Working while studying in the Netherlands: the rules

In the UK, Australia or Canada the right to work part-time attaches to your visa: hold the visa, stay within the hours. The Netherlands works differently, and not in your favour if you are from outside the EU/EEA. Here the right to work is not in your paperwork - it is in whether an employer is willing to do paperwork for you.

The rule as it stands

Work hours limit: 16 giờ/tuần
HOẶC toàn thời gian trong ba tháng 6, 7, 8 - chọn một trong hai, không cộng dồn. Cả hai trường hợp NGƯỜI SỬ DỤNG LAO ĐỘNG đều phải xin giấy phép lao động (TWV) tại UWV; sinh viên không tự xin được. Sinh viên EU/EEA/Thuỵ Sỹ được miễn.
Official source · checked 2026-08-25

Two points deserve care. First, this is an either/or: limited hours across the year, or full-time across the three summer months. You cannot work limited hours all year and add full-time summer work on top.

Second, the work permit (TWV) is applied for by the employer at UWV, not by you. Which means you can meet every condition and still not work, simply because a hiring manager does not want the administration. For ordinary jobs in cafés and shops this refusal is common. EU/EEA and Swiss students carry no such requirement, so you are competing with candidates who bring no paperwork at all.

What this means for your budget

Do not count part-time earnings in a Dutch study budget. Not because you will earn nothing - many students do earn - but because you do not control the deciding variable. Treat it as a bonus if it arrives, not a line in the balance. The IND takes the same view: the proof-of-funds requirement is not reduced because you intend to work.

A placement inside your degree is different

A compulsory placement that forms part of the curriculum - very common in HBO - runs under a separate arrangement and is far easier than ordinary part-time work. That is a practical argument for HBO if you want Dutch work experience before graduating. The institution handles the procedure and usually has standing agreements with host employers.

The insurance trap when you start working

Almost nobody warns about this. Once you work under a contract you generally become liable for Dutch basic health insurance instead of private student cover. Not switching leaves you non-compliant and exposed to retroactive premiums for the whole period. Conversely, once you hold basic insurance you may qualify for the healthcare allowance - a meaningful offset many students never claim.

The rule: the day you sign an employment contract is the day to review your insurance, not a task for later.