IND Partner Visa: How to Submit the Application and What the IND Checks

The Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst — IND — is the only body that can approve or refuse a Netherlands partner visa. Understanding how the IND actually works, what it assesses, and how it uses the information you submit is the most useful preparation a couple can do before they apply.

What the IND Is and How It Operates

The IND (Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst) is the executive agency of the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security responsible for all immigration decisions. Every application for a partner visa — whether submitted online by a sponsor in the Netherlands or at a Dutch embassy abroad — is assessed by an IND case officer. The IND has exclusive authority: immigration lawyers, embassy staff, and municipalities all have advisory or facilitating roles, but the IND makes the legal decision.

The IND processes applications according to a set of statutory requirements and internal policy guidelines. Case officers are trained to apply these rules consistently. Most of the apparent unpredictability in IND decisions reflects variation in the quality and completeness of applications, not arbitrary judgment calls.

Who Submits the Application

For most non-EU applicants who need an MVV before entering the Netherlands, the TEV (Toegang en Verblijf) application is submitted by the sponsor — the partner already in the Netherlands. The sponsor logs in to their IND account at ind.nl and submits the application online, uploading the required documents and paying the €254 application fee.

The applicant abroad does not submit anything directly to the IND at this stage (unless applying from within the Netherlands, which applies to MVV-exempt nationalities like Americans, Australians, and Canadians). The applicant's role before approval is to:

1. Pass the civic integration exam abroad (if not exempt)
2. Prepare their portion of the document file (passport, birth certificate, marriage certificate or relationship evidence, apostilles, translations)
3. Complete their portion of the Relationship Questionnaire (IND form 7625)

The IND's Three-Part Assessment

The IND assesses every partner visa application against three core questions:

1. Does the sponsor meet the income requirement?

The income assessment is data-driven. The IND extracts the SV-loon figure from payslips, employment contracts, and if self-employed, accountant's statements and tax returns. The 2026 threshold is €2,477.95 gross per month including holiday allowance. The income must be independent (from qualifying employment or business activity) and durable (contract with at least 12 months remaining from the expected decision date).

The IND will not contact the sponsor's employer to verify income independently. If the submitted documents are inconsistent or unclear, the IND issues a document request — not a refusal — pausing the 90-day clock until clarification is received.

2. Is the relationship genuine, durable, and exclusive?

For married couples, the marriage certificate is the primary evidence. The IND verifies the document's authenticity through legalisation checks and may cross-reference it against marriage registration databases for countries that participate in international information sharing.

For unmarried partners, the Relationship Questionnaire and supporting evidence file is the primary assessment tool. The IND compares both partners' questionnaire answers for consistency and reviews the evidence file for quality, chronological coherence, and third-party corroboration.

The IND has the authority to conduct a "marriage investigation" (huwelijksonderzoek) if it suspects a sham marriage. This can involve interviewing the sponsor separately about the relationship, checking social media, or requesting additional evidence. In practice, clear, well-organized relationship files rarely trigger this level of scrutiny.

3. Are the formal requirements met?

This is the documentation checklist: Are both parties at least 21? Has the civic integration exam been passed (for non-exempt applicants)? Are all required documents present, correctly legalised, and translated where necessary? Is the IND form correctly completed and signed?

These are the most straightforwardly fixable issues — and the most common cause of document requests that pause the timeline.

Want to know exactly which documents the IND requires for your specific situation? The Netherlands Partner/Family Visa Guide provides a complete document checklist organised by sponsor type and applicant nationality.

The IND's Decision Timeline

The IND has 90 calendar days from the date it accepts the application as complete. In practice, straightforward applications with clean income and relationship files are frequently decided in 6–12 weeks.

"Complete" is precisely defined. If the sponsor submits an application missing a required document, the IND sends an acknowledgement but does not start the 90-day clock. The clock starts from when the application is formally accepted as complete — which may require a follow-up submission.

If the IND requests additional documents during processing (which happens when clarification is needed mid-assessment), the clock pauses. The total elapsed time can therefore exceed 90 days even if the IND is technically compliant with its own deadline.

What Happens After the IND Decision

Positive decision: The IND notifies the Dutch embassy in the applicant's country. The embassy contacts the applicant to collect the MVV sticker. The applicant then travels to the Netherlands and follows the post-arrival registration process.

Negative decision: The sponsor receives a written refusal with stated grounds. Within four weeks, the sponsor can file a formal objection (bezwaar). The IND then re-assesses the case, often with a different case officer. If the objection fails, an appeal to the administrative court (beroep) is available.

How to Submit a Strong Application

The strongest applications share three characteristics:

Complete at submission. Every required document is present, correctly legalised, and correctly translated. No document requests, no pauses, maximum time in assessment.

Income evidence is clearly within threshold. The SV-loon on payslips clearly exceeds the 2026 threshold, the contract end date provides a clear 12-month-plus buffer, and no explanations or calculations are required from the IND to reach the correct conclusion.

Relationship file is coherent and well-organised. For unmarried couples especially, the file is structured chronologically, the questionnaires are consistent, the photos span the relationship with context, and third-party letters are included from credible writers.

The IND processes thousands of applications. A file that is easy to review — clearly organised, complete, and internally consistent — is a file that is more likely to be approved quickly. A file that requires the case officer to hunt for information or reconcile inconsistencies is a file more likely to generate a document request or a flag.

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