NETHERLANDS – Birth Certificates for Principal Knowledge Migrant Applicants No Longer Required; Biometric Scanners Introduced from Feb 2014
The Expatcenter in Amsterdam has announced that beginning January 1 2014, highly skilled migrants coming to the Netherlands under the Knowledge Migrant Program will no longer be required to submit legalized birth certificates in support of their registration applications. Additionally, the Expatcenter has confirmed that it will begin using biometric scanners to record photographs and fingerprints of applicants beginning February 1, 2014.
Birth Certificates No Longer Required
The requirement to submit the principal applicant’s birth certificate in support of registration added considerable administration to applications, as the birth certificate needed to have been issued within the 90 days preceding the application and needed to be legalized or Apostilled for use in the Netherlands. The process of obtaining a new birth certificate and then legalizing or Apostilling it often took several weeks or even months, depending on the country of issuance of the birth certificate. The removal of this requirement for Knowledge Migrant applicants registering via the Expatcentre in Amsterdam is therefore significant.
Note that legalized/Apostilled birth certificates will still be required for registration for accompanying children and also for EU nationals.
Biometric Residence Permits
As for all EU members, the Netherlands is required to introduce residence permits with a biometric component (in this case, a biometric photograph and a chip containing fingerprint details) according to EC regulations 1030/2002 and 380/2008. All European Union member states were required to implement biometric residence permits by May 1, 2011 and most have done this or are in the process of implementing it.
The biometric residence permits are supposed to be more secure than previous documents and must be issued in a uniform format across the EU. Beginning February 1, 2014, the IND and the Expatcenter in the Netherlands will begin working with biometric scanning devices to record and read photographs and fingerprints.
Applicants Requiring Entry Visas
All applicants requiring a temporary residence permit (MVV) should visit the embassy or consulate of their home nation to have a photograph taken and their fingerprints recorded. This data will then be sent to the IND so that the residence card can be created. When the highly skilled migrant visits the Expatcenter to collect their card, they will have their fingerprints scanned once more as verification.
Visa Waiver Applicants
Applicants who do not require an MVV can have their photograph and fingerprints recorded at the Expatcenter on arrival in the Netherlands. Their card will be available to collect after three working days.
BSN Number for Short Term Assignments from the Expatcenter
Finally, the Expatcenter has announced that beginning January 6, 2014, applicants in the Netherlands for short term assignments (four months or less) will be able to apply for their personal public service number (burgerservicenummer, BSN) directly at the Expatcenter at the time of registration, by registering in the newly created Registry for Non-Residents (Registratie Niet Ingezetenen, RNI). It will also be possible to register in the new Registry at the Immigration Department at Amsterdam City Hall. Previously, these applicants had to request a social security number from the Dutch Tax Office (Belastingdienst).
Action Items
- Note that birth certificates are no longer required for principal Knowledge Migrant applications at the Expatcenter in Amsterdam (although are still required for accompanying children or for EU nationals registering)
- Note that from February, biometric scanners will be in use at the IND and at the Expatcenter, and notify employees accordingly
- Note that BSN numbers can now be obtained for short term assignments at the time of Expatcenter registration; notify colleagues in the Netherlands of this improvement