Amsterdam Dutch

From 1 May 2006 onwards, citizens of EU or EEA member states* or Switzerland who wish to stay in the Netherlands for more than three months have to register with the IND. They will no longer have to request proof of lawful residency and in addition, they will no longer be issued with a residence permit. Family members of these people who themselves are not citizens of an EU or EEA member state or Switzerland must still submit a request for verification against EU Community Law. This also applies to citizens of Poland, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Slovenia and Slovakia, as long as the EU job market is still restricted for these people.

^{* Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Germany, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Portugal, Spain, the UK and Sweden.}

If a citizen of an EU or EEA member state or Switzerland wishes to stay in the Netherlands for more than three months, this person has to register with the IND after three months, or sooner. Anyone wishing to register must be able to prove the purpose of his or her residence. For example, if someone is here to work, an employer’s statement must be presented. After registering, a registration statement will be issued by the IND. This is a passport sticker that will remain valid for as long as the person remains in the Netherlands. In order to register, an appointment must always be made by telephone. You can use the telephone number 0900 123 4561 for this purpose from 1 May 2006 onwards. Registration with the IND is free of charge.

Please note: Anyone who registers with the IND must first be registered in the personal records database (GBA) of the municipality in which they reside.

New EU member states
For people from Poland, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Slovenia and Slovakia, the application procedure will remain the same. They must submit a request for verification against EU Community Law to their municipal authorities, and will then be given a registration sticker with a note relating to permission to access the job market. This situation will, in all probability, continue until 31 December, 2006.  After this time, open access to the job market will be available for citizens of these countries. They will then only have to register with the IND.