Family visa
Family Reunification Netherlands
A move only succeeds when the whole family arrives well. Family reunification lets your spouse and children join you in the Netherlands, and doing it properly means bundling permits, certificates from your home country and school planning into one coordinated operation.
We run that operation for families around Rotterdam, Europoort and the wider industrial region, where international professionals arrive on contracts and their families follow. It is our home turf, and it shapes everything from which schools we recommend to which municipality desks we know by name.
What is family reunification?
Family reunification, gezinshereniging in Dutch, is the route that brings a partner and children to live with someone who already holds residence in the Netherlands. It is a single legal framework covering the whole household rather than a separate procedure per person.
The IND assesses the sponsor as much as the applicants: a stable income at or above the statutory threshold, suitable housing, and civil status documents from the country of origin that survive legalisation. Children have their own evidence requirements around custody and parental consent.
Made for
- Work permit holders whose spouse and children are still abroad
- Families moving to the Netherlands at the same time as the main applicant
- Parents bringing minor children from a previous relationship
- Employers arranging family reunification for a relocated specialist
Conditions for the family file
One sponsor carries the whole family application. Everything below is tested against that person, and against paperwork issued in countries you have already left.
- The main permit holder acts as sponsor and must hold a valid residence permit on a non-temporary basis.
- Income of at least 2,523.96 euro gross per month including holiday allowance, assessed as durable (2026 figure).
- Children must be minors, unmarried, and must have belonged to the family before the move to the Netherlands.
- Where one parent remains abroad, written consent from that parent is required before a child can move.
- Certificates from most countries need legalisation or an apostille and a sworn translation into Dutch, English, French or German.
- Applications filed together with the main applicant are decided faster than applications filed afterwards.
How we bring a family over
Family file strategy
One plan for every family member: who applies when, which permits link to yours, and how the timelines interlock.
Certificates done right
Marriage and birth certificates, custody documents where relevant, all legalized or apostilled correctly the first time.
IND applications for each member
We prepare and submit the applications for your spouse and children and manage every follow-up request.
Schools and childcare
International, bilingual or Dutch schools, chosen for your children and your commute. We arrange visits and introductions before you arrive.
A real landing
Registrations, BSN numbers for everyone, healthcare and the small things that make a house feel like a decision well made.
From apart to together
- 01
Family intake
We map every family member’s nationality, documents and needs in one conversation.
- 02
Prepare and submit
Certificates are legalized while we build and file the applications in parallel to save months.
- 03
Travel and settle
Entry visas, flights, registration and school starts, sequenced so nobody waits on anybody.
Professional fees for a family reunification application
Investment from €1,195
- Income and sponsor requirements checked against your actual contract
- One coordinated file for your partner and each child
- Document legalisation and sworn translation requirements mapped per country
- Applications filed together and monitored to the decision
Investment figures represent our professional service fees only and are intended as a guideline. Government fees (including IND filing fees), VAT, legalisation and apostille costs, sworn translations, consular charges and any third-party expenses are not included unless explicitly stated in the proposal.
Children’s applications hinge on details parents rarely expect, such as consent from a parent staying behind. Raise your full family situation during intake so nothing surfaces late.
How family files really run
Should we apply together or follow later?
Together whenever it is possible. A simultaneous family application is decided alongside the main file, lands on one timeline and avoids a second income test. Following later is entirely workable, it simply costs an extra procedure and several months apart.
How long does legalisation take?
Between two weeks and six months depending on the country, because in many places the chain runs through the local ministry of foreign affairs and then the Dutch embassy. This is the single most common cause of delay in family files, which is why we start it before anything else.
Can our children start school straight away?
Yes. Children in the Netherlands have both the right and the obligation to attend school regardless of permit status, and international schools and newcomer classes usually admit them within weeks. We run the school search alongside the permit rather than after it.
What if a child turns eighteen during the procedure?
The IND assesses age at the moment of submission, so a child who was a minor when the application was filed does not lose eligibility by having a birthday while it is pending. It is precisely why we file early rather than file perfectly.
What families want to know
Can my spouse work in the Netherlands?
In most cases yes. Spouses of highly skilled migrants and most permit holders receive free access to the labour market on arrival.
Will my children need to learn Dutch?
Not necessarily. The Rotterdam and The Hague regions have strong international and bilingual schools. Younger children often pick up Dutch quickly in local schools, and we advise per child, not per brochure.
Can we all apply at the same time?
Yes, and you usually should. Bundled applications keep the family on one timeline and one decision moment. We structure it that way whenever possible.
Bring everyone home
Tell us who is moving and from where. We will design one plan that lands your whole family together.
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