To gain work experience
'To gain work experience' is intended for foreign nationals who want to gain work experience as a trainee in the Netherlands and then return to their country of origin in order to finish their study or to use that experience in their work situation.
Any employer with a branch in the Netherlands or who is represented in the Netherlands by an authorised commercial agent may apply for a Single Permit.
Your organisation must be listed in the Commercial Register of the Chamber of Commerce, insofar as this is required under the Commercial Registers Act 2007. Your organisation does not have to be recognised as a sponsor.
Single permit
In order to be able to employ a foreign employee, you must submit an application for a single permit. This is a permit that entitles the foreign national to stay and work in the Netherlands.
The residence permit and the work permit are combined in the single permit. You only have to apply for one permit, at one authority (the IND).
The single permit consists of a residence permit and an additional document stating for which employer the foreign national is permitted to work and under which conditions.
N.B. In order to be able to employ a Japanese national, you must not submit an application for a single permit, but an application for a residence permit 'to gain work experience'. A work permit is not needed for Japanese nationals.
General conditions
•The employee holds a valid passport.
•The employee does not pose a danger to public order or national security.
•The employee has not been convicted for a crime and has not committed a war crime, terrorist acts, or a crime against humanity.
•The employee is obliged to take out a health insurance policy.
•The employee must undergo a tuberculosis (TB) test in the Netherlands. The employee must have undergone this test within 3 months following the issue of the residence permit. If necessary, the employee must undergo treatment for TB. Some nationalities do not have to undergo a TB test.
Specific conditions for trainees for employment purposes
•The foreign national will be working at a Dutch company to gain experience in the performance of his job in his country of origin.
For this purpose, the following documents are required:
•A trainee agreement;
•An education plan; and
•A return statement.
Specific conditions for trainees for study purposes
•The foreign national is following a course at an educational institution outside the Netherlands.
•He is going to work for a Dutch company for a compulsory work placement. He must prove this by means of a statement from his educational institution.
•He has a trainee agreement; and
•He has agreed on a trainee programme.
In addition to these conditions, an application for a single permit must also comply with the criteria as prescribed in the Foreign Nationals Employment Act (Wav).
Criteria Wav for trainees for employment purposes:
•Already employed by foreign employer
•Agreement between the foreign employer and the Dutch company on the training pathway
•Training pathway aimed at future performance at foreign employer
•The experience gained is of importance for the development of the foreign employer's business operations
•The trainee does not occupy a regular position
•The trainee will return to the foreign employer
•The trainee has sufficient basic vocational training
•The number of trainees (if there are more than 2) does not exceed 10% of the permanent staff.
•The wage must be in line with market conditions and must at least be the minimum wage of an employee of 23 years old. In the table, this standard is equal to the standard for spouses/unmarried couples living together (see table).
Duration: 24 weeks.
Criteria Wav for trainees for study purposes:
•Enrolled in a regular educational programme
•The parties have agreed on a phased trainee agreement including the learning objectives
•The trainee is required to do work experience to complete the educational programme
•The trainee already has sufficient basic vocational training
•The number of trainees (if there are more than 2) does not exceed 10% of the permanent staff
•The duration for senior secondary vocational educational level: 6 months
•The duration for higher professional educational level: 1 year
•Including trainee allowance, the trainee earns an income that may not be lower than 50% of the minumum wage/youth wage
Submit your application for an extension of your single permit in time
If you have a single permit that expires within 3 months, please make sure to have it extended in time. The same applies if you have a residence permit as an employee (issued before 1 April 2014) and you now need a single permit.
The statutory decision period for the IND to assess and issue your application is 90 days. Within this period the IND will request the advice of UWV. UWV will advise the IND within 5 weeks. Based on this advice, the IND can then make its decision on your application. Therefore, please bear in mind that it will take between 7 weeks and 90 days before a decision on your application is made.
During the assessment of your application, you are only allowed to work if you have:
•A valid residence permit and work permit (TWV), or
•A valid single permit, or
•An additional document stating that you are allowed to work.
For this reason, do submit the application in time, in any event 3 months before the duration of your current residence permit expires. By doing so, you will avoid the risk that you may not be able to work (temporarily) after the validity of your current residence permit / single permit has expired.
In general, the IND will send you a letter about 3 months before the validity of your current residence permit expires, to remind you of the possibility to apply for an extension. The letter in question includes an application form with your personal details and questions applicable only to you. If you have not received this letter, you can then make use of one of the application forms (in Dutch) listed on the IND website.
However, do not submit an application if your current residence permit is still valid for more than 6 months. This, namely, could be a reason for the IND to reject your application, as your situation may in fact change in the meantime.
Letter with additional information
The letter (only available in Dutch) contains additional information you need when or if you are going to submit an application for a Single permit (GVVA). The information concerns the Single permit procedure, the period of time needed and the importance of submitting