Amsterdam Work & study

Work

Work permits must be applied for by your employer in the Netherlands; in general, the employer must prove that the position cannot be filled by someone from within the EU before offering it to a non-EU citizen. Nationals from many countries must apply for a Temporary Entry Permit (MVV or Machtiging tot Voorlopig Verblijf). Citizens of EU countries, Australia, Canada, Iceland, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and the USA are exempt.

You’ll need to apply for temporary residence before an employer can ask for your work permit. The process should take five weeks; contact the Dutch embassy or consulate in your home country.

In the Netherlands, residency permits are issued by the Immigratie en Naturalisatiedienst (0900 123 45 61, per minute €0.10; www.ind.nl ; Postbus 3211, 2280 GE Rijswijk). For details of work permits, contact the CWI (Employment Services Authority; 0800 80 01; Westwaarts 11, 2701 AD Zoetermeer). The CWI also runs a bilingual website (www.werk.nl) with up-to-date job offers.

Business hours

Business hours are similar to those of other European countries, with a few exceptions. Most banks and businesses close on public holidays, but many shops open on Good Friday, Christmas and Boxing Day. On other religious days, such as Whit Monday, it may seem hardly like a holiday at all. Venues normally closed on Sunday are likely to be shut on public holidays.

Banks Open from 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday – some till 9pm Thursday, and Saturday mornings.

Cafés Open 10am to 1am Sunday to Thursday, till 3am Friday and Saturday.

General office hours From 8.30am to 5pm Monday to Friday.

Museums Often closed on Monday.

Pubs and clubs Opening hours vary. Closing hours 1am Sunday to Thursday, 3am Friday and Saturday.

Restaurants Lunch 11am to 2.30pm, dinner 6pm to 10pm.

Shops Open from noon to 6pm Monday, 9am to 6pm Tuesday to Saturday. Koopavond (evening shopping) is on Thursday nights, with shops staying open until 9pm. Within the Canal Belt, shops are allowed to open from 1pm until 5pm on Sunday, although not all choose to do so.

Supermarkets Open until 8pm.

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Doing business

Amsterdam makes much of its gateway function to Europe, with its busy airport, easy-going tax laws and educated, multilingual workforce. Many large international companies have their European headquarters and distribution in Amsterdam.

If you’re looking to rent office space and other facilities, try Euro Business Center (520 75 00; www.eurobc.nl ; Keizersgracht 62-64) or Regus Business Centre (800 020 20 00; www.regus.com ; Strawinskylaan 3051). For services such as copying, videoconferencing and a courier, seek out FedEx/Kinko’s (0589 09 10; www.kinkos.nl ; Overtoom 62).

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