Free tool · IND register
Netherlands visa sponsor checker
Check whether an employer is a recognised sponsor (erkend referent) on the IND public register. Recognised sponsors are the employers that can hire highly skilled migrants (kennismigranten) and apply for other work permits. Enter a name or a KvK number: one search checks all 13,020 organisations on the register.
What a recognised sponsor is
A recognised sponsor is a company, school or organisation that the IND (Immigration and Naturalisation Service) has recognised. Only a recognised sponsor can apply for a highly skilled migrant residence permit for an employee.
The register lists the organisation's legal name and its KvK (Chamber of Commerce) number. It does not say which jobs an employer sponsors, how many people, or whether it is hiring.
Before you apply: three checks
- Is the employer a recognised sponsor? This checker answers that one.
- Does the salary meet the highly skilled migrant threshold? The thresholds depend on your age and situation. Use the salary checker.
- Does the job and your background qualify? The IND decides this when the employer applies. Read the IND's own requirements before you plan around a sponsored job.
Looking for a list of sponsors?
The full list of 13,020 recognised sponsors is in one place, A to Z, with the legal names and KvK numbers as the IND publishes them.
Questions
- What is a recognised sponsor (erkend referent)?
- A company, school or organisation that the IND has recognised, so it can apply for residence permits for people such as employees, au pairs or students. For work, the register this checker uses covers regular labour and highly skilled migrants.
- Does a recognised sponsor have to sponsor my job?
- No. Recognition shows the employer is able to sponsor. Whether it does for a particular job is the employer's decision, and the IND still assesses the application, including the salary.
- Why can't I find my employer?
- Search the legal name (often in the website footer) or the KvK number. Brand names often differ from legal names. A newly recognised sponsor appears after the IND's next monthly update. Recognised sponsors for research, study or exchange are in separate IND registers that this checker does not cover.
- How up to date is the result?
- The IND updates the register once a month. This checker reads it every day and shows the date the IND gives, under each result.
- Is this an official answer?
- No. It searches the IND's public register, but the IND is the official source and this is not legal advice. WerkCV is not affiliated with the IND.
Next steps for your application
Source: IND public register of recognised sponsors, work (regular labour and highly skilled migrants) (5 October 2026).