Netherlands Work Visa – Application, Requirements, and Duration

You may find yourself applying for a Netherlands work visa and surely, you will need guidance.

Now, during a visa application, and for unknown reasons, people tend to get all their documents mixed up.

Other times, some people ignorantly miss some essential document and have their application stalled or denied.

Be as it may, some days are for good news, and today is that day for you who has been applying for the Netherlands work visa.

You might want to pull out all your documents and let us go through your Netherlands work visa application requirements from the top.

What is a work visa?

It is a legal document that authorizes you to stay and work in a foreign country, away from your country of origin.

Work visa requirements differ among countries. So, your documentation for a UK work visa will not be the same for a Netherlands work visa.

Hence, you must meet up with the likely strict rules guarding the work visa of the country of your choice.

Meanwhile, some work visas limit you to the type of work you went for initially. If your visa requirements go this way, think it through and be sure this is what you want.

Netherlands work visa

Unlike the other types of Netherlands visas, that last for just 90 days. This type that permits you to work in the country allows you to stay longer.

By the way, the rule of applying for the Netherlands work visa when you gain employment affects only nationals outside the Schengen area.

It is important to note that at least 26 countries make up the Schengen area. Should you come from any of them, you do not need a visa to live and work in the Netherlands.

Furthermore, nationals of the EU or EEA country are only required to register themselves and obtain a Citizen Service Number.

So, anyone from other foreign countries needs to acquire a Dutch residency permit alongside a work visa.

Netherlands work visa requirement

Requirements for work visas in the Netherlands are never the same. The same goes for the type of Dutch residency permit that you obtain.

For the Netherlands, you must decide on the kind of work visa that suits your employment, meet their requirements, and apply.

Here, we have made a list of some Netherlands work visas you can decide.

Netherlands work visa types

These visas have strict rules attached to them by the Netherlands government.

And as we stated, every visa comes with its own unique requirements and may even involve your employer. 

Regular Paid Work Visa

It is for employees that will work and get paid. For this regular employee work, your requirements are:

• A signed document from your employer with proof that the position you want to come and fill can not be filled by anyone from the EU/EEA country.
• An employment contract proof also from your employer that is a Netherlands citizen.
• You must have earned employees minimum wage for employees that are above 23 years.

Highly skilled migrant visa

• People with this type of visa are seen as those who must contribute to the country via the wealth of their knowledge.
• Highly skilled migrants under 30 years must have earned at least 3,299 euros. While highly skilled migrants that are over 30 years must earn at least 4,500 euros.
• Your employer must be a recognized IND sponsor.
• You must possess a contract form from the institute or employer that you are coming to work for.
• Now, if you are a researcher the legal contract form you present must be signed on your institution’s behalf.
• Also, it must include the job classification system code and your job description, 
• Furthermore, highly skilled migrants coming as doctors-in-training must first register with the individual health care professionals.
• Your preferred training institution must be regulated by the Home Physicians Registration Committee (HVRC), Medical Specialists Registration Committee (MSRC), and Social Medicine Physicians Registration Committee (SMPRC).

Seasonal Labor Visa

This type of visa is mostly agriculturally based. It is called a seasonal labor work visa because holders of this visa only work periodically.

And the work focuses more on agricultural work. So, the maximum duration of this visa is six months.

To obtain this visa type, you must have

• Earned the minimum wage or equivalent
• Get a single permit
• A signed contract of employment from your Netherlands employer.

Self-employment visa

This visa is obtainable for freelancers, entrepreneurs, and self-employed people.

The Netherlands put firmer restrictions on this visa until applicants prove that their services are quite important to the country.

Your services will be measured by a specialized system and must score above average.

So, after qualifying to apply for this visa, your requirements will be thus:

• Register with the Trade Register of the Chamber of Commerce.
• Acquire all the licenses associated with your type of business.
• If it is a private health care service, be registered appropriately.
• For freelancers, have something to work on when you arrive in the Netherlands.

Highly educated person visa

International students that just graduated from the Netherlands can apply for an extra year permit.

Already, their study visas have expired, but they can apply for an extra year to stay in the country and search for a job.

As a freshly graduated student looking for this opportunity, you must present any of these:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree certificate from a recognized school in the Netherlands.
• Proof of one-year postgraduate study in the Netherlands.
• Proof of Erasmus Mundus Master’s Course master’s degree.
• Evidence of study completion with Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs development cooperation policy.
• A Master’s, post-doctoral, or doctoral at a recognized institution abroad.
• You must have had a former Dutch visa for research.

European Blue Card

The European Blue Card gives you the authority to reside and work in the EU countries as a non-EU national.

However, you will not have access to the UK, Denmark, or Ireland. 

And any other country that issues you the European Blue Card aside from the Netherlands, you will need the work visa and permit to enter the Netherlands.

So, for this type of visa, you are required to submit:

• A proof that you can practice your profession
• Proof of higher education of at least three years and evaluated by Nuffic.
• The legal document of your employment contract should remain valid for one year.
• You must earn in the European Blue Card minimum wage of about 5,272 euros a month.

Intra corporate transfer visa

The intra-corporate transfer visa favors a worker in a company in a non-EU country but wants to transfer to a branch of the same company in the Netherlands.

For you to transfer back to your company in the Netherlands, you need the transfer visa that requires:

• You must be a trainee or a specialist.
• Proof that you are qualified for your new position
• You must apply from a non-EU country
• You are not a national of any EU/EEA country or Switzerland
• Must move in and reside in the Netherlands
• You must go through a trainee program if you are a trainee.
• Proof that your salary is up to the highly skilled migrant.
• Proof that you have stayed with the company for more than three months before your transfer.
• Evidence that your company has economic values for the Netherlands and has not violated tax and insurance for at least five years.
• Make sure you do not have a recent transfer history.

 Visa for researchers

To gain entry into the Netherlands as a researcher under Directive (EU) 2016/801, you must meet these requirements:

• Legal contract of employment or agreement with a recognized research institution in the Netherlands.
• Proof that you will be paid a sufficient salary by the host or employer.
• Evidence that the institution has approved your research work.
• Evidence of your last academic level.

How can I apply for the Netherlands work visa?

The work visa for the Netherlands comes in two forms. The single permit and the separate residence and work permit.

For clarification, there are different routes to applying for a work visa.

First, your nationality and the type of job are the determining factors. Yet, you also need a work visa and a residence permit.

In some cases, you may need a single permit which may last up to three years.

If this is so, it is left for your employer to ask you for all your documents. So that they can apply for a single permit directly to the IND on your behalf. 

Afterward, the IND will forward your application to the Dutch employment agency so that they can take the final decision.

What is a single permit, and who needs it?

A single permit is a document that combines your work permit and your residence permit into one. It lasts up to three years and is also called a GVVA.

Now, not all workers coming into the Netherlands can apply for this document.

However, if you fall into this category, you can apply.

• Foreign nationals working in the Asian restaurant industry.
• Interns
• Ministers of religious bodies
• Teachers
• Regular labor migrant
• Practitioners

What is a separate permit, and who needs it?

It is just the opposite of a single permit. Here, you will need a separate work permit and a separate residence permit.

Even at that, your employer needs to help you and apply for a separate work permit.

For the next step, applying for a residence permit, you or your employer can apply for that.

People that are qualified for this type of permit include:

• Refugees
• Seafarers
• Students
• Family members of single permit holders
• Asylum seekers
• Service providers
• Intra company transferees
• Citizens of Croatia
• Workers in orientation year
• Seasonal workers

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I work in the Netherlands without speaking Dutch?

You do not have to worry about a language barrier. Companies in this country communicate in the English language the most.

Nevertheless, speaking Dutch may come in handy sometimes.

Can a US citizen work in the Netherlands?

A US citizen can live and work in the Netherlands but must apply for a residency permit.

Moreover, they can go through the highly skilled migrant route if they qualify.

How long does it take to get a work visa for the Netherlands?

Work visas in the Netherlands take up to two weeks. So long as your application is in order and complete.

However, a single permit takes up to seven weeks.

Conclusion

In conclusion, getting a work visa to the Netherlands is just the toppings on the cake.

The actual work lies in knowing where you’re coming from, knowing the kind of work you are going to do, determining the type of visa that suits you, and finally knowing what documents you need to gain a work visa.