Application procedure
If a work permit is required it is not you, but your future Dutch employer who must apply. You don’t need to take any action. Here you can read how it works.
No work permit? No visa.
Regulations concerning work permits and immigration procedures are very much intertwined. A Schengen visa or (provisional) residence permit will be granted only if the work permit has been issued. This means that if your employer needs to apply for a work permit, you should calculate some extra time (up to 5 weeks) for the immigration procedures.
The authority for issuing work permits is called UWV WERKbedrijf. The authority deciding on (provisional) residence permits is called IND (Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service). Sometimes it may be possible for your employer to submit a joint application for both a work permit and a (provisional) residence permit. Both applications will then be handled at an office where these two organisations work together. If this is available in your case, we would certainly advise your employer to do so. This will save a couple of weeks time.
What are the costs?
A work permit is issued free of charge. Employers who hire foreign nationals without first obtaining a work permit risk being fined €8,000 for each illegal employee.
Further information for employers is available in the support staff section of this website (in Dutch only).
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