A labour migrant is a third-country national who comes to the Netherlands to work as an employed worker. Also included are spiritual leaders or ministers of religion.
Most of the times, you can apply for a GVVA (single permit for residence and work). The GVVA combines the residence permit and the work permit (TWV). You thus only apply for one permit. You do this at the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND).
The IND asks advice from the Netherlands Employees Insurance Agency (UWV) about the labour market aspect. UWV assesses the request for advice based on the criteria of the Foreign Nationals Employment Act (Wav). The GVVA consists of a residence document and an additional document. The additional document states for which employer the third-country national may work and under which conditions.
Different conditions apply to persons with the nationality of an EU/EEA country or Switzerland and their family members.
Conditions to migrate to the Netherlands as an employed worker
Requirements for single permit for paid employment can be found here.
In some cases, it is not possible to apply for a single permit in which case you can apply for a residence permit for paid employment. The conditions and requirements for this permit can be found here.
There are also certain conditions that apply to everyone who wants to stay in the Netherlands for more than 3 months.
| Where and how to apply | To travel to the Netherlands, you need a provisional residence permit (mvv). The mvv is a sticker that the Dutch representation places in the passport. In some cases, you do not need an mvv. You apply for the mvv and the residence permit at the same time. This can be done in 2 ways: You (to the Dutch representation in your own country or the country of continuous residence) or your employer (applies to the IND in the Netherlands) can submit the application for a GVVA. Are you only allowed to work with a work permit? And is it not possible to apply for a GVVA? Your employer has to apply for a TWV at the UWV. Your employer has to do this at the same time as the application for your residence permit. You cannot do this yourself. For more information on where and how to apply, please check here, or contact your employer as to the procedures to be followed. Your employer can choose to become a recognised sponsor. This is not obligatory. Recognition as sponsor has various advantages. Other conditions may apply for Turkish nationals and their family members. |
| Documents required | The application form lists the documents that you must enclose with the application. You have to have official foreign documents legalised and translated into Dutch, English, French or German. |
| Duration of validity of permits | The Single Permit (GVVA) is valid for a maximum of 1 year. The period of validity of your residence permit is the same as the period for which the work permit is given. If you do not need a work permit to work, the period of validity of your residence permit then is the same as the length of your employment contract with a maximum validity of 5 years. |
| Further requirements | Upon arrival, you must:
|
| Appeals | You have a decision on your application. The application has been rejected. Or your application has been approved, but you disagree with, for example, the start date or the labour market notification of your residence permit. You may submit an application for review. If you have a negative decision by the IND on your application for review, you may appeal to the court. |
| Further information | All information specific for your nationality on residence permits can be found here. More on the admission as an employed worker in the Netherlands Costs for residence permits for work in employment (including spending leave after work on board a Dutch seagoing vessel or mining installation): € 350,00 (2023). More information about fees can be found here as they change regularly. |
| Extension of stay | Is your residence permit due to expire soon? Apply for an extension. |
| Change of status | Has something changed in your situation that influences your residence permit? Please report this immediately to the IND. It may mean that the residence permit has to be changed. |
| Employment | The Single Permit (GVVA) consists of a residence permit and an additional document. The residence permit states 'Arbeid toegestaan conform aanvullend document' (work permitted according to additional document). The additional document states for which employer you may work and under which conditions. The residence document and additional document allow you to live and work for your employer in the Netherlands. Your employer receives a copy of the additional document. You or your employer do not need a Single Permit or a TWV when you are free on the labour market. You are e.g. free on the labour market when you have worked in the Netherlands for 5 years. You or your employer only have to apply for a residence permit at the IND. |
| Permanent residence | If you have lawfully lived in the Netherlands for an uninterrupted period of five years and you have a valid residence permit for a non-temporary purpose of stay, such as ´work in employment´, you can apply for a permanent residence permit. Certain conditions will have to be met in order to be eligible for permanent residence. |
| Family reunification | As the holder of a residence permit to work as an employed worker, it is possible to bring your spouse, (registered) partner or minor child(ren) to the Netherlands. Certain conditions will have to be met in order to be allowed to bring your family members. |