Dutch Startup Visa vs Self-Employed Residence Permit
They are different permits. The start-up route is a one-year residence permit with a facilitator and an RVO innovation/plan advice. Self-employed is a separate IND scheme. After the start-up year you typically apply for self-employed; you do not extend start-up.
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Side by side
| Start-up | Self-employed | |
|---|---|---|
| Who decides | IND | IND |
| Who advises on the business | RVO (facilitator, innovation, plan) | IND’s self-employed assessment (points / added value; see the live IND page) |
| Facilitator | Required | Not a start-up facilitator scheme |
| Duration | Temporary permit, 1 year | Not the start-up year; see IND for validity and extension of self-employed |
| After year one | Apply for self-employed if you qualify | Stay on self-employed rules, not start-up |
| IND fee (first application, 2026) | €423 | €423, including change to self-employed after start-up |
Fees: IND fees page. They change on 1 January.
How they connect
RVO states that after a year you can apply for a residence permit as a self-employed person. You must receive a statement from your start-up facilitator or meet the standard self-employed requirements. A facilitator is not obliged to give that statement.
That is a new application (change of purpose), not an extension of start-up. The IND even lists a separate fee line: “Change in purpose of stay: self-employed after start up.”
Which one to start with
Start-up is usually the better first permit when:
- The product or service can be argued as innovative for the Dutch market
- You need a structured year with a mentor to go from idea to company
- You cannot yet meet the ordinary self-employed test
Self-employed may be the better first permit when:
- You already run a viable practice or company that scores on the self-employed scheme
- You do not have (and do not want) a start-up facilitator relationship
- Innovation in the RVO sense is not the honest description of the business
US citizens should also read Startup Visa vs DAFT. DAFT sits under the self-employed heading on the IND fees page, as a treaty route.
Open both IND wizards. They ask for nationality and current permit. The answers differ.
NLVentureDesk specialises in the start-up route as a proposed facilitator. We will say if self-employed (or neither) is the better first conversation. We do not run a general immigration law practice.
