Work in Holland

Do you want to work in Holland? Already received an appealing job offer from a firm based in the Netherlands? Before you hop on a flight, you have to receive a visa for yourself and any accompanying family members.

Our law firm specializes in obtaining visas and entry to Holland. In this article, advocate Joshua Pex will explain procedure you must follow to work in Holland, based on your personal situation, the type of job and the duration of your stay.

EU/EEA and Switzerland

If have a citizenship or second citizenship of a country in the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, you are exempt of the procedures as outlined below. Refer to the following overview of the EU and EEA countries. If you have nationality of one of these countries, you can live and work in the Netherlands without reporting to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND). A valid passport or ID-card of a EU/EEA country or Switzerland will show that you are lawfully working in Holland.

If you plan to work in Holland for less than 90 days, you will need a short-stay visa. Known as a Schengen-visa, it allows you to live and work in any Schengen country for 90 days in a period of 180 days. You can apply for the visa at the Dutch consulate embassy in the country in which you reside. While the employee applies for a short-stay visa, the employer in the Netherlands must apply for a work permit (in Dutch abbreviated as TWV) at the Dutch Employees Insurance Agency.

Residence permit – general conditions

If you will work in Holland for over 90 days, you must apply for a work and residence permit. General conditions applying to all types of residence permits are as follows:

You must have a valid passport or other travel document
You must sign an antecedent’s certificate declaring you don’t have any criminal records
You must take a medical test certifying you don’t have tuberculosis upon arrival in the Netherlands

Residence permit – Application on your own behalf

There are different types of residence and work permits for different jobs. In most positions you apply for a combined residence and work permit; which is referred to as a Single Permit in English and abbreviated to GGVA in Dutch. You can apply for this combined permit at the Immigration and Naturalisation Service. The service will consult with the Dutch Employees Insurance Agency to assess your request according to the Foreign Nationals Employment Act. This act protects the Dutch labour market by mandating that Dutch employers hire workers from the Netherlands or EU over foreign employees. However, this act also protects you as a foreign worker; it mandates that employers guarantee housing and decent working conditions (in accordance with Dutch legislation).

The Foreign Nationals Employment Act includes additional requirements or special conditions for the following jobs; Spiritual counselor, worker in Asian catering, specific positions in art and culture, international non-profit organizations, mass media correspondent, supplies by or to a foreign company, and international trade regulation.

Residence permit – Application by the employer in Holland

For the following jobs, your employer is required to apply to the IND:

Working for a Dutch branch of a non-European company; If you are transferred to the Dutch branch of a non-European company you are working for, your employer has to apply for a Intra Corporate Transferees residence permit at the Immigration and Naturalisation Service.
Working for multiple European Union Countries; If you are planning to perform highly skilled work in multiple European Union countries, you will need the European Blue Card – a residence permit that allows you to live and work in European Union member states. Your employer has to apply for this visa at the Immigration and Naturalisation Service.
Working in a high-level (academic) position; If you will have a payed job as lecturer, trainee doctor or scientific researcher in an institute, the institute has to apply for a highly-skilled worker residence permit at the Immigration and Naturalisation Service. Only institutes recognized by the Immigration and Naturalisation Service may apply.
Working as researcher or PhD-student; If you are planning to work as a researcher, paid a salary or receiving a grant, or as a PhD-student, the institute you will work at has to apply for a Researcher under Directive (EU)2016/801 residence permit at the Immigration and Naturalisation Service.

Family members

Your partner or spouse may join you in Holland, if you are both 21 or older and have a long-term and exclusive relationship with each other. If your child is minor (under 18), doesn’t have a spouse and children, and is part of your household prior to and after the move, they may also join you during your stay in Holland. However; you have to sponsor any accompanying family members and establish an independent, sufficient, and sustainable income. You also have to prove custody over any minor children who accompany you to the Netherlands. Please refer to this article for more information on this subject.

Call to action

Are you overwhelmed by the different types of visas for the different types? Wondering which visa or residence permit applies to your situation and job? Want to know whether your family members meet the conditions for applying for a residence permit?

Advocate Joshua Pex or any of the other advocates from our law office will gladly assist you throughout the full process, from reviewing your options to helping you apply for a specific type of visa/residence permit so that you will be able to lawfully live and work in the Netherlands, along with your family.