Brexit update December 2020

December 2020

The United Kingdom (UK) has left the European Union (EU). This withdrawal (Brexit) has consequences for most United Kingdom nationals and their family members who wish to continue living in the Netherlands, as well as for companies hiring UK nationals or doing business with the UK. On this page, you can read more about these consequences and what individuals, companies, startups, and self-employed can do now.

Information for UK Nationals

On 17 October 2019, the EU and the UK reached an agreement on Brexit, which came into force on the 1st of February, 2020. A transition period is now in place until 31 December 2020.

You can find general information on Government.nl/Brexit.

Brexit and your right of residence

Do you currently have a right of residence in the Netherlands as a United Kingdom national, or as the family member of a United Kingdom national? Will your situation stay the same after Brexit? You will retain your right of residence up to Brexit. After that, you will no longer be an EU citizen (or the family member of an EU citizen). Brexit, therefore, affects your residence rights. Brexit will not affect your residence rights if:

  • You have Dutch citizenship; or 
  • You have a valid Dutch national residence permit on the date of Brexit. Brexit will not affect your right of residence as long as your permit is valid.

After Brexit, during the transition period, you can continue to live, work and study in the Netherlands. After the transition period, you will need a (new) residence document for this. To obtain a residence document after Brexit, certain rules apply.

During the transition period until 31 December 2020, you will retain your existing rights. You do not need a residence document. You only need a valid passport. Did you receive a temporary residence permit from the IND in March or October 2019? This permit was in the eventuality of a no-deal Brexit - you do not need it.

During the transition period, the IND has invited many people to submit an application for residence in the Netherlands after the transition period

Because Brexit will affect your residence rights, you have to arrange your residence after Brexit. That is why throughout the transition period, the IND has sent letters to around 45,000 UK nationals and their family members (with or without EU/EEA or Swiss nationality) who are registered in the BRP at their town hall.

For those who have not submitted their application by now or have not received the letter at all, we urge you to submit your application for a residence document under the Withdrawal Agreement as soon as possible. You no longer need to first wait for an invitation letter from the IND.

If your application is approved you will receive a (new) residence document. This document is proof of your residence rights. You will need it to continue to live, work, and study in the Netherlands after the transition period.

Certain conditions apply. If you fulfill them, you can obtain a residence document. Find out which conditions apply.

Do you already have a valid EU residence document (duurzaam verblijf)? Then you will also need a new residence document. 

  • Brexit does not affect the residence rights of UK nationals who have become Dutch or have a national, permanent residence permit in the Netherlands. 
  • If you are a UK national and have a partner with another EU/EEA or Swiss nationality, you may have a right of residence in the Netherlands to live with your EU partner. If you have a dependent right of residence, you can choose which application you would like to submit: the application the IND will invite you to submit after Brexit as a UK national living in the Netherlands, or an application for residence dependent on your partner with an EU/EEA or Swiss nationality.
  • If you are a UK national you have a temporary Dutch national residence permit, for example for the purpose of working here. You have a right of residence in the Netherlands for as long as your permit is valid and you fulfil the conditions. You can choose to rely on your residence based on the national permit that you currently have, or to submit the application that the IND will invite you to submit after Brexit.

Frontier workers (cross-border commuters)

Frontier workers (cross-border commuters) are defined as UK nationals who work in the Netherlands, but do not live here, and return to the UK at least every week. Until 31 December 2020, a transition period is in place. During this period, you can continue to work in the Netherlands as a frontier worker, as all EU agreements and rules will still apply to the UK. If you fall under the withdrawal agreement, you can continue to work as a frontier worker in the Netherlands after the end of the transition period. Whether you will be able to start working as a frontier worker in the Netherlands after 31 December 2020, depends on the agreements made by the UK and the EU.

More information can be found here.

Residence possibilities in the Netherlands

You can find more information about existing residence possibilities in the Netherlands under the different purposes of stay on the IND website, like EUFamilyWork, and Dutch citizenship.

What you can do now

Please check this website by the British Government to find out the steps you can take now.

  1. If you have not already done so, register yourself in person in the Personal Records Database (BRP) at the town hall. The Dutch government can then get in touch with you if necessary.
  2. Then apply for a DigiD. With your DigiD, you can easily submit an online application to the IND. Do you already have a DigiD but no sms-verification? You can also set this up on My DigiD.
  3. Then make sure that you will also receive post from the IND digitally. Use your DigiD to log in to MijnOverheid. There you can access your Berichtenbox (message box) where you can receive digital post from government institutions, including the IND. Go to Instellingen (Settings) and under Landelijke Organisaties check Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst (Immigration and Naturalisation Service, the IND).
  4. Open a Dutch bank account. You need this to set up iDEAL, an online payment method. You will need iDEAL to pay for an online application for a residence document.

You can find more information about existing residence possibilities in the Netherlands under the different purposes of stay on the IND website, like EUFamilyWork and Dutch citizenship.

UK nationals without permanent residence:

 

UK nationals with permanent residence:

 

For official and up to date information on the situation of British Citizens resident in the Netherlands after Brexit:

Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Department (IND)
Dutch Government Brexit pages 
Dutch Government Brexit FAQ 

You can find general information on Brexit related matters at:
Official website of the UK Government

For the governments official advice for British Citizens living in the Netherlands (including if the UK leaves the EU) see the guide:
Living in the Netherlands

Additional sources:

Information for Dutch entrepreneurs and companies

Businesses have a relatively short transition phase (until 31 December 2020) to prepare for post-Brexit scenarios – for example, new border checks and procedures. The EU's free movement for goods and workers will no longer to apply to the UK.

If you are an entrepreneur and want to prepare for Brexit properly, please check the Brexit Impact Scan (in Dutch) and the Brexit vouchers. The information on these websites is available in Dutch only; by using Google Chrome or Google Translate the information wil be translated to English.

With the Brexit Impact Scan, entrepreneurs can easily identify the consequences of Brexit for their company, for instance how Brexit may affect import/export regulations, intellectual property, transport, and digital services when working with the United Kingdom.

They can also use a Brexit voucher. With this subsidy, companies receive an advisor for expert advice on alternative markets and the consequences of Brexit for their company. Regularly check the Brexit desk (Brexitloket) to stay informed of the most recent developments in the field of Brexit.

In the Guide for Businesses by the European Commission, you can find a lot of information on how to get ready for the end of the transition period. The guide is available for download in any European langauge for English version click here and Dutch version click here .

Dutch Government Information 

Information for Municipalities

With the Brexit Impact Scan for governments, you can estimate the possible impact of Brexit on your government organization. The impact scan has been broken down into four target groups: municipalities, provinces, national government organizations, and water boards. Going through the scan provides tailor-made advice on the possible impact of Brexit, and within which themes follow-up steps must be taken with useful links for more information.

More information can be found at Europa Decentraal.

Information for Dutch citizens dealing with Brexit

Extensive and up to date information can be found at Brexitloket (in Dutch) and Brexit topics (in English). Some of the topics are: traveling to the UK, living in the UK, doing scientific research in the UK, the border between Ireland and North Ireland, hiring (temporary) UK staff.

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