Student Handbook - School of Business and Economics - Maastricht ...

Student Handbook • Practical Guide
12 Working in the Netherlands
Practical Guide • Student Handbook
If you are going to be staying in the Netherlands for more than a few months, you may
want to get a job to support your activities and make some money. Although the Dutch
system for applying for work is complicated, it is not impenetrable if you understand
some of the basics.
12.1 Who can work?
Citizens of EEA States
(Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden
and United Kingdom)
These citizens are allowed to work unconditionally, and do not require residence permits.
There are no legal barriers to working in the Netherlands and students can apply directly
for the job they want. Hence, you do NOT need to have a residence permit or a work permit.
However, you do need to obtain a BSN (Burger Service Number). You first register with City
Hall where you will get a sticker in your passport; after this you can apply for a BSN number.
Citizens from Bulgaria and Romania
These citizens still need to obtain a work permit; see below.
Citizens from outside the EU
(Everybody else)
If you want to get a temporary job during your exchange period in Maastricht and you
are a national from a non-European Union country you are not legally allowed to work
without a permit. It is possible to work only if you keep the following conditions in mind:
a) You have to have a residence permit, and
b) Your employer must apply for a work permit, and has to demonstrate that s/he has
searched unsuccessfully for workers within the EEA who possess the necessary skills
for the job. To support your application, you will need a written statement from Universiteit
Maastricht certifying that you are indeed registered as exchange student and
that a job will not interfere with the course of your study. This will have to be done
after the first exam results have become available, so that we can assess whether you
are academically strong enough to handle this extra work.
c) Apart from that, the job must not exceed 10 hours per week. If you find a seasonal job
(waiting tables or picking cherries) in the months of June and July you can work full time.
12.2 Work Permits
Non-EU citizens require a work permit in order to work legally in the Netherlands. Work
permits will only be assigned under either of the following conditions:
a) The worker is a student and is applying for a job of less than 10 work hours per week.
b) The employer can demonstrate that s/he has searched unsuccessfully for workers
within the EU who possess the necessary skills for the job.
c) The worker is a citizen of a newly joined member state of the EU.
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