Before you apply
Check the requirements and decide on a business structure. Foreign official documents, such as a birth or marriage certificate, must be legalised and translated into Dutch, English, French or German. For Japanese documents, legalisation usually means an apostille from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.
No entry visa (MVV) needed
Most non-EU nationals need a provisional residence permit (MVV) before they can apply. Japanese nationals don’t: Japan is on the IND’s list of MVV-exempt nationalities. IND forms also list self-employment under the Dutch-Japanese trade treaty, which they call purpose 510, among the routes that don’t need an MVV. (The American treaty is purpose 453.)
The application steps
- Submit the application to the IND. ind.nl describes two ways: through a Dutch embassy or consulate, or in writing by post within 3 months after you’ve travelled to the Netherlands. Because Japanese nationals are MVV-exempt, applying after arrival is the usual route, but ind.nl doesn’t say which version applies to you, so confirm it with the IND.
- Pay the fee. The application costs €423. The IND sends you a letter explaining how to pay.
- Wait for the decision. The IND must decide within 90 days. It can extend that by up to 6 months, for example when your application is incomplete.
- Register with the KVK and invest the €4,500 within 6 months. The period starts on the date at the top of your decision letter.
- Collect your residence permit card once the IND tells you it’s ready. Your decision letter explains how.
Register with your municipality
Once you have an address, you register with your municipality (gemeente) and receive a citizen service number (BSN). You need a BSN for a Dutch bank account and for the KVK registration, which is one reason the IND moved the business checks to after the permit.
Next steps
Read Opening balance sheet for how to prove the €4,500, and Moving from Japan for the paperwork on the Japanese side.