VisaVisiting researchers must notify Dutch immigration for short research stays
Eligible researchers with a permit from another EU country can use a notification for stays of up to 180 days in a 360-day period.
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Match the existing permit and count the research days
This procedure concerns researchers from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland who hold a valid research permit issued under Directive 2016/801 by another EU country. The Dutch immigration service, or IND, excludes permits from Ireland and Denmark for this route. The first country’s permit must remain valid throughout the Dutch stay. Researchers undertaking qualifying short mobility use a notification instead of applying for a Dutch research residence permit.
Article 28 of the EU directive sets a limit of 180 days in any 360-day period for each receiving country. For example, a researcher who already spent 100 days conducting research in the Netherlands during the relevant period cannot simply add a new 100-day Dutch visit because the host changed. Compare the proposed start and end dates with earlier Dutch research periods and with the expiry date of the original research permit.
Ask the host for the agreement and admission evidence
The IND requires a Dutch research institution recognised as a sponsor. Ask the host to identify the legal entity on the agreement and check it against the IND public register linked on the mobility page. The agreement should show what will be researched, the dates or expected duration, the relationship with the host and the terms of the work.
Use IND form 7569 when the researcher files. It asks for the agreement and a separate certificate from the Dutch institution confirming admission to the activity. It also asks for proof of the time limit, financial support and medical insurance, and a signed declaration about criminal history. Include the copy of your original-country residence permit and the passport or identity details required on the form. Ask the host to make the research dates consistent across its two documents.
The research register identifies organisations by legal name and Dutch Chamber of Commerce number. If a laboratory uses a different public name from the institution named on the agreement, compare the organisation number before assuming the laboratory itself appears on the list. The institution can identify the entity responsible for the notification.
File the notification and include accompanying family
The IND accepts written notifications by post and charges no notification fee. A host can notify the researcher’s mobility, while the researcher personally notifies the arrival of accompanying family members. The IND publishes a 30-day decision period. Its mobility page also links to an appointment for a passport endorsement if proof of lawful stay is needed.
For family members, form 7569 asks for a copy of both sides of each existing family residence permit, the identity page and travel stamps, and evidence of support, medical coverage and the proposed dates. The form also requires the criminal-history declaration for those aged 12 or over. Sign and post the form to the IND address it lists in Ter Apel. Keep a copy of what was sent so the individual enclosures can be identified if the IND asks about them.
Keep separate procedures for longer stays and entry questions
The IND’s longer-stay page requires a research residence permit for a stay above 180 days and directs the Dutch employer to apply. The fee schedule lists €254 for the ordinary researcher application. The IND’s sponsor form 7512 specifically identifies inbound long-term mobility. Use that form with the institution if the planned programme falls outside the short route, and ask the institution to assess any change in dates before exceeding the short-stay limit.
The short-mobility webpage contains a duplicated requirements step that mentions an entry visa in one version of the step. Article 27 of the directive describes mobility on the basis of the first country’s authorisation and a valid travel document, subject to the mobility rules. The IND’s posted form uses the notification procedure. Ask the IND to clarify any separate entry requirement for your actual itinerary before paying for another application.
