Dutch Residence Permit Photo

Your Portrait at the Dutch Ind Biometrics Appointment

A Dutch residence document is produced using the photograph and other biometrics requested by the Immigration and Naturalisation Service, the IND. The letter you receive from the IND is the starting point: it tells you when the service needs these details for your application or document. Book the relevant appointment after receiving that instruction rather than treating a photo order as a residence-document application.

At an IND desk or service point, staff capture a digital photograph and take fingerprints. Choose clothing that contrasts with the light-grey photographic background; the IND advises against entirely white or light-grey clothing. If you wear a religious or philosophical head covering, it must leave your face visible. Plain fabric with enough contrast is preferable to reflective material or busy patterns.

There is a separate procedure for a residence document for a child under two. The IND directs parents to send a photograph made by a photographer with its photo-card appendix instead of booking the usual biometrics appointment. Read the instructions for the child’s actual application before preparing that submission, because the age-specific route is different from an adult appointment.

For your own appointment, check the identity and appointment documents listed in the IND instructions. Our facial expression guide can help you prepare a relaxed pose, but the official appointment remains the capture stage for this procedure. Keep any portrait requested for another immigration step separate so that it is not confused with the photograph used to produce the residence card.