Work permit (TWV)

Are you planning to hire an employee from abroad? Whether they need a work permit depends on the country they are from. 

outside the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland? You will need a work permit (tewerkstellingsvergunning, TWV) or a combined residence and work permit (gecombineerde vergunning voor verblijf en arbeid, GVVA).

Employees from the EEA and Switzerland

Employees that are nationals from a European Economic Area (EEA) country and Swiss nationals do not need a work permit to work in the Netherlands They do need a valid passport or identity document.

Employees from outside the EEA and Switzerland

Foreign workers from outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland, generally they need a work permit. There are 2 types of work permit:

• work permit, or TWV (tewerkstellingsvergunning)
• combined work and residence permit, GVVA (gecombineerde vergunning voor verblijf en arbeid)

It depends on the duration of the employment and the type of employment which permit the employee needs. 

Applying for a work permit (TWV)

You need to apply for a work permit for the Netherlands to the Employee Insurance Agency (UWV) in the following situations.

• the foreign employee is already in the Netherlands and has a residence permit
• the foreign employee will come to work in the Netherlands for no more than 90 days
• the foreign employee will come to work in the Netherlands for more than 90 days but will not be living here. 

To get a work permit for a for a foreign employee, employers must meet a number of criteria (in Dutch). The employee must have a residence permit or a visa. You must comply with Dutch working conditions and labour legislation. And you must provide UWV with information on the type of accommodation in which the employee will stay. The accommodation must be safe and clean.

Do you want someone else, for example an intermediairy or an agency, to apply for a TWV? Then you need to apply for chain authorisation for eHerkenning (in Dutch). 

Applying for a combined residence and work permit (GVVA, or single permit) 

Will the foreign employee work for you for more than 90 days and will they be living in the Netherlands? Then you generally need several documents:

• a combined residence and work permit (GVVA), the so-called single permit. The GVVA is a residence permit with an additional document stating for which employer they are permitted to work and under which conditions. They therefore do not need a separate work permit. You can apply for the single permit or the worker can apply for the single permit to the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst, IND).
• a provisional residence permit (MVV). This is a special type of visa with which the employee can enter the Netherlands. Not all nationalities need an MVV. If your employee already has a residence permit from a Schengen country, you do not have to apply for an MVV. As a sponsor you can apply for an MVV to the IND.

To find out whether your employee needs a permit, you can check with the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND). 

Work permit (TWV) for asylum applicant

An asylum seeker (refugee) without a residence document may work for you in the Netherlands. This also applies to self-employed persons; in that case you are the client. You apply for a work permit (TWV) to UWV (in Dutch). In addition to the general conditions for a TWV, the following conditions apply to a TWV for an asylum seeker: 

• The asylum application has been under consideration by the IND for at least 6 months.
• The Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (Centraal Orgaan opvang asielzoekers, COA) provides accommodation for the asylum applicant.
• The asylum applicant has a valid Foreign Nationals Identity Document Type W.
• You pay a standard wage, in line with market rates, for the work the asylum applicant will be doing. UWV will check whether you pay enough wages.

You will get a TWV for the period the Foreign Nationals Identity Document Type W is valid.

No TWV required

You do not need a work permit in the Netherlands for certain groups of workers (in Dutch), although other conditions do apply. You do not need a work permit for, among others:

• highly skilled migrants
• transferred employees of an international company
• self-employed professionals you hire
• asylum seekers with a residence document (status holders)

Employees from Ukraine

Refugees from Ukraine can work in the Netherlands without a work permit. For example if they are covered by the Temporary Protection Directive. As the employer you must notify UWV in advance (in Dutch). Refugees from Ukraine must have a sticker or O-document as proof of residency in the Netherlands from IND to be eligible for this work permit exemption. This exemption does not apply to persons with a temporary residence permit for Ukraine (third-country nationals). Whether they will be allowed to work here depends on their residency status.

Change in permit

If there is a change in the situation or the purpose of the stay in the Netherlands of your employee, they may need to apply for a different permit. They are only entitled to a specific work and/or residence permit if they fulfil the requirements for that permit. If the situation changes, please contact the Immigration and Naturalisation Service to apply for a different permit.