Who needs a work permit?

› Citizens of an EU/EEA country or Switzerland
are 100% eligible to work in the Netherlands
without any permit, according to the “Freedom of
movement” for workers.

› If you have Bulgarian or Romanian nationality,
you are obliged to get a work permit even if you
do not need a residence permit to live in the
Netherlands. The employer needs to apply for
your work permit at the Dutch employment
authorities (CWI) and go through a quite complex
procedure, in order to get the green light for
hiring a Bulgarian or Romanian expat. However,
if you have been working for one year in the
Netherlands with a work permit or as a highly
skilled immigrant, you are eligible for the same
rights as EU citizens. As a result, you can work
in the Netherlands without a work permit.

› Non-EU students, who wish to work in the
Netherlands, are obliged to apply for a work
permit. The work permit will be free of charge,
but according to the Dutch Law there are two
employment options:
- to work full time but only for the summer period
(June - August)
- to work part-time (no more than 10 hours per
week) for the whole year

› EU students do not have any working
restrictions.

› Nationals of Canada, Australia and New
Zealand between 18 and 30 years old can apply
for the Working Holiday Scheme in their own
country, thus they will not need a work permit.
The only requirement is to be able to financially
support themselves by living and working in the
Netherlands.

› If you are a highly skilled employee then you
can get permission to work in the Netherlands,
regardless your nationality. Partners and children
of the highly skilled immigrants will also be
allowed to work here. Learn about the
requirements for highly skilled immigrants here.