The orientation year for highly educated persons (zoekjaar) is a one-year Dutch residence permit. It cannot be extended. If you want to stay as a founder, you apply to change to a start-up or self-employed permit before it ends. A zoekjaar does not waive innovation, a facilitator, or IND approval.
Updated August 2026
Last reviewed 21 August 2026
It is a one-year permit after graduation, a doctorate, or qualifying research so you can look for highly skilled work or develop a business idea. You may work and start a company during that year. It is not a second year, not a startup visa, and not a decision that your idea is innovative.
Official pages: IND orientation year and business.gov.nl orientation year. NLVentureDesk is not a law firm. The IND decides residence applications.
The orientation year does not extend. Official guidance: apply for a different permit if you want to remain.
| Route | When it fits |
|---|---|
| Highly skilled migrant (or similar employment) | You have (or will have) an employer who sponsors you. A reduced salary criterion can apply when switching from the orientation year. That is an employment path, not a founder path. |
| Start-up residence permit | You will build an innovative company with an RVO-recognised facilitator. IND decides. RVO advises on innovation, the facilitator, and the plan. Startup Visa overview. |
| Self-employed residence permit | You run a business that scores on the self-employed points system. Harder for a thin idea than people expect. Different test than the startup route. |
| Leave, or overstay | When the zoekjaar ends with no new permit, legal stay ends. Overstaying can lead to a Schengen entry ban. Source: business.gov.nl. |
Starting a business during the zoekjaar is allowed. Staying as a founder after it ends still requires a change of purpose. See changing to a different type of permit.
Count from the date on your zoekjaar card, not from when you first talk to us. The IND aims to decide a start-up file within 90 days of a complete, paid application. Preparation time is extra.
| Time left on the zoekjaar | What that usually means |
|---|---|
| Six months or more | Enough time to test whether the idea is a real startup-visa case, assemble a facilitator file, and still sit inside the 90-day IND window. |
| Three to six months | Tight. Start the honest assessment now. A slow plan or a weak innovation story will not catch the expiry date. |
| Under three months | High risk of a gap. Get a go/no-go this week. Confirm with the IND whether you may stay while a new application is pending. Do not assume. |
| Already expired | Do not overstay. That is a different legal problem than “we need a facilitator.” |
IND decision period: decision periods. Start-up fee and process: IND start-up. Costs in one place: Dutch Startup Visa cost and timeline.
Being here already is an advantage for landing. It is not a shortcut around RVO or IND.
Still required. NLVentureDesk intends to act as your proposed facilitator, subject to IND and RVO assessment.
The product or service must be innovative for the Dutch market, with a step-by-step plan. An early idea is a starting point, not a file.
You must show you can support yourself. Confirm the current amount on IND/RVO. Our visa pages currently cite €13,393 for a single applicant, subject to official updates.
If the idea is not ready before expiry, we will say so. A weak startup file is worse than choosing employment or leaving on time.
Each person needs their own residence basis. A co-founder without a valid path does not ride on the other person’s zoekjaar. We sort who is on which permit in the session.
No. A Chamber of Commerce registration is not a residence permit. After the zoekjaar you still need IND to grant a new purpose of stay.
No. Flat fee only. Strategy Session €199, credited once within 14 days toward the next programme that matches the route. Guided Self-Employment Application (€2,495) is a self-employed review you file yourself. It is not credited toward startup-visa Full Facilitation (€10,000), which already includes the application preparation.
Bring your zoekjaar expiry date, the idea as it stands, and who is on which permit. You leave with a go, a not-yet, or another route, not a guaranteed IND yes.
