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Can this employer
sponsor your visa?
If you are a non-EU job seeker in the Netherlands, the first question about any vacancy is whether the company can sponsor a residence permit at all. Check it against the official IND register in one second.
Why it matters
The recognised-sponsor list is the door, not the room
For a non-EU graduate or knowledge migrant, the Dutch job hunt has a hidden filter most job boards ignore: a company can only bring you in on a knowledge-migrant permit if the IND has recognised it as a sponsor. Apply to a hundred roles at companies that are not recognised and the answer is no before your CV is even read.
This check flips that around. Before you spend an evening on an application, you confirm the route exists. A green result means the legal path is open. It does not mean the salary threshold is met, or that the team is hiring, but it means you are not wasting the application.
During your orientation year (zoekjaar) you can work without a separate permit, so this matters most when you are lining up the role that carries you past the search year, into a knowledge- migrant or other labour permit. That is the moment a recognised sponsor becomes non-negotiable.
Questions
- What is a recognised sponsor?
- A recognised sponsor (erkend referent) is a company the IND has approved to apply for residence permits on behalf of staff it brings to the Netherlands, including the knowledge-migrant (kennismigrant) route. If an employer is not recognised, it usually cannot sponsor a knowledge-migrant permit.
- Does recognised mean they will hire me?
- No. It only means the legal route exists. The employer still needs an open role you fit, and your gross salary has to meet the IND threshold for your situation. The check tells you which door is even open.
- My employer is not in the list. What now?
- It may not be a recognised sponsor, it may be listed under a different legal name, or it may hire through a payroll company that is recognised. Search the exact legal name from its KvK record, or check the payroller.
- Where does this data come from?
- The IND publishes the register of recognised sponsors publicly. This tool checks your input against that list (12,791 organisations, updated 2026-06-15). It is company information only and stores nothing you type.
Next step
Now find which of these sponsors actually fit your field
MAS Labs built MAS, a free assistant that matches your background to recognised-sponsor employers who are hiring, tracks your zoekjaar deadline, and helps with the housing and the paperwork around it.