Couples separated across borders want a date, not a legal maximum, and the two rarely line up. The embassy appointment stage after approval is the part most timelines leave out, and it varies enormously depending on which consulate handles the case.
IND's statutory decision period for a regular partner or spouse application is 90 days — the legal maximum for a decision, not a guarantee, and IND can extend it in complex cases. In practice, third-party trackers that follow real applicants report something more like two to six months end-to-end once you add the civic integration exam and document prep beforehand. IND doesn't publish its own average actual-processing figures, only the statutory period, so treat any number you see as an estimate rather than an official promise. The part that varies most is the embassy stage: once IND approves, your partner still needs an MVV appointment at the relevant Dutch embassy or consulate for the visa sticker and biometrics, and appointment availability differs hugely by country — some posts run smoothly within weeks, others (often the higher-volume ones) have real backlogs. If your partner is applying from a country with a notoriously slow consulate, budget extra time and check that specific embassy's current situation rather than assuming the IND clock is the whole story.