Guide
The orientation year, or zoekjaar
One year in which no employer needs a permit to hire you, nobody limits your hours, and no company has to sponsor you. It is the most useful permit that many graduates hear about too late.
Who this page is for
For graduates from outside the EU. If you are from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, you can already stay and work, so you do not need this.
What it gives you
For twelve months you can work for any employer, for as many hours as you like, with no work permit.
For a company, hiring you becomes as simple as hiring someone Dutch. That removes the objection that ends most graduate job searches before they start.
Who can apply, and until when
It is for people who finished a qualifying course: a bachelor, master, PhD, post-master or research programme at a Dutch institution. A qualifying degree from a highly ranked university abroad also counts.
The part people get wrong is the deadline. You can apply for a few years after you finish, rather than only in the weeks after the ceremony. Check your own date before you decide you have missed it.
Twelve months, and no extension
It runs for twelve months from the day it is given, and it cannot be renewed.
Work backwards from the day it ends. Your next permit has to be under way before that date, rather than after it.
If you later finish another qualifying course, you can get a second orientation year. That is the one exception.
How you apply, and when
You apply to the IND yourself. You do not need an employer, and no company has to sponsor you. That is what makes it different from a work permit.
Apply before your student permit runs out if you can. If there is a gap between the two permits, you are without the right to stay in the meantime.
The IND has a legal maximum for deciding, but in practice most answers come sooner. Allow a few weeks, and do not book your plans around a decision arriving next week.
The salary rule to tell your employer about
When you move from an orientation year to a highly skilled migrant permit, a lower salary level applies than the normal one.
Employers do not always know this. It is often the difference between an offer and a polite no, so it is worth telling them yourself.
The rest of the paperwork carries on
Registration, health insurance and your tax return continue as normal during the orientation year.
If you were exempt from Dutch insurance as a student, taking a job ends that exemption on your first day.
The app does the dates for you
Everything on this page depends on where you are from, which permit you have and when you arrived. settlme asks you once, then counts your deadlines down in the order they come.
Questions people ask about this
- How long does the orientation year last?
- Twelve months from the day it is given, and it cannot be extended. If you later finish another qualifying degree or research programme, you can apply for a second one.
- Can I apply for the orientation year after I have already left university?
- Yes. You can apply for a few years after you finish your course, rather than only straight afterwards. Check the exact deadline against your graduation date before you assume it has passed.
- Does my employer need a work permit during my orientation year?
- No, and that is the point of it. For those twelve months you can work for anyone, so a company can hire you with no work permit and no sponsorship.
- I am from the EU. Do I need an orientation year?
- No. If you are from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, you can stay and work here without any permit, so there is nothing to apply for. The orientation year exists for graduates who would otherwise need one.