As a British citizen, do I need a work permit to work in the Netherlands?
If you were already living and working in the Netherlands on 1 January 2021 and were registered in the Basisregistratie Personen – BRP (Personal Records Database) as of 31 December 2020, you may continue to live and work in the Netherlands into 2021. However, you must have a verblijfsvergunning (residence permit). If you move to the Netherlands on or after 1 January 2021, new rules apply.
If you live in the Netherlands and were registered in the BRP as of 31 December 2020
You may continue to live and work in the Netherlands. However, you must have a residence permit. This also applies to your family members if they are also British citizens.
If you have been seconded to the Netherlands or are a cross-border commuter, different rules apply.
British citizens living in the Netherlands without a residence permit
However, from 1 October 2021 you can no longer legally live and work in the Netherlands without a residence permit. Without a residence permit, you could lose any benefits you receive, or health insurance coverage, for example. There is, however, a certain degree of flexibility in this policy until 30 September 2022. You can find more information for British citizens living in the Netherlands without a residence permit on the Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst – IND (Immigration and Naturalisation Service) website.
You have been living in the Netherlands since 2021
If you moved or plan to move to the Netherlands in 2021, you will be subject to the regulations that govern working in the Netherlands. You must have a residence permit and/or a work permit to live and/or work in the Netherlands.
- If you will be working in the Netherlands for less than 90 days, your employer must apply for a tewerkstellingsvergunning - TWV (work permit) (in Dutch) for you from the Uitvoeringsinstituut Werknemersverzekeringen – UWV (Employment Insurance Agency).
- If you will be working in the Netherlands for more than 90 days, your employer must apply for a gecombineerde vergunning voor verblijf en arbeid - GVVA (combined residence and work permit) (in Dutch) for you from the IND.
Situations in which a work permit isn’t required after 31 December 2020
As a British citizen, there will still be certain situations in which you won’t need a TWV nor a GVVA. The UWV website lists situations in which British citizens don’t need a TWV (in Dutch) to work in the Netherlands. Residence permits are always required for stays in the Netherlands of more than 90 days.