Quick Answer
Primary Visa: Highly Skilled Migrant (Kennismigrant) Visa
Expected Salary: EUR 50,000 - 78,000/year
Processing Time: 2-4 weeks. Application fee EUR 210.
Key Requirements: Job offer from recognised sponsor. Salary above EUR 5,008/month (age 30+) or EUR 3,672/month (under 30). Degree not strictly required.
The Netherlands offers one of Europe's fastest and most straightforward visa processes for software engineers. The Highly Skilled Migrant programme (Kennismigrant) requires only a job offer from a recognised sponsor employer and a salary above the threshold. No degree is formally required, which is unusual in Europe.
Amsterdam is a major European tech hub, home to Booking.com, Adyen, TomTom, and European offices of Uber, Netflix, Databricks, and Tesla. The Brainport Eindhoven region (ASML, NXP, Philips) is a hardware and deep tech centre. Rotterdam and Utrecht also have growing tech scenes.
The 30% ruling is a standout benefit: 30% of your gross salary is tax-free for the first 5 years. On a EUR 60,000 salary, this saves roughly EUR 6,000-8,000 per year in taxes, making the Netherlands highly competitive on net income.
Path to Permanent Residency
After 5 years of continuous residence, you can apply for permanent residency or Dutch citizenship. The Netherlands requires renouncing your original citizenship for naturalisation (with some exceptions), which is a consideration.
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What is the 30% ruling in the Netherlands?
The 30% ruling allows qualifying expat employees to receive 30% of their gross salary tax-free for the first 5 years of employment. To qualify, you must have been recruited from abroad (living 150+ km from the Dutch border) and have specific expertise scarce in the Netherlands. Software engineers almost always qualify. On a EUR 60,000 salary, this saves EUR 6,000-8,000 per year.
Do I need a degree to get a Kennismigrant visa?
No. Unlike most European work visas, the Kennismigrant does not formally require a university degree. The key criteria are a job offer from a recognised sponsor employer and a salary above the threshold (EUR 5,008/month for age 30+, EUR 3,672/month for under 30). This makes it accessible to self-taught developers with industry experience.
How fast is the Dutch Kennismigrant visa process?
Typically 2-4 weeks from application to approval, one of the fastest in Europe. Your employer (who must be a recognised sponsor) submits the application to the IND. Many large tech companies have dedicated immigration teams that handle the process. After approval, you collect your residence permit within 2 weeks of arrival.