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Coming to Europe

General NEWS

May 22, 2026 at 2:03 PM

Visa and Entry conditionshttps://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/information/coming-europe?utm_source=chatgpt.comRegardless of your nationality or career stage—PhD student, postdoctoral, established, or leading researcher—a wide range of resources and support measures are in place to ensure that your relocation goes as smoothly as possible.EURAXESS offers the support and opportunities you need to advance your career in Europe.Discover the practicalities of coming to Europe, including visa and entry conditions, residence permits, hosting, and EU and national regulations.If you are a researcher from outside the EU considering a move to Europe, it’s important to know that both the European Union and its Member States are working to make the process clearer and easier. Immigration policy in the EU is a shared competence, meaning that both the European Union and its Member States have the authority to legislate and adopt legally binding acts in this area. In recent years, EU Member States have significantly expanded tailored visa and residence initiatives to attract global research talent. These programs are designed to cut red tape, accelerate entry procedures, and offer long-term security for researchers.The EU Immigration Portal is an online resource that provides up-to-date, practical information on both EU-wide and national immigration rules, tailored to different types of professionals, including researchers. It offers detailed, country specific guidance on admission requirements, necessary documents, and application procedures. Available in multiple languages, the portal serves as a comprehensive and user friendly guide for navigating the immigration process across the EU.In addition, for guidance tailored to the specific country you’re moving to, visit the EURAXESS national information page to explore natinoal entry conditions, visa procedures, and support services.EU Immigration Portal EURAXESS Country InformationStudents and Researchers DirectiveThe Directive (EU) 2016/801 addresses the conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals, for the purposes of research, studies, training, voluntary service, pupil exchange schemes or educational projects and au pairing. A researcher is defined as: a “third-country national holding a doctoral degree or an appropriate higher education qualification which gives access to doctoral programmes, and who is selected by a research organisation for carrying out a research activity for which the above-mentioned qualification is normally required.”The Directive applies to researchers intending to stay in Europe for more than three months. For those coming for less than three months, rules on short-term visas apply. This directive sets clearer, more consistent and transparent rules, such as: Procedural guarantees: The 90-day time limit for Member States' authorities to decide on an application will make the process more straightforward and transparent.Stay after the research is completed: Researchers will be allowed to remain for up to 9 months in their Member State of residence after finalisation of their research to identify job opportunities or set up a business. This will not amount to an automatic right to work: the researcher who finds a job will have to apply for a work and residence permit.Simpler and more flexible mobility rules: will increase the possibility for researchers to move within the EU for their projects. Family members of researchers will also be granted mobility rights.The short-term mobility period should cover stays in second Member States for a maximum of 180 days in any 360-day period. The long-term mobility period should cover stays in one or several second Member States for more than 180 days.Those rules apply to researchers in both public and private organisations. Individual European countries do not have identical rules of procedure, they need to be verified for each country. While most EU member states are participating in Directive (EU) 2016/801, Ireland and Denmark have opted out and are not bound by its provisions.About the DirectiveEU Blue CardAn EU Blue Card gives highly-qualified workers from outside the EU the opportunity to live and work in an EU Member State, provided they hold the necessary higher professional qualifications, or, where appropriate, higher professional skills, and an employment contract or a binding job offer for at least six months with a salary at least equal to, but no higher than 1.6 times, the average gross national annual salary of the country concerned. . The EU Blue Card applies in 25 of the 27 EU Member States. It does not apply in Denmark and IrelandMore information on the key provisions of the new EU Blue Card Directive can be found in the Summary of EU legislation – EU Blue Card(for example eligibility conditions, length of validity, related rights)EU Blue CardWhat is a hosting agreement?The “hosting agreement” is an agreement signed by a public or private research organisation in the Member State and the researchers, through which they both agree to undertake a research project. The research organisation can only sign a hosting agreement with a researcher if there are funds available for the research and they are satisfied with the researcher's qualifications and skills. It must include some information, notably the title or purpose of the research activity and the start and end date of the activity or its estimated duration. Moving between European countriesOnce granted the residence permit or long-stay visa, a researcher may carry out their research not only in the country of their residence permit/long-stay visa, but also in other EU Member States under specific conditions. When a researcher moves to another EU Member State, the procedure to follow varies based on the destination country and the duration of their stay: Short-Term Mobility (Up to 6 Months) Researchers planning to conduct research in another EU Member State for up to 6 months may need to submit specific documents to the national authorities. Once submitted, they can relocate immediately. Long-Term Mobility (More than 6 Months) For stays exceeding 6 months, researchers must follow country-specific procedures. Some Member States require the same process as short-term stays, while others mandate a long-term mobility permit application.Connect with EURAXESS WorldwideWould you like to link up with EURAXESS representatives outside Europe before making the move? EURAXESS Worldwide has regional hubs in Africa, ASEAN, Latin America and the Caribbean, China, India, Japan, Korea, and North America. These hubs offer international researchers tailored information, networking opportunities and practical guidance to support a smooth transition and successful research career in Europe.Explore EURAXESS Worldwide

Netherlands Researcher Visa: Short-Term Mobility under the EU Researcher Directive

General NEWS

May 14, 2026 at 11:09 AM

Directive (EU) 2016/801: Short-term mobility of researchershttps://ind.nl/en/residence-permits/work/directive-eu-2016801-short-term-mobility-of-researchers#what-is-short-term-mobility-You have a residence permit as a researcher in a different EU country under Directive (EU) 2016/801. You are coming for a maximum of 180 days out of a 360-day period to carry out research in the Netherlands. Find out what the requirements are and what the process is.What is short-term mobility?Directive (EU) 2016/801 provides that researchers from outside the European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland can carry out their research in several EU countries. This is called intra-EU-mobility. Researchers choose a first EU Member State where they are going to carry out research. Afterwards the researcher can carry out parts of the research in one or more other EU countries.There are 2 forms of intra-EU mobility for researchers.Short-term mobility: the researcher comes to the Netherlands to carry out research for a maximum of 180 days out of a 360-day period. No residence permit is required for short-term mobility. Your residence permit in the other country is also valid in the Netherlands.Long-term mobility: the researcher will come to carry out research in the Netherlands for more than 180 days. A residence permit is required for long-term mobility. Find out more on the web page Residence permit researcher (Directive (EU) 2016/801).Family members of researchersDo your family members in the other EU country have residence permits to live with you? Then they can come along with you to the Netherlands. Your family members do not need Dutch residence permits either. The residence permit from the other EU country must remain valid during the whole period. You must notify the IND yourself of the arrival of your family members with a notification.Requirementshttps://ind.nl/en/residence-permits/work/directive-eu-2016801-short-term-mobility-of-researchers#requirementsThe following requirements apply to short-term mobility for researchers:You have a valid residence permit for the purpose of research under Directive (EU) 2016/801 in a different EU country, except for Ireland en Denmark.You are coming to the Netherlands for a maximum of 180 days out of a period of 360 days. Your residence permit from the other EU country will remain valid during your stay in the Netherlands.You are going to carry out research at a research institution in the Netherlands. This research institution is recognised by the IND as sponsor. A recognised sponsor is listed in the Public Register Recognised Sponsors.You have a host agreement with the Dutch research institution. The host agreement contains the following information:the title or purpose of the research;a statement that you will try to carry out all of the research;a statement that the research institution will receive you for the purpose of completing the research;the start and end dates of the research, or the estimated duration of the research;information about the research that you are going to carry out in other EU countries, if this information is known;the legal relationship between you and your employer, for example an employment contract; andyour terms and conditions of employment.You will earn sufficient income. Will you not receive a salary from your Dutch employer? Then you must have different income. For example a scholarship, grant or money from a sponsor. Or you must have sufficient money in your bank account for the time you are in the Netherlands.There are no reasons to assume that you want to live in the Netherlands for a purpose other than to carry out research.You are not a danger to the public order or national security. Resident PermitsDo you want to work in the Netherlands or do you want to hire a foreign employee? Then you need a residence permit or a work permit in some cases.Highly skilled migranthttps://ind.nl/en/residence-permits/work/highly-skilled-migrantTo work in the Netherlands as a highly skilled migrant, you need a residence permit. Only an employer recognised by the IND can apply for your permit. Read what the requirements are and how your employer can apply.European Blue Card residence permithttps://ind.nl/en/residence-permits/work/european-blue-card-residence-permitWith a European Blue Card, you can work in the Netherlands as a highly educated migrant. Find out what the requirements are and how your employer can apply for the permit.Residence permit researcher (Directive (EU) 2016/801)https://ind.nl/en/residence-permits/work/residence-permit-researcher-directive-eu-2016801Under Directive (EU) 2016/801 you are allowed to work as a researcher in the Netherlands. Find out what the requirements are and how your employer applies for the permit.