Working in the Netherlands after graduation: the orientation year explained

If you are from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland, you choose between two options: up to 16 hours a week, or full-time in June, July and August. Either way your employer needs a work permit (TWV) for you, applied for from UWV. An internship that is part of your study programme needs no TWV.

EU/EEA and Swiss students have free movement and no hour limit. For everyone, a job, even a part-time one, means you must take out Dutch public health insurance, and your employer will need your BSN.

Keep your studies on track: the IND expects you to earn at least 50% of the credits for each study year. A job that costs you your study progress costs you your permit.

The orientation year (zoekjaar hoogopgeleiden) is a one-year residence permit to find work, or start a business, after your studies or research. You apply yourself, without a sponsor. You qualify if, within the 3 years before you apply, you:

• completed an accredited bachelor’s or master’s programme in the Netherlands, or a post-master’s programme of at least one academic year here;
• completed a PhD or research in the Netherlands on a research permit;
• obtained an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s degree; or
• completed a master’s, PhD or post-master’s programme at a foreign university that is in the top 200 of the general or subject rankings of at least 2 of the 3 publishers the IND uses: Times Higher Education, QS and ShanghaiRanking.

You get one orientation year per completed programme or research project, and it cannot be extended. If you studied here and still hold a valid permit, you can apply online from within the Netherlands; graduates applying from abroad apply through a Dutch embassy or consulate.

The fee is €254 and the IND must decide within 90 days. Your student permit is valid for the length of your studies plus 3 months, so the cleanest route is to apply as soon as your degree is confirmed, while that permit is still valid.

Timing matters more than the deadline suggests. You have 3 years after graduating to apply, but the permit itself lasts only one year, so apply when you are ready to search full-time. If you already have strong leads, apply straight away. If you are going home for a while first, remember that the 3-year window keeps running.

Any job or internship. Your permit says you may work freely, so employers need no work permit. That makes you unusually easy to hire: a trial project, a temporary contract or an internship all work.

Use that freedom deliberately. The year is for landing a job that can carry a longer permit, usually as a highly skilled migrant. A café job pays the rent but will not keep you here; a paid internship at a recognised sponsor might.

Find an employer that is an IND-recognised sponsor and a salary that meets the reduced criterion: €3,122 gross a month excluding holiday allowance, from 1 July 2026. That is far below the standard criteria of €4,357 under 30 and €5,942 from 30. The reduced criterion applies if you apply during or after your orientation year, or within 3 years of graduating, as long as you meet the orientation-year conditions.

The employer applies to the IND, not you. If your employer is not a recognised sponsor, the EU Blue Card is the alternative; its reduced criterion for recent graduates is €4,754 gross a month. Our Dutch work visa guide compares both routes.

Ask about the 30% ruling too. If you were recruited from abroad and are under 30 with a master’s degree, the 2026 salary norm is €36,497 in taxable salary. But the ruling requires that you lived more than 150 kilometres from the Dutch border for more than 16 of the 24 months before you started. If you spent most of that time studying here, you will not meet it, so check with the employer before counting on it.

Start with your university careers service. The University of Amsterdam’s Student Careers Centre, for example, offers CV checks, workshops, events and consultations up to a year after graduation, and Study in NL notes that Dutch institutions offer career counselling through dedicated centres. Study in NL, the Nuffic site for international students, adds three pieces of advice: start searching as soon as possible, build your LinkedIn network early, and start learning Dutch, because English alone limits your options.

• The IND public register of recognised sponsors: your target list for jobs that can become a highly skilled migrant permit.
• Graduate programmes and traineeships at larger employers. Check their application deadlines early; some close months before the start date.
• Academic Transfer, which Study in NL recommends for academic and research positions.
• Your thesis company or internship employer, often the warmest lead you have.
• Career fairs on campus and alumni of your programme working in the field you want.

For the broader search, including where Dutch employers advertise and how hiring works, see how to find a job in the Netherlands. If Dutch is holding you back, English-speaking jobs in the Netherlands covers where English is enough.

One page is usually enough at this stage. Put your degree, specialisation and thesis title at the top of education, and give your thesis or group projects the same treatment as a job: what you did, with what method, and what it showed. The University of Amsterdam suggests listing your grade only if it is 7.5 or higher.

State your work status in your contact details: “Orientation year permit, free to work until June 2027” answers the question every recruiter has about an international graduate. Our Dutch CV guide covers the rest, and the internship CV example shows a strong student layout.