There is an old saying, "God created the world, but the Dutch created the Netherlands." Why am I saying this? Because I am trying to signify how capable Dutch are. People from this little country have had an enormous impact on history, changing its course many times. Situated in western Europe, Netherlands is one of the most unique countries in many ways. Back in 1700 Dutch empire held land, spread all over the world; now, it is limited to the Netherlands. However, it did not lose its power; it just changed its form. Once it was a global trade power now, it is one of the countries that export one of the world's largest volumes of goods. No wonder people from all over the world seek job opportunities in the Netherlands. Business culture in the Netherlands is especially favorable to international businesses. We see many innovations applied to different sectors. One of the things that attract people to come here is education. As one of the business hubs in Europe, businesses in the Netherlands have the strongest connections and networks. Most of the graduates start their careers in the Netherlands at highly prestigious companies. Aware of the demand, we thought writing about a work visa for Netherlands might be helpful for those who are interested in taking employment in the Netherlands. There are many things to cover. We will look at Netherlands work visa requirements, Netherlands work visa processing time, but most essentially, we will try to give the best answer to how to get Netherlands work visa. However, before getting into that, let's have a look at the visa policy of the country.
Visa policy of Netherlands
The visa policy of the Netherlands can change depending on mutual relations and agreements between countries. Some countries are subjected to visa regulations. Therefore, we can divide countries into two groups which are visa-free and visa-required countries. The list below depicts the countries that are not subjected to visa regulations or, in other words, are visa-free countries: EU, Australia, Antiga and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, El Salvador, Georgia, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Macao, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Taiwan, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, USA, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Uruguay, Vanuatu. If your country is not on the list, then chances are you will need to start the Netherlands work visa application to remain and work in the country. What types of visas are there for the Netherlands? Generally, they are categorized as short-term and long-term visas. As you might guess, short-term visas are for short time travel while long-term visas are for long stays. What we are interested in, which is a work visa for Netherlands, is a long-term visa. Getting a work visa for the Netherlands is highly competitive. You better be well prepared before starting the Netherlands work visa process.
What types of work visas are there for the Netherlands?
As you know, work visas are designed for people who wish to stay and work in the Netherlands. There are many Netherlands work visa types. However, we will mention only the most applied work visas in this article. They are GVVA / Single Permit, Highly skilled migrant permit, Orientation year permits for ex-pat graduates, Entrepreneur permit, and Netherlands post-study work visa. GVVA / Single Permit is a type that allows you to work in the Netherlands for more than 3 months. It is applied by an employer, and it has its conditions. The main one is that to apply employer should depict his or her effort that he/she took to find an appropriate employee within the EU and Netherlands but could not find the employee and, therefore, turning to the outside of the EU for suitable candidates. The second of Netherlands work visa types is a highly skilled migrant permit which is a scheme used by Dutch employers to find highly capable workers and employ them in the Netherlands. Although it takes less time and is more convenient, to be eligible for the permit is highly competitive. You need to have a higher education level, such as a bachelor's degree and some experience in your field. Orientation year permits for ex-pat graduates can be granted to those ex-pats that are recently graduated and got their Ph.D. degrees. The duration of the permit is three years, and a permit applies not only to people who graduated in the Netherlands but also in other countries' prestigious universities. Those who would like to lead their business in the Netherlands can apply for an Entrepreneur permit. However, to be eligible for this work visa for Netherlands, they must show their capabilities to successfully launch the business in the Netherlands. Last but not least important is Netherlands post-study work visa. This type is similar to the Orientation year permit. However, different to Orientation year permit, in this visa, not only Ph.D. graduates but also people holding bachelor's and master's degrees can take advantage of the visa. Another major difference is that on this visa, you need to graduate from a Dutch university.
Work visa requirements, fees, and processing time
As we mentioned earlier, this visa, in general, is a national visa, and it is regulated by the Netherlands government. On the list below, we have given the Netherlands work visa requirements:
• Netherlands work visa application form completed dated, signed in English or Dutch by the applicant. If the applicant is a minor, then it should be completed by a parent or guardian.
• A passport that should remain valid for 6 months after your departure from the Netherlands is required. It should possess the signature of the applicant. Passport should be issued not more than 10 years ago. It should have a minimum of two blank pages. Pictures of the applicant should be carefully affixed to the passport.
• Three recently (in the last 6 months) taken photos. It should cover the frontal view of the applicant's face, which should make 70-80 percent of the photo. The background for the photo should be white, and a uniform is required. In the photos, facial features, eyes should be seen without any obstacle.
• The national ID card of the applicant, which should remain valid for three months after leaving the Netherlands, is required.
• In the case of having different citizenship from the place of residence, a residence permit or copy of a visa is needed.
• Copies of your passport's main page alongside former Schengen visas you got.
• Documents proving employment in the Netherlands. If it is general employment, then university degrees, certificates are needed. For blue card candidates, a degree from a Dutch university or equivalent recognized university degree.
• Curriculum Vitae (CV) with all information on your experience, trainings, certificates, etc.
• Documents proving the applicant's accommodation in Netherlands. It can be a hotel reservation.
• Police record that has been issued in the last six months, depicting the applicant's criminal activity for the last 5 years.
• Medical certificate issued and verified by an authorized physician proving that the applicant has no problem that can jeopardize public health.
Getting a work visa for the Netherlands can be frustrating. It is especially difficult if you do not know how to get Netherlands work visa. Depending on the work visa type, it can change. Some of the types can include you taking part in the application, but most of them are carried by the employer. All the applications will be directed to Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Department (IND). For more detailed information on Netherlands work visa process, check the official website of IND.
As for Netherlands work visa processing time, it can vary depending on many factors. Different from short-term visas, work permits take a much longer time to be processed. Most of the applications are processed within 7 weeks. However, the legal time limit is 90 days. You might be wondering about Netherlands work visa cost. To be honest, it is too general, meaning that cost is highly varying, depending on the type. For example, in the case of self-employment, the fee is 1,300 EUR, while for other work permits, Netherlands work visa cost is around 300 EUR.
To sum up, getting a work visa for the Netherlands is challenging and rewarding at the same time. My advice would be to identify which specific permit is suitable for you first, then carry out the procedures since there are so many nuances regarding every type.
