Netherlands Work Permit

Every non-EU citizen who wants to work in the Netherlands has to obtain a valid work permit. Either the employee or their prospective employer may request the permit, although it is usually the employer who makes the request. A work permit is valid only for the employer who makes the request and ceases if / when the employee leaves the job. There is no general work permit for the Netherlands.

Expats from within the EU, the EEA (the EU plus Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway) or Switzerland do not need a work or residence permit for the Netherlands, as citizens of these nations have to right to freedom of movement within each other. The most recent EU member countries for which full freedom of movement came into effect was Bulgaria and Romania at the start of 2014. As of July 1, 2018, people from Croatia no longer need a Dutch work permit to work in the Netherlands. 

Expats also do not need a work permit if they are here to perform certain types of work for short periods of time on an occasional basis (such as press service staff, musicians and visiting lecturers). All other internationals will need a permit of some kind to work in the Netherlands.