Standard first / change fee
€423
2026 standard self-employed fee, valid through 31 Dec 2026.
Check current sourceDirect self-employed residence · Build path
How to work for yourself in NL
If you need a Dutch residence purpose that allows self-employment, this page keeps the whole route in one place: which legal route applies, which form you use, what evidence changes, what you pay, and how extension works later.
Source-linked. Human-reviewed. General guidance, not legal advice. The canonical residence model behind this page was verified on 20 Sept 2026. Fee figures shown here are a 2026 snapshot and are valid through 31 Dec 2026. Later periods must be refreshed from the linked official sources.
Where this page sits
Start-up permit first
Founder residence journey
You started on the Dutch Start-up permit and are continuing through its dedicated post-Start-up branch.
You are here
Direct self-employed residence
You need a self-employed residence route without using the dedicated post-Start-up transition.
Residence already settled
Set up the business
Your status already lets you work for yourself. Move on to KVK, tax, insurance and operations.
The route
One residence purpose, several legal routes underneath it
Self-employed is the destination, not one universal checklist. Nationality, long-term EU status, work category and legal action can change the assessment, form and evidence.
1
Check whether you need this residence journey
EU/EEA/Swiss citizens and some people whose current Dutch status already allows self-employment belong on the practical business path instead.
2
Identify the route family
Ordinary points, Turkish Association rules, US/Japan treaty routes, long-term EU status, artist routes and independent professions use different assessment logic.
3
Choose the legal action
First application, change of purpose and extension are different actions, even when the residence purpose is self-employed.
4
Prepare only the evidence for that route
Do not copy the ordinary business-plan dossier into every case. Evidence follows the resolved legal route.
5
Submit and keep the route current
After approval, the permit can run for up to 2 years before a later extension.
Permit validity
Up to 2 years
Maximum validity in the canonical self-employed model.
Check current sourceDecision period
90 days
Can be extended when IND asks another body for advice.
Check current sourceExtension window
3 months
The regular window opens before expiry.
Check current sourceRoute families
The main ways a direct self-employed application can differ
These families come from the canonical legal model, not from a marketing taxonomy.
RVO points assessment
The standard commercial business or freelance route when no special nationality or status branch applies.
- Experience
- Business plan
- Added value for the Dutch economy
- Expert-checked financial documents where required
EU-Turkey Association route
A different business-plan assessment and the current lower Turkish work-route fee.
- No ordinary points system
- Business viability and Dutch-market factors
- Current fee: €85
- Special in-country / extension form branch
Treaty route
The frozen model automates the substantial-capital business ground and keeps other treaty grounds in manual review.
- Separate treaty purpose
- Capital rules depend on business form
- Borrowed capital does not count
- Capital must remain above the minimum
Coming from another EU Member State
A first Dutch permit route for someone who already holds long-term EU resident status from another Member State.
- This is not the EU Blue Card
- No MVV on the verified first-Dutch-permit route
- Form 7528 for the first Dutch permit
- 2026 status-based fee: €254
Self-employed artist
A cultural-interest assessment instead of the ordinary business points dossier.
- Cultural-interest assessment
- Culture-fund or cultural-institution evidence
- No ordinary business points dossier
- Artist extension remains a manual-review edge
Authority-specific assessment
IND uses advice from the relevant ministry or implementing organisation rather than the ordinary points dossier.
- Professional permission where applicable
- Authority-specific evidence
- No ordinary RVO points dossier
- Treaty combinations stay conservative where sources do not settle them
Special routes are not automatically better routes
The job of this page is to identify the route that actually applies, not to optimise for a label such as DAFT, long-term EU or artist.
Optional personalisation
Not sure which route family is yours?
The page stays useful without interaction. Open the route finder only when you want the frozen model to narrow the form, fee and evidence branch to your situation.
Find my routeAnswer a few questions
Where the official sources do not settle an overlap, the tool stops rather than guessing.
Open route finder
Find my route
Answer a few questions
Where the official sources do not settle an overlap, the tool stops rather than guessing.
Question 10%
Before we start
Are you an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen?
If yes, you do not need a Dutch residence permit to work for yourself.
Application sequence
What you do, in order
The exact documents change by route, but the operating sequence is stable.
- 1
Confirm the residence route and legal action
First application, change of purpose and extension are different actions. If you are continuing from a Start-up permit, use the Founder journey.
- 2
Settle the entry and submission position
For a first application, determine MVV status from the current IND rules. Some no-MVV routes involve travel first and submission in the Netherlands.
- 3
Build the route-specific evidence package
Ordinary business, Turkish, treaty, artist, independent-profession and extension dossiers are not interchangeable.
- 4
Submit the correct IND form
The canonical model resolves across forms 9531, 7524, 7531, 7528 and 7535.
- 5
Respond to the assessment process
IND can ask RVO, OCW or another authority for advice and may request additional documents by a deadline.
Evidence
What changes in the dossier
The data model is useful because it shows the differences between evidence families instead of pretending there is one universal checklist.
Ordinary first / change
Experience + business plan + added value
Professional permission if applicable, income declaration, business plan, experience dossier, added-value dossier, assignments where relevant, sanctions statement and expert-checked financial documents.
Treaty capital branch
Capital evidence, not the points dossier
KVK evidence, business bank evidence, business-form-specific capital documents, sanctions statement and the required expert check.
Artist
Cultural evidence
Either a national culture-fund subsidy decision, or the cultural-institution evidence named in the relevant form.
Ordinary extension
A much lighter file
The canonical ordinary extension profile focuses on sufficient means through the self-employed income declaration. Do not rebuild the first-application points dossier.
Financial documents can need an independent expert check
Several current forms require financial supporting documents to be checked by an authorised independent external expert. Treat that as a scheduling dependency.
Forms and fees
The form is a result of the route, not the starting point
These are the procedure families in the frozen model.
| Procedure | Form | Typical use | Fee signal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Admission and residence from abroad | 9531 | First application where an MVV is required; purposes 377 / 562. | Standard €423; San Marino / Israel €0 on this form. |
| In-country first application / change | 7524 | MVV-exempt first application, change of purpose and US/Japan treaty routes. | Standard first/change €423. |
| Turkish Association route | 7531 | Turkish first/change/extension branches in the Netherlands. | 2026 work-route fee €85. |
| Long-term EU first Dutch permit | 7528 | First Dutch permit for a long-term EU resident from another Member State. | Status-based fee €254. |
| Extension | 7535 | Ordinary self-employed and treaty extensions; no explicit current artist-562 section. | 2026 standard extension €423. |
After approval
The next application is usually an extension, but the evidence changes again
Once you hold the self-employed residence purpose, the next question is whether you still meet its current conditions as the permit approaches expiry.
Maximum permit
2 years
Maximum validity of the self-employed permit.
Apply from
3 months
Before expiry, while the current permit is still valid.
Check current sourceOrdinary extension
Income evidence
Do not rebuild the full first-application points dossier.
Check current source · 2026/1Treaty extension
Maintain capital
Balance sheet, profit-and-loss figures and proof the investment remains in place.
Check current source · 2026/1Keep the residence history continuous
Work from the expiry date on the residence card and the official extension window. Permanent residence later remains a separate route with its own conditions.
Related practical guides
The residence page orchestrates. The operational guides keep their own detail.
Facts and freshness
Structural rules stay stable. Forms and money do not.
Structural routing comes from the frozen canonical model. Fees, form versions and other time-sensitive facts remain separately sourced and refreshable.
| Fact family | Snapshot value | Current source state |
|---|---|---|
| Standard first/change fee | €423 | 2026 IND fee fact |
| Turkish work-route fee | €85 | 2026 IND fee fact |
| Long-term EU self-employed status fee | €254 | 2026 IND status-based row |
| Forms | 9531 · 7524 · 7535 · 7531 · 7528 | Visible PDF versions are preserved in the source register |
| Last canonical verification | 20 Sept 2026 | Independent freeze review completed before UI implementation |
Official sources
The authorities behind this page
IND publishes the residence procedures, forms, fees and guidance. Dutch government policy carries the treaty-capital detail.
Residence permit self-employed personForm 9531: admission and residence to work on a self-employed basis · 2026/2Form 7524: purpose of residence to work on a self-employed basis · 2026/2Form 7535: extension of residence permit for work-related purposes · 2026/1Form 7531: residence permit in connection with the Convention between the European Union and Turkey · 2026/1Coming to the Netherlands as a long-term EU residentForm 7528: long-term third-country national from outside the EU · 2025/6Fees: costs of an applicationProvisional residence permit (MVV)MVV exemptionsPolicy rules for self-employed residence and US/Japan treaty substantial capital