Egyptian nationals may choose to come to the Netherlands to reside for employment purposes as well as family reunification, for studying or starting a business. Immigrants are required to make some of their arrangements before they enter the country as well as handle other matters while they are settling in their chosen Dutch city.
People who want to immigrate from Egypt to the Netherlands need to consider the rules and conditions regarding the necessary visas to enter the country. Applying for a Dutch Visa, which is a Schengen visa, needs to be done three months prior to the arrival in the Netherlands. Assistance and complete guidance for obtaining the needed visa to relocate to the Netherlands, besides details about the Dutch residence permit can be obtained from our immigration lawyer in the Netherlands.
Apply for a Dutch visa as a citizen of Egypt
People from Egypt who want to submit the application form of a Dutch visa can visit the Embassy of the Netherlands in Cairo.
The application process will depend on the chosen type of visa, on whether or is for study or for employment purposes as well as others. Below, we list the main types of visas:
- employment: Egyptians willing to work in the Netherlands need a permit which will be a single one or a separate residence and work permit, depending on the type of work.
- highly-skilled migrant: individuals can also work as a highly-skilled migrant when they are to be transferred as a specialist or a manager to a branch in the country.
- study: for those who have been admitted to a university or another educational institution; they can also gain experience as trainees.
- investment: foreign investors can apply for a residence permit when they invest a minimum amount and the investment offers an added value to the Dutch economy; we can help you apply for the Netherland investor visa;
- family reunification: a spouse or a partner, as well as a minor child, can obtain a residence permit to be able to join a family member who is already living in the country.
Individuals relocating from Egypt will need to apply for a residence permit in Netherlands that suits their purpose of stay. For residency, this will be a medium to long-term purpose for employment, study, or business and, in some cases, for family reunification. The documents required for the application process include both general ones and documents thar are permit-specific.
We strongly recommend you solicit complete guidance and information from one of our Dutch immigration lawyers.
Visa requirements in the Netherlands
For a long-term visa to enter the Netherlands, Egyptians should consider the following requirements:
• the candidates need to provide a valid passport;
• if the individuals immigrate to the Netherlands for a job offer, he/she should offer an employment letter;
• a tuberculosis test is mandatory;
• the applicants need to provide details about the medical insurance;
• the candidates need to offer a copy of the ID from the home country.
A long-term entry visa for the Netherlands is available for 90 days and can be extended on request, being issued by the IND (Immigration and Naturalization Services). The next step is to apply for an authorization for temporary stay (MVV), which is also issued by the IND.
Various visa fees apply and they vary depending on the type of visa. For example, the first visa application for an individual who intends to stay with his/her partner in the Netherlands (the family visa) is 171 euros. For children under 18, this gee is lower, at 57 euros. Please remember that these fees can be updated. We recommend talking to one of our Dutch immigration lawyers for complete information on the visa fees.
How to apply for certain types of visas
Egyptian nationals who wish to apply for a foreign investor visa are required to follow a number of conditions, out of which an important one refers to the value of the investment. The Immigration and Naturalization Department will ask the Enterprise Agency (RVO) to evaluate the value of the investment in terms of employment, innovation and other non-financial criteria. Some of the issues that are taken into consideration are the following:
- Registration: the company needs to be registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce.
- Nature of investment: the investment needs to be one that will be positive for the Dutch economy.
- Continuity: the founders must prove that the company will have continuity after the investment.
- Job creation: the company will create at least 10 job positions within a certain timeframe.
- Innovation: the company will need to bring a new product or service to the Netherlands, it can involve a new production technology or an innovative organizational setup.
These are the conditions for investment in an innovative company. Alternatively, entrepreneurs can also make an investment in a contractual joint venture (for investment in one or more innovative companies) as well as an investment in a fund or a venture capital company. For the last two options, the fund or the venture capital company need to be approved as being ones that have added value to the country’s economy.
When Egyptian nationals decide to immigrate to the Netherlands via an investment in an innovative company, they will be asked to present an investment plan. The minimum requirements for this are the following:
- present the details of the company, the product offered, the number of employees, strategy, target, etc.
- state the identification details for the investor and the investment period.
- the purpose and the size of the investment, its value.
- list the expected effects of the investment and the conditions under which this will take place.
Our team of specialists in Netherlands immigration can give you more details about the foreign investor visa and the manner in which the value of the investment for the Dutch economy will be evaluated. You can also discuss the options for Netherlands citizenship with us, once you have made the investment.
Apply for a residence permit as an immigrant from Egypt
If you have decided the Netherlands can be your definitive home, you should apply for a Dutch permanent residence permit. This process can start if you have lived for at least five years with no interruptions and you hold a non-permanent residence permit. The authorities in charge will analyze the background of an Egyptian citizen who worked and lived in the Netherlands for at least 5 years and will search if he/she has a clean background and is eligible to obtain the permanent residence permit. We remind that this document comes with the same rights as for any Dutch citizen and gives the right to apply for any kind of job and live in any city in the Netherlands. Citizens from Egypt who are legally established in the Netherlands can solicit guidance in Dutch citizenship matters.
The Netherlands is an attractive country for expats, as shown in the following Netherlands immigration statistics for 2018:
– from Q1 to Q3 there was an 80,500 net population growth;
– the population movement was the following: 185,900 immigrants and 116,500 emigrants;
– in 2017, there were 235,000 immigrants who arrived in the country.
The high immigration rate is determined by the increased immigration from other EU countries and from other states and also by asylum seekers and family members who are following a relative who is already residing in the country.
Regardless of the manner in which foreign nationals choose to immigrate to the Netherlands, having specialized aid during the relocation process can prove very important. Egyptian nationals can request services that are tailored to their particular reason for immigration.
Egyptian expats living in the Netherlands may wish to make their step a permanent one. This can mean that, after five years of uninterrupted and lawful stay, they may consider applying for Dutch citizenship. You should know that the Netherlands allows foreign nationals to retain dual citizenship. If you are interested in starting the application process, our team can help you.
Please feel free to contact our immigration lawyer in Netherlands for further details about how to immigrate from Egypt.