Netherlands or Poland
Two countries side by side across the same rows as the full comparison. A dash means the value is missing: fields are not filled with guesses. about the data
| Netherlands | Poland | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary in IT | $ 106 972 | $ 63 273 |
| Citizenship | 5 years | 3 years |
| Partner can work | yes | yes |
| Parents | no | difficult |
| Pets | no trouble | no trouble |
| Pet limit | 5 | 5 |
| Quarantine | no | no |
| Residence permit fee | $ 481 | $ 116 |
| Rent, 2 bedrooms | $ 2 390 | $ 1 684 · estimate |
| Basket | $ 49,1 | $ 29,3 |
| Life expectancy | 81.97 | 78.41 |
| Homicides/100k | 0.66 | 0.68 |
| Natural hazards, 0–10 | 5.1 | 2.9 |
How the two sets of routes differ
Long-stay routes in this reference: Netherlands — 61, Poland — 40. Types present in both: work, study, family and job seeking. Netherlands adds: startup, repatriation and working holiday.
Fees, thresholds and deadlines
Netherlands: fees range from 85 to 1,337 EUR. Routes with no fee: 10. Routes stating an income threshold: 21; the lowest is 690 USD a month. Routes with a published decision deadline: 58; the shortest is 30 days. Poland: fees range from 85 to 640 PLN. Routes with no fee: 1.
Beyond the first permit
Permanent status: both after 5 years. Citizenship: Netherlands after 5 years, Poland after 3 years. Poland allows a second citizenship, Netherlands does not. Bringing your own parents: Poland — yes, Netherlands — no.
Netherlands in brief
High salaries and quality of life. Reuniting with a partner's parents is not provided for. The working language in tech is English.
Poland in brief
A large EU member with a growing tech sector (Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław) and some of the lowest violent crime figures in Europe. Held back by standard family reunification covering only a spouse and minor children — parents are not on the ordinary list — and by tightened security checks on residence applications and renewals for some applicants.
Other comparisons
More on each: Netherlands · Poland. Build your own comparison — up to four countries
This material is for reference and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Visa rules, tax thresholds and prices change. Before deciding anything, check the official sources and consult a licensed professional in the relevant country.