The first wave of Moroccan immigrants in the Netherlands was registered between 1965 and 1973 and since then, the country became a good home for numerous people from Morocco, who legally work and live there.
The country is among the ones in Europe with the largest concentration of Moroccans, after France.
The majority of Moroccan immigrants who come to the Netherlands do so based on a work permit, obtained after having previously made the necessary employment arrangements with a Dutch company.
If you want to immigrate to the Netherlands from Morocco, you can receive complete information and guidance from our specialists in immigration in the Netherlands. Besides that, people who want to immigrate in the Netherlands are advised to solicit details from our representatives.
Apply for a Dutch visa as a Moroccan citizen
The visa applications, the legislation, and the needed documents when applying for a Dutch visa are supervised by the Dutch Embassy in Rabat, Morocco. A short-stay visa can help Moroccans stay for 90 days in the Netherlands, with the possibility to extend it. Besides that, all citizens from Morocco who are interested in relocating in the Netherlands will need to apply for a residence permit. Persons who want to prolong their stay in the Netherlands will need to apply for a long-stay visa if a valid passport with blank pages, medical insurance, and bank statements are provided to the immigration office, consulate or embassy.
The “Entry and Residence Procedure” involves two important steps which can help the Moroccan citizens to obtain the visa and the residence permit within one application. Our immigration lawyer in Netherlands can offer suitable help and assistance when arranging the documents for a visa or for a residence permit.
Many Moroccans traveling to the Netherlands who wish to remain in the country long-term will apply for a work permit. However, they can also obtain a residence permit when making a substantial investment or when starting a business that provides a certain number of jobs and satisfies other criteria. Below, our team of Netherlands immigration specialists highlights the types of residence permits that can be obtained:
- Employment: as stated above, most immigrants will choose to become employed in the Netherlands and obtain a residence permit based on proof of employment.
- Highly qualified employees: a special category for the residence permit for employment purposes is offered to highly qualified individuals.
- Study: Moroccan citizens who wish to continue their studies in the Netherlands can obtain a residence permit after they have been admitted to a University or enrolled for secondary education.
- Investment: entrepreneurs can obtain a special type of residence permit, based on their type of investment (opening a business, making capital investments, etc.).
- Family reunification: in some cases, Moroccan citizens can apply for family reunification; one of our agents can give you more details.
Each of these types of permits is subject to special requirements, along with the general conditions that apply to all applicants. For example, highly skilled migrants need to have a sponsor that is recognized by the Immigration and Naturalization Department, and this also applies to other permit obtained for remunerated work in the country. An immigration lawyer in the Netherlands from our team can provide you with more details on the specific conditions.
Apply for a work permit as a Moroccan citizen in the Netherlands
Numerous Moroccans choose to immigrate to the Netherlands in their search for proper jobs or for family reunification. It is good to know that any Moroccan citizen who successfully applied for work in the Kingdom of the Netherlands (for the offered positions) will need to obtain the Dutch work permit. Usually, the employers can deal with the documents and can grant a letter of employment. A work permit in the Netherlands for a Moroccan citizen can be obtained in 5 weeks, therefore, it is recommended to apply in time for a visa, a residence, and a work permit.
Our team of Dutch immigration lawyers lists the general requirements when applying for a work permit:
- Documentation: this is the applicant’s valid passport or travel document; the passport can also include a child.
- Antecedents certificate: this is the certificate where the criminal record information is provided, such as to indicate that the applicant has not committed any crimes.
- TB test: Moroccan nationals will need to undergo a tuberculosis test once they arrive in the country; exceptions can apply;
- Income: the applicant will be required to show that he has sufficient income to sustain himself and the dependents (varies according to particular cases);
- Employment: proof of employment is required and the company needs to be registered with the Commercial Register of the Chamber of Commerce.
An individual can also apply for a residence permit when he will work as a self-employed person when he is the director and the majority shareholder in a company. The following conditions must be met: the applicant has an interest of more than 255 in the company, he runs an entrepreneurial risk and he can influence the amount of his personal income.
In general, applicants will receive a single permit, one that combines the residence permit and the work permit. The types of work for which this combined permit is not available are for working on a seagoing or a mining installation when working in paid employment as a non-privileged military or civilian personnel and on other cases. One of our specialists in Netherlands immigration can give applicants more details about the single permit and its limitations.
According to older statistics of the Dutch Central Agency for Statistics, in 2009 there were:
- approximately 166,774 individuals who were first-generation Moroccans;
- 174,754 individuals who were second-generation Moroccans, out of which 88,563 were men;
- 23,255 of the second-generation individuals had one parent born in the Netherlands;
The decision to move to the Netherlands is an important one and immigrants will need to follow the steps for obtaining the work permit and the residence permit (or the combined single permit, as applicable) and then follow the requirements for registering with the adequate authorities once they are settled in the country. By requesting specialized aid from a Dutch immigration lawyer in our team, Moroccan immigrants in the Netherlands will find it simpler to follow the required steps, duly fill in the application forms and then handle the post-arrival procedures, such as registering with the municipality and taking out health insurance. Our team can also assist those who are considering changing their employer or making any further applications. You can rely on our assistance if you have been living in the country and are now interested in obtaining Netherlands citizenship.
Are you not a Moroccan citizen? We assist all foreign nationals who wish to apply for residency in the Netherlands. Based on one’s purpose of stay in the country (study, employment, business), we offer guidance and assistance during the application process, and also answer questions about the post-entry steps, such as registering with the Dutch municipality authorities. You can contact us for details.
You can receive assistance and guidelines from our immigration lawyer in the Netherlands if you are a Moroccan citizen who wants to establish in the country. Please feel free to contact our team.