Hiring an international knowledge worker

International employees may need an entry visa and/or a residence/work permit, depending on their nationality and duration of stay. 

• EU/EEA/Swiss citizens do not require these as they have the right to live and work in the Netherlands.
• Citizens from other countries who are coming to work in the Netherlands for a maximum of 90 days may need a short stay visa and usually also need a work permit (TWV).
• Citizens from other countries coming to work in the Netherlands for longer than 90 days may need a residence/work permit, and may also need a visa (MVV) to enter the country, depending upon their nationality.

There are several different residence/work permits available for international knowledge workers: 

• Highly skilled migrant
• Researchers under Directive (EU) 2016/801
• Intra-corporate transferee
• European blue card
• Essential start-up personnel 

There is also an orientation year (zoekjaar) residence permit, which gives recently graduated, highly educated migrants the chance to find a job or set up their own company in the Netherlands.

Each permit has its own conditions, such as salary requirements, a certain level of education or a specific role. Go to the IND website for more information on the conditions and requirements of the various permits.

Go to the Expat Center Procedure for employers page or Steps for hiring a highly skilled migrant to find out more about the formalities involved.

Recognized sponsors are companies, schools or organizations that are regarded as reliable partners by the IND (Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst / Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service). Recognized sponsors are listed in the Public Register of Recognized Sponsors on the IND website. 

• There are various benefits to becoming a recognized sponsor, including online application and faster processing.
• You, as the employer, may need to be a recognized sponsor in order to employ international knowledge workers from outside the European Union, European Economic Area or Switzerland (EU/EEA/Switzerland).
• For the highly skilled migrant and researcher under Directive (EU) 2016/801 categories, recognition is usually mandatory. There are sometimes exceptions for Turkish citizens due to Association Treaty). Check with the IND whether this is applicable in your situation.
• For the intra-company transferee and European blue card, recognition is not mandatory, but it can still be advantageous for a company to become a recognized sponsor as they then benefit from the advantages of recognition.
• Employers need to apply to the IND to become a recognized sponsor.
• You also have the option of using the services of a payrolling specialist who is a recognized sponsor. This can be a good option for companies who do not wish to become a recognized sponsor yet or for companies who are either intending to apply or in the process of applying, but who are not yet formally recognized sponsors. Go to our Find a Partner page to find payrolling specialists who are recognized sponsors.

As an employer (whether recognized or not) of an international knowledge worker, you have a number of rights and responsibilities. You can find more information on the IND website.

The Expat Scheme (30% rule / 30% ruling) offers a tax advantage to researchers and highly skilled migrants to compensate them for extraterritorial costs associated with their employment in the Netherlands, such as the costs of moving to the Netherlands, the additional costs of living in the Netherlands, and/or travel costs to their home country for family visits. Find out more on our Expat Scheme page in the Internationals Guide, on the government's ondernemersplein website and the Belastingdienst's website.

Go to our Find a partner page to find Official Partners who specialize in immigration and employment (labor) law.