member will have the same validity as the residence permit of the sponsor. In some cases, the residence permit will be valid for five years, for example when the sponsor is a Dutch national or holds a permanent residence permit. The residence permit can be renewed.