IND Timeline Tracker

A simple tracker to map every step of your PH to NL visa process, so you always know what stage you are in and what to chase next.

Who this is for

Filipino tech workers (mostly devs) who have a recognised sponsor or a real offer from a Dutch employer, and who are now in the IND or DMW processing stage. If you are still job hunting, this is the thing to set up before the offer lands so you are not scrambling later.

What this helps you decide or do

This is not legal advice and it is not a promise of timing. It is a personal log so you can see where the ball is, who is holding it (you, your employer, IND, DMW, the embassy), and what is overdue. Most delays I have seen come from a missing document or waiting on a reply, not from IND itself being slow. The tracker just makes the gaps visible.

Quick checklist

Set up one row per item. For each, log: date requested, date received, who owns it, and status.

1. Offer letter and signed employment contract from your Dutch employer (confirm the start date in writing).
2. Confirm your employer is a recognised sponsor by checking the IND public register of recognised sponsors yourself, do not assume.
3. Highly skilled migrant salary check: verify the current IND threshold for your age bracket with your employer, do not rely on an old number you read online.
4. Employer files the IND application (combined residence and work, or the relevant route). Log the date they tell you it was submitted.
5. IND acknowledgement or reference number received. Save it.
6. PSA documents commonly asked for: PSA birth certificate, and PSA marriage certificate if you are bringing a spouse. These are case-specific, confirm what your employer or IND actually requests.
7. Legalisation or apostille of PH documents if requested (DFA in the Philippines). Track submission and release dates.
8. NBI clearance or police clearance if asked for. Commonly requested, not always required, so confirm before you pay for it.
9. IND decision received (approval letter or MVV authorisation). Log the date.
10. MVV appointment booked at the Netherlands embassy or VFS in Manila. Track the appointment date and the passport return date.
11. Flight booked only after MVV is in your passport, not before.
12. Arrival tasks after landing: register at the municipality (BSN), pick up your residence permit, and arrange the 30 percent ruling with your employer (note: it is changing from 30 percent to 27 percent in 2027, so confirm what applies to your start year with your employer or the Belastingdienst).

Common mistakes

• Booking flights before the MVV is physically in your passport.
• Assuming a document is required and paying for it before anyone asked. NBI, police clearance, and apostille are case-specific.
• Not writing down who owns each step, so a week of silence from the employer goes unnoticed.
• Trusting an old salary threshold or tax figure from a blog instead of verifying the current number.
• Forgetting the post-arrival steps (BSN, permit pickup, 30 percent ruling paperwork) until after you land.

What to verify

• The current highly skilled migrant salary threshold for your age bracket: confirm with your employer or IND.
• Whether your employer is actually on the IND recognised sponsor register: check the public register yourself.
• Exact documents IND or your employer needs: confirm directly, do not copy someone else’s list.
• The 30 percent (moving to 27 percent in 2027) ruling and whether it applies to you: confirm with your employer or the Belastingdienst.
• Embassy or VFS appointment availability and current processing times: check the official channels close to your date.

Jake note

I came over on a direct hire, not through an agency, and the hardest part was not the rules, it was knowing who was sitting on what. A plain tracker like this would have saved me a lot of guessing. Keep it boring and keep it updated.