Whether you are allowed to work depends on your residence status.
Citizens of the EU (European Union), EER (European Economic Area) and Switzerland may work without a Dutch work permit. If you have another status, look at your current official proof and the rules for that status. When a tewerkstellingsvergunning (TWV, work permit) is needed, your employer has to get it before you start. A gecombineerde vergunning voor verblijf en arbeid (GVVA, combined residence and work permit) requires two documents that cover your job.
This guide is for newcomers who are starting a job, switching employers or checking proof of their right to work. What work you may do depends on your residence status. Your card, a letter from the Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst (IND, immigration service) or a verblijfsaantekening (residence endorsement sticker) can serve as proof of those rights. Check the expiry date and any work wording at the same time.
If you lose your card, that does not by itself end your residence status. Your employer still needs acceptable proof that you may work. When your card is lost, follow the IND replacement procedure and ask which proof your employer can accept. A burgerservicenummer (BSN, citizen service number), a job offer or a pending application by itself does not prove that you are allowed to work.
Work rights for each residence status
Locate your status in the first column, then read its conditions underneath the table. Employers apply for a TWV through UWV (Uitvoeringsinstituut Werknemersverzekeringen, employee insurance agency).
Wide tables can be scrolled sideways.
| Your status | Employee work | Employer permit |
|---|---|---|
| EU, EER or Swiss citizen; Article 50 (Brexit residence document); EU-family residence document | Free access while the status is valid | No TWV |
| Permanent regular, permanent asylum or Dutch EU long-term resident permit | Free access | No TWV |
| Partner of a Dutch citizen | Free access | No TWV |
| Partner of another permit holder | Depends on the person you joined; read your own card | TWV, free access or no work |
| Kennismigrant (highly skilled migrant) | Qualifying job, normally for an erkend referent (recognised sponsor); recognition is not required for Turkish nationals; self-employment alongside it | Other employee work alongside that job needs a TWV |
| Student residence permit | Choose up to 16 hours a week, or full-time in June, July and August | Employer needs a TWV |
| Zoekjaar (orientation year) | Free access for the one-year permit | No TWV |
| Asylum application pending for at least 6 months | Depends on eligibility and current work proof | Employer generally needs a TWV; see the W-document (foreign national identity document for asylum applicants) exception below |
| Valid asylum residence permit | Free access | No TWV |
| Currently covered by temporary protection for Ukraine | Paid employment with a contract and IND proof | No TWV; employer notifies UWV |
A valid passport or identity card can show that you have EU, EER or Swiss nationality. British newcomers usually need a permit under the post-Brexit rules. An Article 50 residence document proves rights under the terugtrekkingsakkoord (Withdrawal Agreement) and permits unrestricted work. A non-EU family member who relies on EU free-movement rights should check their own EU-family document. The sponsor's nationality by itself does not prove those rights.
Work wording on cards and documents
On the back of a Dutch residence card, you will find the purpose of stay and an arbeidsmarktaantekening (work endorsement). A GVVA also comes with an aanvullend document (additional document) that names the employer and the conditions. Compare the work wording on your document with the first column to see what you are allowed to do.
Wide tables can be viewed by scrolling sideways.
| Dutch wording and English gloss | What you may do |
|---|---|
| Arbeid vrij toegestaan. TWV niet vereist (work freely permitted; no TWV required) | Employee work is unrestricted while the status is valid. Your employer needs no TWV. |
| Arbeid als kennismigrant en als zelfstandige toegestaan, andere arbeid toegestaan met TWV (highly skilled migrant and self-employed work permitted; other work permitted with TWV) | Work in your qualifying highly skilled migrant job and be self-employed alongside it. Other employee work alongside that job needs a TWV. |
| TWV vereist voor arbeid van bijkomende aard, andere arbeid in loondienst niet toegestaan (TWV required for additional work; other employee work prohibited) | The student rule: use the permitted weekly hours or summer arrangement after your employer obtains a TWV. |
| Arbeid niet toegestaan (work prohibited) | Employee work is prohibited under this permit. An internship or volunteer exception may have separate conditions. |
Read the wording alongside your residence status and any additional document. With a GVVA, you may work for the employer named in its additional document. A positive IND decision or a residence endorsement sticker can sometimes prove temporary work rights. Follow the exact work permission that it states.
A gereglementeerd beroep (regulated profession), for example nursing, may also require professional registration or recognition. That is separate from immigration permission. Use the foreign diploma recognition guide to find the correct route.
Work permits: TWV and GVVA
Your employer applies to UWV for a TWV for your work. This route is for students, eligible asylum applicants, work of up to 90 days and some people who already live in the Netherlands. A TWV can also cover longer work if the worker lives outside the Netherlands. The employer must satisfy the route's conditions, including the pay rules. Do not start until the permit covers your job. If you change employers, the new employer must arrange its own TWV where one is required.
A GVVA generally combines residence and work permission when a non-EU employee will live and work in the Netherlands for more than 90 days. Some permit categories follow a different route. The employer or the worker can apply, but the IND recommends that the employer applies. For some routes, the employer must apply. You may start only after you have received both the residence document and the additional document. If you change employer, you need a new application. Wait until the documents allow that job.
Conditions for frequently used residence statuses
The type of permit you hold determines the conditions for your job. Partners, highly skilled migrants, students and people with protection status each have different rules.
Permits for partners and family members
A partner of a Dutch citizen may work freely. For other partner permits, the referent (sponsor) is the person you joined. Look up your sponsor's permit in the first column to check whether you may work freely, need a TWV or may not work.
Wide tables can be scrolled sideways.
| Your sponsor's status | Your work rights |
|---|---|
| Dutch citizen | Free work; no TWV |
| Kennismigrant | Free work; no TWV |
| Europese blauwe kaart (EU Blue Card) | Free work; no TWV |
| Overplaatsing binnen een onderneming (intra-company transfer) | Free work; no TWV |
| Onderzoeker volgens richtlijn (EU) 2016/801 (researcher under this directive) | Free work; no TWV |
| Essentieel start-up personeel (essential start-up staff) | Free work; no TWV |
| Self-employed residence permit | Free work, including self-employment |
| GVVA | Your employer needs a TWV |
| Study residence permit | Work prohibited |
With other sponsor categories, partners often get the same work rights as their sponsor. Check your own card. If your sponsor has a temporary permit, your permit ends on the same date.
Kennismigrant permits
A kennismigrant normally works for an erkend referent: an employer approved by the IND. If you have Turkish nationality, sponsor recognition is not required; you may also apply yourself. Your job must meet the salary rules and pay the normal rate for that kind of work. You may also be self-employed alongside that job. Other employee work alongside it requires a TWV. To work only for yourself, apply for a self-employed or start-up permit.
After you lose your job, the IND gives you up to 3 months to find a new qualifying job. The usual maximum is 6 months if you became unemployed on or after 22 May 2026. At that point, you must also have held this permit for at least 2 years. If you became unemployed before 22 May 2026, the 3-month maximum continues to apply.
If you have experienced labour exploitation, ask the IND to confirm your individual search deadline and how your permit's expiry affects it. EU Directive 2024/1233 requires an extra 3 months after competent authorities find reasonable grounds to believe that a single-permit holder experienced particularly exploitative working conditions. This extends the applicable 3-month or 6-month unemployment period. The IND's published guidance instead lists a maximum of 6 months for victims. Because these sources differ, ask the IND how the EU rule applies to your case.
The search period begins when your contract ends. It cannot continue past your permit's expiry date. A new job must meet the sponsor and salary rules. Both the old and the new employer must report the change to the IND.
Student permits
With a student residence permit, choose one arrangement for employee work: up to 16 hours a week all year, or full-time only in June, July and August. Your employer must first obtain a TWV. For example, a student who chooses weekly work may take a 12-hour shop job. A 20-hour weekly job goes beyond that arrangement, even if the employer has a TWV.
A stage (internship) that is part of your Dutch study programme does not need a TWV. You, the employer and your educational institution must sign the required internship agreement.
If you are self-employed, you do not need a TWV, and there is no immigration cap on your hours. However, you still have to satisfy every condition of your student permit, such as making study progress. You must sign up with Kamer van Koophandel (KVK, the chamber of commerce), pay taxes, and find out if you need Dutch health insurance.
Zoekjaar permits
During the zoekjaar, you can work as an employee or be self-employed for 1 year without a TWV. It cannot be extended. You might qualify during the 3 years following specified Dutch study or research.
The foreign-qualification route covers certain master's, doctoral and post-master's programmes. The institution must be ranked in the top 200 by at least 2 of the 3 ranking publishers listed by the IND. The rankings must qualify at graduation or when the doctorate is completed. Subject rankings must match your field. Language requirements also apply. Nuffic (Dutch organisation for international education) must evaluate the qualification, except for qualifying accredited programmes in Flanders.
Graduation by itself does not change student work rights. If your zoekjaar application is pending, free work depends on your qualification evidence or research and a residence endorsement sticker. Check the IND zoekjaar conditions and get a sticker that confirms free work before you start.
Asylum applicants and people who hold residence permits
As an asylum applicant, you generally need an employer with a TWV after your application has been under consideration for at least 6 months. Access is not automatic. UWV checks your eligibility with the IND. It also checks that you receive opvang (reception) from the Centraal Orgaan opvang asielzoekers (COA, asylum reception agency). When you are allowed to work, the same pay rules apply as for Dutch nationals. There is no annual limit on the number of weeks worked.
A Vreemdelingen Identiteitsbewijs type W is proof of your identity and your legal stay. IND's model-2026 guidance contains a list of W-documents issued after 12 June 2026 that do not have a work endorsement on the back. Older versions may say that a TWV is needed. If the document is marked "Arbeid vrij toegestaan. TWV niet vereist", you can work without a TWV.
According to IND's employing guidance, after 12 June 2026 no new W-document will be issued. Your ontvangstbevestiging (receipt confirming your application) explains what rights you have. The guidance states that if you filed an asylum application after that date, whether you can work after 6 months depends on the procedure. Ask your employer to verify your current proof and your eligibility with UWV.
For asylum applications filed on or after 12 June 2026, work can be barred for specified reasons. These include safe-country cases, false statements, a transfer decision that assigns the application to another EU state, and public-order or national-security risks. In October 2026, the 6-month wait still applies. A shorter 3-month wait remains a government plan.
If you hold a valid asylum residence permit, you can work without restrictions or be self-employed, and you do not need a TWV. When you applied to renew a temporary asylum permit before it ran out, you are allowed to continue working until the IND makes a decision. Keep the IND confirmation or another up-to-date proof. These rights for renewals are not the same as the rules that apply to asylum applicants.
Temporary protection for people from Ukraine
If you are currently covered by the Richtlijn tijdelijke bescherming (Temporary Protection Directive) for Ukraine, you can do paid work without a TWV through 4 March 2028. You must have an employment contract and valid proof from the IND. At least 2 working days before you begin, your employer has to notify UWV. If you want to work as a self-employed person, your client needs a TWV, unless a different residence permit allows that work.
If you are not Ukrainian and your temporary protection rested only on a temporary Ukrainian residence permit, that protection ended on 4 September 2025. You can still be protected if you meet the Directive through a different route, for example as a qualifying family member.
Some appeals preserve temporary-protection rights. An appeal against the decision that ends protection, or against a return decision issued before 4 March 2024, can preserve those rights until the appeal decision. For a return decision issued on or after 4 March 2024, the court must have allowed you to await the appeal in the Netherlands. Your proof must also state that you may work. Check your current IND decision and any other residence permission.
Self-employment, volunteer work and internships
Generally, self-employment is allowed with free-work, permanent, zoekjaar, and valid asylum permits. An asylum applicant’s client must obtain a TWV. For self-employed work under temporary protection for Ukraine, a client TWV is also required, unless a different permit permits it. If your current status does not allow the activity, you might need a self-employed residence permit or another route. Registering with KVK does not substitute for immigration permission.
When employee work is limited, unpaid volunteering and study internships can fall under a separate exception. If an organisation hosts an asylum applicant, it must get a vrijwilligersverklaring (volunteer declaration) from UWV. The same rule applies if you volunteer while under temporary protection for Ukraine. An asylum applicant can complete a Dutch vocational or higher-education study internship without a TWV if the necessary agreement between the school, the employer and the student is in place. If you are under temporary protection, you, the employer and the school all have to sign an internship contract. Check that the exception applies before you begin. If paid work is labelled "volunteering", the rules do not change.
An EU long-term resident permit from another EU country does not by itself let you settle in the Netherlands. You need a Dutch permit for your residence purpose. The IND’s relocation page describes a TWV for the first 12 months of employment. That rule is not universal: a qualifying Dutch highly skilled migrant permit allows the qualifying job without a TWV. Check your permit category and its work endorsement before you start.
If you are a Turkish national covered by the EU–Turkey Association Agreement, you no longer need a TWV for paid employment after you have worked for the same employer for 3 years. Before switching jobs, ask the IND to confirm both your qualifying work history and your work endorsement. The conditions are explained in IND Turkish-national rules.
Common problems: changing jobs and missing proof
Changing jobs, an expired card or a missing document can mean you need a new application or proof. Use the matching row before you start or continue work.
Wide tables can be scrolled sideways.
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| New employer with a TWV or GVVA | For a TWV, your new employer must apply. For a GVVA, you or your new employer must submit a new application. Start only when the permit or documents cover the job. |
| New kennismigrant sponsor | Check that the employer is a recognised sponsor. Check that the job meets the salary rules. Both employers must report the change to the IND. |
| Temporary permit expires; extension pending | Apply before expiry and check your route's continued-work rules. Obtain current IND proof where required. |
| Permanent residence card expires | Permanent status continues. You may keep working; renew the card. |
| Residence purpose changes, including graduation | A pending application alone does not grant the new category's work rights. Follow your current proof. |
| Card lost or stolen | Report it to the police, arrange replacement and ask the IND about temporary proof. A reported card is invalid. |
| Five continuous years with a temporary Dutch residence permit allowing work | Your hoofdverblijf (main place of residence) must not have moved abroad afterwards. Check with the IND whether you qualify for free work. Obtain the document with the free-work endorsement before relying on it. |
Whether you may work while an application is pending is determined by the type of permit. If you are a kennismigrant, an affirmative IND decision may allow you to work before your card is ready. That permission and the date it begins must be stated in the decision. Within 2 weeks after your employer gets the decision, schedule an appointment to give fingerprints and a photo, or to collect your card.
If your employer has applied for an extension and that application is still pending, you can keep doing highly skilled migrant work using your expired card. A residence endorsement sticker can serve as up-to-date proof.
When extending a GVVA, you can carry on working for the same employer in the same job provided the IND gets the application within 4 weeks after the expiry date. Should your card already be expired, you need a residence endorsement sticker that includes the work wording. To help avoid a break in your residence permission, submit the application before the card expires.
Should you discover a card after you have reported it as lost or stolen, you must give it back to the IND.
When a regular permit is valid for less than 3 months, you may request an extension or a change rather than applying for a separate replacement.
If you need assistance selecting another permit, use the Dutch residence permit routes. If permanent residence is something you are thinking about, look at the inburgering (civic integration) proof for permanent residence.
Checks by employers and fines
Your employer has to inspect your valid original identity document and evidence that you are allowed to perform the job before any work begins. If it is required, the employer also reviews the extra TWV or GVVA document. Having only a BSN does not confer the right to work.
In October 2026, the standard fine under the Wet arbeid vreemdelingen (Wav, Foreign Nationals Employment Act) varies with the employer's legal form. For a natuurlijk persoon (individual) operating a business, the standard amount is €3,000 for each person employed illegally. When the employer is a foundation or association with a public-benefit purpose, the €3,000 standard applies only if the work is a non-business activity and is not intended to generate income. Other rechtspersonen (legal entities) and comparable employers face €6,000 per person.
The Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie (Netherlands Labour Authority) may lower or raise the amount based on how serious the case is and who is at fault. A standard fine of €6,000 can go up to €11,250 before any increase for a repeat offence. If the same or a similar offence is repeated within 5 years, the fine may be raised by 50%, 100% or 200%.
Checks to make before your first shift
Complete these checks in the order shown before starting work:
- Look at your current card or another form of IND proof. Note the expiry date and any wording about work.
- Make sure your proof aligns with the IND or UWV rules that apply to your status.
- Provide your employer with the original identity document and every work document that is required.
- If your documents do not match your current situation, ask the IND or UWV to resolve it.
- Check that any required TWV, GVVA documents, or employer notification are valid for your start date.
A contract, a BSN, or a spoken promise by itself is not proof that you may work. Before you begin, rely on the current official proof.
Select the guide that fits the task you need to do next:
Official Sources
- IND: Employing a foreign national - Free-movement groups, TWV and GVVA routes, student work, asylum-permit renewal rights and IND receipt confirmations.
- IND: Residence document Model 2020 - Where the residence purpose and labour-market endorsement appear, including free-work documents.
- UWV: Work permits - Who needs a TWV, who applies and the conditions employers must meet.
- IND: Single Permit (GVVA) - The residence card, additional document, start date, extension and employer-change rules.
- IND: Residence permit for partner - The exact work-rights matrix for partners of Dutch and non-Dutch sponsors.
- IND: Highly skilled migrant - Recognised-sponsor, endorsement, salary, job-loss and extension rules.
- IND: Sponsor obligations - Reporting, record-keeping and care duties for sponsors and recognised sponsors.
- IND: Student residence permit - The TWV, hours, summer-work, internship and self-employment conditions for students.
- IND: Orientation year - Eligibility, one-year duration, pending-application proof and free work access.
- Netherlands Labour Authority: Asylum seekers - Six-month access, exclusions from 12 June 2026, equal pay and the absence of an annual week limit.
- UWV: Work permit for an asylum seeker - Employer application evidence, internship rules, self-employed work and volunteer declarations.
- IND: Temporary Protection Directive Ukraine - Current coverage through 4 March 2028, proof and the position of third-country nationals.
- Government.nl: Work and income for refugees from Ukraine - Employment-contract, proof and employer-notification requirements under temporary protection.
- IND: Self-employed person permit - When a dedicated self-employed residence permit is needed and what employee work it allows.
- IND: Residence endorsement sticker - When a residence endorsement sticker can prove lawful stay while an application is pending.
- IND: Residence permit lost or stolen - Police-report, replacement and invalid-card rules.
- IND: Change residence purpose - When a change in residence purpose requires an application and how to prevent a residence gap.
- IND: Permanent residence permit - The unrestricted-work endorsement for permanent residents.
- Netherlands Labour Authority: Wav fines - Current standard and adjusted employer fines for illegal employment.
- IND: Vreemdelingen Identiteitsbewijs (foreign national identity document), model 2026 - W-documents issued after 12 June 2026 have no work endorsement; older and free-work variants remain in circulation.
- UWV: Internship work permits - The no-TWV exception for a study internship in the Netherlands requires an agreement between the student, employer and educational institution.
- UWV: TWV conditions - TWV routes for existing residents, work up to 90 days and longer work without moving to the Netherlands; employment conditions.
- IND: Work questions and answers - Employer TWV applications, worker or employer GVVA applications after a job change, receipt terminology and continued work when a permanent residence document expires.
- Netherlands Labour Authority: Employer document checks - Original identity documents, work-right checks and why a BSN alone does not authorise work.
- Rijksoverheid (Dutch government): Working in a regulated profession - Professional qualification and recognition requirements are separate from residence permission.
- KVK: Business registration and residence permission - Business registration and the separate residence-permission requirement for newcomers from outside the EU, EER or Switzerland.
- Ondernemersplein (government business portal): Asylum work rules from 12 June 2026 - Work exclusions for public-order or national-security risks and the IND and UWV eligibility checks.
- Staatsblad (official gazette): 2026 asylum work legislation - Article IV adds mandatory TWV refusal and withdrawal for specified asylum procedures.
- Nuffic: Internationalisation in education - Nuffic's role and official starting point for foreign qualifications.
- COA: Reception and support - The official starting point for the asylum reception agency.
- EU: Directive 2024/1233 (Dutch legal text) - Article 11 sets the underlying unemployment periods and requires 3 extra months after a reasonable-grounds assessment of labour exploitation.
- Staatscourant (official gazette): Wav fine policy 2025 - Annex I distinguishes fine categories, including the non-business and non-income-directed work condition for public-benefit foundations and associations.
- Staatsblad: Wet arbeid vreemdelingen amendment, Article 4 - The five-year criterion concerns uninterrupted qualifying temporary residence permission and no subsequent move of principal residence abroad.
- IND: Verblijfsaantekening appointments - The Dutch official term and qualifying situations for a residence endorsement sticker.
- IND: Brexit and the terugtrekkingsakkoord - The Dutch official term for the Withdrawal Agreement and its residence-document routes.
- IND: Lost or stolen residence permit (Dutch) - Replacement normally keeps the existing end date; near expiry, IND can issue a letter confirming remaining residence rights.
- IND: Kennismigrant unemployment periods (Dutch) - The published 3-month and 6-month search periods, the 22 May 2026 change, exploitation guidance and the permit-expiry limit.
- IND: Richtlijn tijdelijke bescherming Ukraine (Dutch) - Separate protection eligibility for qualifying family members, the end of the temporary-Ukrainian-permit basis and appeal conditions.
- IND: Employing a foreign national (Dutch) - The guidance's no-new-W-document statement, receipt-confirmation proof and procedure-dependent work access for asylum applications after 12 June 2026.
- IND: GVVA documents and conditions (Dutch) - The aanvullend document, both-document start requirement, application routes and conditions for continued work during a GVVA extension.
- IND: moving with EU long-term resident status
- IND: Turkish citizens and employment