Moving to the UK from the Netherlands: Guide

Visiting: an Electronic Travel Authorisation, Not a Visa

The Netherlands is not on the Home Office visa national list, so Dutch citizens do not need a visitor visa for a short trip. Instead you need an electronic travel authorisation. It costs £20, and it covers visits of up to 6 months each. You do not need one to change planes at a UK airport if you do not pass through UK border control. An electronic travel authorisation does not let you work, study long term, or move to the UK.

The EU Settlement Scheme

If you were living in the UK by 31 December 2020 you may hold settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme. The deadline has passed. GOV.UK says a late application is still possible where you can show reasonable grounds for applying now, and gives examples such as a serious medical condition, lacking the capacity to apply, or a parent or local authority not having applied for you as a child. A family member joining someone with status has 90 days from first arriving in the UK after 31 December 2020, and a child born or adopted after 1 April 2021 has 90 days from birth or adoption.

Visa Routes for Dutch Citizens

• Skilled Worker visa. Requires a licensed sponsor, a job at degree level (level 6 of the regulated qualifications framework) for a new application, and a salary of at least £41,700 a year or the going rate for the job, whichever is higher. Some applicants qualify at the lower £33,400 threshold. A job on the Immigration Salary List uses that lower threshold and a lower fee, but the full going rate for the job still applies. See the salary threshold guide.
• Family visa. The sponsoring partner normally needs an income of at least £29,000 a year. A decision usually takes 12 weeks from outside the UK. See the spouse visa guide.
• Student visa. £558, and a decision usually takes 3 weeks from outside the UK. See the student visa guide.
• Graduate route. 2 years after a UK degree, or 3 years after a PhD. For applications made on or after 1 January 2027 the standard length falls to 18 months. See the Graduate route guide.

The Netherlands is not a Commonwealth country and is not on the Youth Mobility Scheme list, so neither the UK Ancestry route nor the Youth Mobility Scheme is open on a Dutch passport.

Document Requirements

• Valid Dutch passport.
• No tuberculosis test. The Netherlands is not on the list of countries where a test is needed. It still applies if you have lived for 6 months or more in a country that is on the list and were living there within the last 6 months.
• English language test. Needed for most work, study and family routes. English is widely spoken in the Netherlands, but the Netherlands is not on the majority English-speaking list, and being widely spoken creates no exemption. A degree taught in English can be used instead of a test if UK ENIC confirms it is equivalent to a UK degree.
• Verklaring Omtrent het Gedrag. Not needed for every route. The Home Office asks for a police certificate for Skilled Worker and Temporary Worker applications in certain jobs, mostly in healthcare, education, therapy and social services, and for some other routes. Where it is needed, apply to Justis, which charges €41.35 and says a decision is taken within 4 to 8 weeks. Check the GOV.UK criminal records checks guidance for how to apply from the Netherlands.

What It Costs

UK visa fees are set in pounds sterling and are the same wherever you apply from.

• Electronic travel authorisation: £20
• Skilled Worker visa from outside the UK: £819 for up to 3 years, £1,618 for more than 3 years
• Student visa: £558
• Healthcare surcharge: £1,035 a year, or £776 a year for students, their dependants and under-18s
• Settlement: £3,226 for each person
• British citizenship: £1,709 to apply plus a £130 ceremony fee, £1,839 in total
• English test: GOV.UK publishes no price. Test providers set their own fees.

See our UK visa fees guide.

What the Healthcare Surcharge Buys

Paying the immigration health surcharge does not make the National Health Service free. It puts you on the same footing as a UK resident, so you then pay what a resident pays. In England that means £9.90 for each prescription item and dental charges of £27.90, £76.60 or £332.10 depending on the treatment. Prescriptions are free in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Dutch Nationality and British Citizenship

Dutch law generally removes Dutch nationality from an adult who voluntarily acquires another nationality. There are exceptions, for example where you are married to or in a registered partnership with a national of the other country, where you were born there and still live there, or where you lived there for five years before turning 18. That is a question for the Dutch authorities, not the Home Office, and nothing in UK law stops you applying for British citizenship. Check your position with the Dutch authorities, or with the Dutch embassy in London, before you apply.

After Arrival

• Set up or sign in to your UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account and check your online immigration status. There is no card to collect: biometric residence permits stopped being issued at the end of 2024 and were replaced by the eVisa. To prove your status to an employer or a landlord you generate a share code, which lasts 90 days
• Apply for a National Insurance number
• Register with a GP
• Open a UK bank account

Path to Settlement

Most work and family routes lead to settlement, also called indefinite leave to remain, after 5 years. It costs £3,226 for each person and a decision usually takes up to 6 months. After 12 months with settlement you can apply for British citizenship for £1,709 plus a £130 ceremony fee.

Next Steps

For official information, visit the GOV.UK EU Settlement Scheme page and the GOV.UK Skilled Worker visa page.

Questions and answers