Hiring Non-EU Employees

International Staff

Having an international employee in your company can help open new markets.

With their unique background and perspective, bringing international talent (both at a junior or senior level) on board can also bring new insights to your company. IWCN can help with accelerated procedures for non-EU talent: please see our page on IWCN Procedure for Non-EU Citizens.

When hiring an non-EU employee you must, in most cases, apply for their residence permit which allows them to work and live in the Netherlands. The Immigratie – en Naturalisatiedienst (IND) is the authority to contact. On their website you will find the information you need regarding the requirements, costs and how to apply. You as an employer can also become a sponsor recognised by the IND which makes the application process quicker and more simple. Recognition is required in order to employ highly skilled migrants and researchers under Directive (EU) 2016/801.

International Students/Interns

The Northern Netherlands is home to several internationally renowned educational institutions, namely the University of Groningen, Hanze University of Applied Sciences, and NHL Stenden. These institutions attract many international students who often need to do an internship as part of their academic programme. We encourage you to consider that an international student could be the missing link in your business.

Offering a part-time job or internship to an EU student, or a non-EU student with a student residence permit, is relatively straightforward. This PDF document from Nuffic contains everything you need to know about procedures for hiring an international student.

As an employer wishing to hire an international student, you can use the flowchart to easily determine whether you need to apply for a work permit for people outside the European Economic Area (TWV) and whether this will involve a straightforward or more complicated TWV application. You will also be able to see the number of hours international students are allowed to work.

Orientation Year

Following graduation from an institution in the Netherlands, internationals can apply for an Orientation Year in the Netherlands. The Orientation Year permit has a reduced salary level compared to a regular highly-skilled migrant, which also benefits the employer. Recent graduates from a Master’s or Bachelor’s program at one of the top 200 universities abroad can also apply for the Orientation Year.