The New MVV Visa & Residence Permit Instructions for the Netherlands

Schiphol Airport Immigration for Departures

I have seen a bit of activity on my blog related to visas so I thought I would post some information that I gleaned after reading about the new and (hopefully) improved visa process. This new process was just minted on June 1, 2013! I hope this is helpful to some people because I spent a lot of time googling “visa”, “MVV”, “residence permit”, et al before stumbling across other bloggers with information.

Earlier I posted about the arduous process of applying for and receiving a MVV visa (temporary residence permit). My MVV was granted and Iwas allowed to enter the country and stay for longer than 3 months. Since I was staying longer than 4 months then once in the country I had to apply for my residence permit. The residence permit application process involved filling out a pretty impressive packet of paperwork and taking this paperwork to IND (the Immigration and Naturalization people) where I was then subject to photographing and fingerprinting.

Yesterday, I had just begun researching the application process for an updated blog post on the topic and holy shit the entire process is different as of June 1, 2013! Seriously, I was one of the last to be stuck in the antiquated and bureaucratic Dutch visa process. It totally sucked for me, but for anyone now applying the process seems a whole lot easier. Now I bet it isn’t all that much easier, but it at least seems to involve a few less offices.

The new process is called TEV (Entry and Residence Procedure) and has a few highlights I would like to point out.

• Either you or a sponsor can apply for the visa and permit.
• The MVV visa and residence permit application process still exists for some countries. However, it seems that many countries (including the USA) are exempt from applying for the MVV. This is great news since it saves some hassle!

You will not require an MVV (provisional residence visa) when: (1) You currently hold a (valid) residence permit for the Netherlands or (2) you have the nationality of one of the following countries: Australia, Canada, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, South Korea, United States of America and Vatican City.

• If you need both the MVV and the residence permit, you fill out 1 set of paperwork. Essentially the TEV, is filing out the paperwork for BOTH the MVV and the residence permit. Woohoo!
• If you DON’T need the MVV, then you just apply for the residence permit from your home country.
• You can apply for the residence permit by post saving you a trip to your local consulate to get the MVV visa, which is what I had to do.
• Your application is reviewed (this can take up to 90 days), then if you are granted an MVV you go to the local consulate in your home country to pick it up. If you are granted a residence permit then you collect it in the Netherlands at the IND after your arrival. It says you don’t even need an appointment to collect the residence document at the IND. Hooray for streamlining the process.
• The residence permit can be granted for up to 5 years. That is right 5 years of living with the Dutch! I need to get a job back there and quickly.

Waiting for a train in Delft after a meeting

What does this mean? I hope it means less headache because the process before seemed unduly complicated. Plus I ended up with 2 stickers in my passport plus a residence permit card. This seems excessive for 1 person coming to their country. Just think of all the man hours that went into securing all those visas and permits!

My entire first month in the Netherlands was filled with meetings and paperwork to secure my residence permit. Now the process seems so streamlined. I just apply before I go since I am from the USA and don’t need an MVV, find out if I am granted the permit, then collect it upon arrival. I hope to move back to NL so I can test out this new process.

I found out about the changes here at an expatica blog that was everything you need to know about Dutch visas.