Working in the North

The Dutch tax system is especially complicated for internationals. Your personal situation will affect your tax status.

Want to know about your legal rights and obligations as an employee? They differ according to the type of employment contract you have.

There are several ways for looking for vacancies. Read these tips to start your career in the North of the Netherlands!

Every employee is entitled to a leave with full pay. There are several kinds of leave you can make use of.

The Dutch pension system is based on three pillars; basic statutory pensions, ABP pension and Individual supplements.Pension from outside the Netherlands If you have lived or worked outside the Netherlands, and you were not working for a Netherlands-based employer then, you may have built up pension rights outside the Netherlands. If you have not yet reached your AOW pension age, you will have to contact the pension agency in that country for information about your non-Dutch pension. If you have already reached your AOW pension age, in many cases the SVB will arrange for your claim for a basic pension from another country. They will do this at the same time as they process your AOW pension claim, but only for the following countries: Member states of the EU (European Union) or the EEA (European Economic Area) Countries with which the Netherlands has a social security agreement An agreement has been concluded between the Netherlands and Pakistan on the verification of benefit entitlements. Under this agreement, all AOW pension payments to Pakistan are based on a maximum of 50% of the Dutch net minimum wage. If you have lived or worked in a country not mentioned above, you must contact the pension institution in that country yourself. If you have built up a company or a private pension outside the Netherlands, you must contact your former employer or the pension fund concerned. You can also check out the useful information at this link if you have lived and worked in other EU countries. Receiving your AOW while living outside of the Netherlands If you live and work outside the Netherlands, you are usually no longer insured under the AOW pension scheme. Instead of the AOW pension, you may be able to build up a pension in the country where you live or work. Whether or not you receive an AOW pension outside the Netherlands depends on which country you live in or move to. You can receive a full AOW pension in some countries but not in all. To see whether you can get an AOW pension and AOW top-up go to SVB.nl and choose the country you will be living in. If you live outside the Netherlands, you must apply for an AOW pension yourself six months before you reach your AOW pension age. Read about how and where to apply here!

You may be entitled to unemployment benefit from the Netherlands when loosing your job. Find out how to apply here.

Volunteering time and attention to an organisation or cause is an admirable way of assimilating into a community

Working hours and conditions are regulated in the Netherlands and collective labor agreements apply in most companies and organisations.

Some people must obtain a work permit before starting work. Your employer must apply for you to obtain a work permit from the UWV Werkbedrijf (Uitvoeringsinstituut Werknemers Verzekeringen), which is the office for re-integration, unemployment benefits, etc. (formerly Centre of Work and Income).