Information
If you do not qualify to come to the Netherlands as a highly skilled migrant, you and your employer can choose to follow the procedure “working as an employee”(arbeidsmigrant). In this case, the employer must apply for a work permit at the UWV.
The employer only gets the work permit when nobody in the Netherlands and the European Union is available to fill the position. Only after this permit is issued you can start the residence permit procedure.
There are situations when your employer does not have to apply for a work permit. These are:
- Employee has the nationality of one of the EU/EEA countries or Switzerland;
- Employee has a valid Dutch residence permit or a stamp from the Aliens Police or the IND stating:
Arbeid vrij toegestaan, TWV niet vereist (Free to work, no work permit needed).
In other situations or for more information, please contact the UWV. If your future employer applies for an authorization for temporary stay on behalf of employees at least 10 times a year, then employer may be eligible for the accelerated procedure, which only takes a few weeks.
Conditions which need to be met:
Besides the work permit requirement, you must also meet the following conditions:
- You must have a valid passport.
- You must have a health insurance that provides cover for the Netherlands.
- You must not constitute a risk to public order or national security.
- You must be prepared to undergo an examination for tuberculosis.
- You must have sufficient funds.