The process in detail
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You will get a 40 minutes, free, introduction call (phone or video) with one of our partners of the firm. In this call we asses the possibility to get the visa on a high level and we go over any questions you might have.
INTRODUCTION
CALL
Let's Meet
3-4 Days
Preparation
2
SELECT A DUTCH VENTURE CAPITAL FUND
Choose in which VC you want to invest
Hotel platform Booking.com, payment provider Adyen, beauty platform Treatwell, food delivery TakeAway; just to name a few unicorns that are unicorns in the Netherlands; and that once received an investment from private individuals and VC funds.
The requirement for getting a residence permit for the Netherlands is quite straight forwards: you need to invest €1.25 (1 and 1/4) million into a Dutch Venture Capital firm (VC) or into a Dutch start-up.
Orange Visas provides both options. We advice you to invest in a VC, because that spreads your risk: a VC will invest in multiple startups at the same time. We have connections with all Dutch VCs.
Note: not every VC and every startup is always looking for money: these companies are not always raising funds. When you reach out to us, we will reach out to the VCs/start-ups to ask around who is currently open for your EUR 1 . 25 million.
Once you have found a VC that you like, you sign an investment agreement with the Venture Capital Fund. In the Investment Agreement we will add a sentence that the investment will be made undone in the unlikely event that your visa does not get approved by the Dutch government.
Time requirement from your side:
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5 minutes - 5 hours: we can suggest you Venture Capital funds (5 minutes) or you can study the funds yourself (±5 hours) and let us know in which one you like to invest.
Background: If you want to explore the scene:
A list of Dutch VCs can be found here.
2-3 Days
Preparation
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FILL OUT THE FORMS
Let's get the paperwork done!
A document of 21 pages needs to be filled out for the immigration procedure. Don't worry: we will do this for you. We will send you a short questionnaire, and with that information, we can fill out most of this document. What is left for you, is your signature.
The good news: it remains to this 21-page document. It is bureaucracy but in an efficient way, like you will encounter more in the Netherlands.
Time requirement from your side:
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60 minutes: We will deal with the paper work; we will ask you to answer some necessary questions about your job, your family, the source of your money, etc. and we will fill out the papers. You only need to put a signature at the end.
Background: if you want more information, this can be found here:
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website of the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
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website of the Immigration Service.
1 week
4
VISIT THE EMBASSY
Visit the Dutch Embassy or Dutch consulate in your country.
You need to visit the Dutch Embassy or Dutch consulate in your country to take finger prints and hand in a photo that will be used for your visa. You need to make an appointment for this visit. We will send you the link so you can make online the appointment on a day & time that suits you.
Time requirement from your side:
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10 minutes: to make the appointment.
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1 hour: for the visit.
1 week
5
PAYMENT IND FEE
Pay the fees to the IND (Dutch Immigration Services).
You will need to pay the fee for the application to the Dutch Immigration Services. After receiving the payment, the IND will start reviewing the application.
The fee is non-refundable: if the visa is declined, you will not receive the money back.
The fee is 3.400 EUR per applicatant.
Time requirement from your side:
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5 minutes: for making the payment through your bank.
1 week
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PAYMENT OF THE INVESTMENT
While the IND is processing the application, the IND will ask for proof that the 1.25 million EUR has been transferred. At this point, the requirement is: "has been transferred to a Dutch bank account". You have 2 options:
1. You transfer the money directly to the VC Fund.
2. You transfer it to a Dutch law firm, and ask to hold it in their escrow account.
We recommend option 1, but if that does not feel good to you, you can go for the second option.
3 months
Processing Time
7
RECEIVE YOUR WELCOME LETTER
Receive your "welcome letter", transfer the money, and receive your residence permit
If you meet the conditions (investment has been made, and no criminal activities are found), you will receive a "Welcome letter" from the Dutch Immigration Services to welcome you to the Netherlands.
You can pick up your temporarily visa at the Dutch embassy, called an MVV.
With the MVV you can travel into the Netherlands; if you can enter the Netherlands without a visa, you do not need to pick up an MVV: you can travel straight to the Netherlands.
When you arrived in the Netherlands, we will make an appointment for you at the IND office. At the IND office you can pick up your residence visa.
Time requirement from your side:
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1 day: travel to the Embassy to pick up your MVV.
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Several days: travelling to the Netherlands to pick up your Residence Permit.
1 week
8
WELCOME!
Now you have access to all facilities like you are a Dutchman or Dutchwoman: you can make use of the health care, the education, the travel visa exemptions, etc.
If preferred, we can connect you to our partner agency, that will make everything possible for your for a soft landing: our partner helps you with finding housing, signing up for insurance, registration at the General Practioner, arranging internet at your house, etc.
AFTER BEING GRANTED A RESIDENCE PERMIT
Enjoy being a Dutch person!
2 year's extension:
You will receive a residence permit that is valid for 3 years; after 3 years it can be extended with 2 years if have done the following:
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You rent OR bought an accommodation in the Netherlands.
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You have Dutch health insurance.
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You paid your local taxes.
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You did not involve in criminal activities.
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More information, you can find on the website of the Immigration Service.
Permanent: after 5 years you get 3 options:
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Continu the Investor Visa
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As long as your investment runs, you can keep on renewing the Investor Visa; if the VC fund closed and return the investment + returns to you; you can decide to re-invest it again in a VC fund. By keeping 1.25 EUR million invested, you can keep on renewing the investor visa.
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You will have all the privileges that a Dutch person also enjoys, except that you cannot vote in the national elections (still, you do can vote in the municipal elections).
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You can stay maximum 8 consecutive months abroad. After which you need to stay for a period in the Netherlands (minimum 1 day), after which you can stay again 8 consecutive months abroad.
2. Permanent Residence Permit
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You can apply for a Permanent Resident Permit, for this you need to pass a Dutch language test on A2 level (speaking, writing, listening, reading), you need to pass the culture exam about "Knowledge of Dutch society", and the labor exam with questions about the labor market.
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After obtaining the Permanent Residence Permit, you do not have to keep your investment active in the VC fund.
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You have all the privileges that a Dutch person also enjoys, except for that you cannot vote in the national elections (still, you do can vote in municipal elections).
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You can stay maximum 4 consecutive months abroad. After which you need to stay for a period in the Netherlands (minimum 1 day), after which you can stay again 4 consecutive months abroad.
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You can also apply for an official Dutch passport, for this you need to pass a Dutch language test on A2 level (speaking, writing, listening, reading), you need to pass the culture exam about "Knowledge of Dutch society" , and the labor exam with questions about the labor market.
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When you have a passport, there is no minimum stay requirement for staying in the Netherlands.
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More information, you can find on the website of the Immigration Service.
COSTS
Everything has a price
Application process:
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Investment: €1.25 Million:
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note that this is an investment, not an expenditure: depending on your investment, in the startup industry, your investment can double in a few years.
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The investment of EUR 1. 25 Million (± USD 1. 35 Million) only needs to be paid, after your visa application is successful.
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OrangeVisas fee: EUR 30.000 (± USD 32,000) ex VAT. + EUR 5,000 (± USD 5,300) per dependant
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this fee only needs to be paid, after your visa application is successful.
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Dutch Immigration Services IND: EUR 2.400 per person (± USD 3.650)
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this fee needs to be paid always, regardless of a successful visa application.
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Lawyer:
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not needed.
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Fiscal advisor:
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you may want to check what are the implicants for your financial situation.
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a Dutch fiscal advisor specialized in this field will costs ± EUR 273 an hour, depending on your situation, an advisor will bill 3-6 hours.
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Renewal after 3 years:
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Administration fee for the government: EUR 1,200 per person.
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OrangeVisas fee: EUR 5,000 + 1,000 EUR per extra person ex VAT.
Application for permanent residency or passport after 5 years (2 years after the renewal):
Naturalization (passport):
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Administration fee for the government: EUR 1,000 per adult, EUR 150 for children.
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OrangeVisas fee: EUR 5,000 + 1,000 EUR per dependant ex VAT.
Permanent residence permit/Long-term EU residency
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Administration fee for the government: EUR 210 per adult, EUR 70 for children.
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OrangeVisas fee: EUR 3,000 + 500 EUR per dependant ex VAT.
Further costs of living in the Netherlands:
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Obtaining a post & residence address: you can rent or buy accommodation.
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Renting accommodation:
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prices range from a room on the country side (€500 per month) to a luxury canal house in Amsterdam (€9,000 per month). An average 3 bed room furnished apartment in a city will cost 3,000 EUR a month.
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For rentals, we recommend the website www.pararius.nl.
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Buying accommodation:
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village on the countryside:
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3 bedroom apartment: EUR 600,000.
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Family house EUR 800,000.
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suburb around Amsterdam:
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3 bedroom apartment: EUR 900,000.
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Family house EUR 1,200,000.
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Amsterdam:
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3 bedroom apartment: EUR 1,400,000.
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family house: EUR 2,000,000.
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17th century canal house: EUR 3,000,000-6,000,000.
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For buying, we recommend the website www.funda.nl.
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Municipality tax:
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when you live in the Netherlands, you will pay taxes to the municipality; these taxes are not related to income.
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The taxes are for the garbage pick-up service, water service, road service and the sewer.
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The exact amount depends in which municipality you live, it is around EUR 1,000-5,000 a year.
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Income and wealth tax:
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If you need to pay income tax and wealth tax in the Netherlands or your native country, depends how this is structured. We advice to talk with a fiscal lawyer for this. Our office can provide you with the contact of a knowledgeable tax office.
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The maximum income tax is 52% and the wealth tax is 1.2% of your invested wealth - weather or not you need to pay this in the Netherlands, or whether it is sufficient to pay abroad and nothing -or a part- in the Netherlands, will depends on your personal situation. We recommend to talk with an international tax advisor for this.
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Insurance:
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every citizen in the Netherlands must have a health insurance.
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A healthy insurance costs ± EUR 150-400 a month, depending on how much service you want to include in your package.
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LANGUAGE & INTEGRATION
Easier than you think
Integration & language requirements
After 5 years, to obtain the passport or Permanent Residency, you need to do the Civil Integration Exam.
If you do not want to switch to a passport or Permanent Residency, and prefer to stay in the Investor Visa, no Integration exam is required.
The civil integration exam consists of 3 parts:
Language: Reading, listening, speaking, writing: on A2 level. A2 level is described as “For those who want to demonstrate they can manage in informal everyday situations”. For example, you will need to write a very short letter to a doctor to inform that you want to cancel an appointment; you need to fill out a registration form for the sport school; and you need to write a short note for your neighbours that they are invited for a cup of tea on your birthday.
Knowledge of the Dutch labor market
Exemption: people above retirement age (67 years) don’t have to do this exam. The exam is on how the Dutch labor market is structured.
Knowledge of Dutch society: a test about the norms & values in the Netherlands. When you are taking Dutch language classes at a certified language school, the language school will also cover the Dutch society during the language course.
Failing the exam
You can retake the exam in case you fail as many times as you want.
If you keep failing the exam, you can ask for an exemption to do the exam. This works as follows: if you show to the Immigration Services that you followed at least 600 hours of Dutch classes at a certified school (meaning, 4 months of classes on a 40 hour week), then you can ask for the exemption and you are considered that you “passed” the exam as well.
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