Work in The Netherlands - Lonely Planet Travel Information

Work

All-important 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 (Machtiging tot Voorlopig Verblijf, or MVV). Citizens of EU countries as well as 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 residence permits are issued by the Immigratie en Naturalisatiedienst (Immigration & Naturalisation Service; 020-889 30 45; www.ind.nl; Postbus 30125, 2500 GC Den Haag). For details of work permits, contact the CWI (Centrum voor Werk en Inkomen, Employment Services Authority; 079-371 29 03; www.cwinet.nl; Postbus 883, 2700 AW Zoetermeer). The CWI also runs www.werk.nl, which features up-to-date job offers.

Business hours

As a general rule, opening hours occur as follows:

Banks Open 9.30am to 4pm Monday to Friday.

Bars Open 11am to 1am, although some stay open longer at weekends and others won’t open for service till the late afternoon.

Businesses Hours are 8.30am to 5pm Monday to Friday.

Nightclubs Hours vary across the country, but in general clubs open 10pm to 4am Friday and Saturday; some also open on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday.

Post offices Open 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday.

Restaurants Open 10am or 11am to 11pm, with a break in the afternoon from 3pm to 6pm.

Shops Open noon to 6pm Monday, and 8.30am or 9am to 6pm Tuesday to Saturday. Most towns have koopavond (evening shopping), when stores open till 9pm on Thursday or Friday. Bigger supermarkets in cities stay open until 8pm.

Most museums are closed on Monday. Government offices, private institutions and monuments keep limited opening hours; these hours are mentioned in this book where possible.

In the city centres an increasing number of shops are open from noon to 5pm on Sunday, especially on the first weekend of the month. Shops in Rotterdam and Den Haag are open every Sunday afternoon.

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