Working Holiday Visa for the Netherlands

The Working Holiday residence permit is for young people aged 18 to 30 from 9 countries: Argentina, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Taiwan, Uruguay and South Korea. It allows you to stay in the Netherlands for up to 1 year and get to know Dutch culture. For Australia and New Zealand, this is called the Working Holiday Scheme (WHS); for the other countries, the Working Holiday Program (WHP). You may take up occasional work without your employer needing a work permit. Kroes Advocaten checks whether you meet the conditions and guides you through the application.

• For young people aged 18 to 30 from 9 countries/territories.
• Valid for a maximum of 1 year; cannot be extended.
• You may work occasionally; a work permit is not required.
• An annual quota of 100 or 200 participants applies for a number of countries.
• Afterwards, you can apply for a residence permit for a different purpose, provided you meet the conditions for it.

The Working Holiday scheme applies to young people holding the nationality of 9 countries or territories. Depending on your country, you fall under the Working Holiday Program (WHP) or the Working Holiday Scheme (WHS), and an annual quota applies:

• Australia: Working Holiday Scheme, no quota
• New Zealand: Working Holiday Scheme, no quota
• Canada: Working Holiday Program, no quota
• Japan: Working Holiday Program, 200 a year
• South Korea: Working Holiday Program, 200 a year
• Argentina: Working Holiday Program, 100 a year
• Uruguay: Working Holiday Program, 100 a year
• Hongkong: Working Holiday Program, 100 a year
• Taiwan: Working Holiday Program, 100 a year

If the quota for your country has been reached, you can only submit an application the following year. Do you hold a different nationality than those listed above? Then you are not eligible for this residence permit.

To be eligible for the Working Holiday residence permit, you must meet the following conditions:

• You are at least 18 and no older than 30 years old at the time of application.
• You have not previously held a residence permit for exchange purposes in the Netherlands.
• You have a return ticket, or sufficient funds to buy one.
• You have sufficient funds to support yourself during your stay; you may not rely on Dutch public funds.
• You have health insurance that covers the cost of medical care in the Netherlands.
• You meet the requirements set out in your country's agreement (Memorandum of Understanding or Note Verbale), for example that you submit the application from your country of origin.

With a Working Holiday residence permit, you may take up occasional work to fund your stay and living costs in the Netherlands. Your employer does not need a work permit for this. You may work full-time, but not for the same employer for the entire year. Or, you are allowed to work part-time for the entire year. Self-employed work is not allowed, because the main purpose of your stay is cultural exchange, not employment.

The Working Holiday residence permit is valid for a maximum of 1 year and cannot be extended. If you want to stay in the Netherlands after your Working Holiday ends, you can apply for a residence permit for a different purpose, for example as a highly skilled migrant, self-employed entrepreneur or student, provided you meet the conditions for that specific permit.