# How to arrange an internship as a non-EU student in NL Canonical: https://howtoin.nl/arrange-internship-non-eu-student Last reviewed: 2026-10-25 Themes: Study, Work Time: Start with programme requirements before applying; confirm approval, authorisation and the agreement before the first day. Source: How to in NL (https://howtoin.nl) ## Summary Find a study-related internship in the Netherlands and check university approval, work authorisation, agreements and insurance before you start. ## Overview Find a study-related placement and check programme approval, work authorisation, the agreement and insurance before your first day. Who this is for: students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland enrolled in a Dutch university or university of applied sciences (HBO). Here, “non-EU” is shorthand for this group. Your residence status still matters. What you will leave with: a suitable search plan, the right university contact and a completed set of checks for one specific placement. This guide does not grant permission to work. ## Before you start Have your residence document, enrolment details, programme internship requirements and proposed dates ready. You can begin looking before you have an offer; final approval must relate to the placement you actually intend to take. Keep three questions separate: does the programme accept the placement, does your residence/work position allow it, and what insurance do you need? A company calling a position an “internship” does not answer all three. ## Steps ### 1. Identify your current residence and study position Write down your permit type, expiry date and expected graduation date. Ask your international office about unclear residence conditions, rather than deciding from your passport alone. If you study abroad and are coming specifically for an internship, use the IND intern or apprentice route instead of assuming the Dutch-study arrangement applies. MBO, apprenticeships and special EU programmes are outside this guide's main scope. Already graduated, or expecting to graduate before the placement ends? Read step 7 before agreeing to a start date. Another permit may carry different work conditions. **Do this:** give your programme coordinator and international office the same dates and description of the proposed activity. > **Common mistake:** treating an unexpired card or a company's offer as confirmation that every proposed activity is permitted. **Source:** [IND: higher-education study permit](https://ind.nl/en/residence-permits/study/student-residence-permit-for-university-or-higher-professional-education) Anchor: https://howtoin.nl/arrange-internship-non-eu-student#step-1 ### 2. Confirm how the placement fits your programme Ask your programme coordinator whether the placement can form part of your degree, what academic approval is needed and who can give it. Confirm the actual project when an opportunity becomes concrete. Do not decide from “compulsory”, “optional”, “thesis” or “graduation internship” alone. The relevant question is the programme's acceptance of this placement, not its marketing label. **Do this:** ask, “Can you confirm whether this placement is part of my programme, and what must be approved before I start?” Also ask about the learning plan, assessment and any credits. > **Common mistake:** assuming personal career value is the same as academic recognition. **Source:** [IND: higher-education study permit](https://ind.nl/en/residence-permits/study/student-residence-permit-for-university-or-higher-professional-education) Anchor: https://howtoin.nl/arrange-internship-non-eu-student#step-2 ### 3. Find placements that fit your project and language needs Start with your programme's internship coordinator and career service. Study in NL identifies institutions as a source of placement support, alongside job-search services, industry websites and professional associations. For a focused search, try your subject with “graduation internship”, “thesis internship” or “afstudeerstage”. These are suggested search terms, not evidence that a vacancy is currently available. Follow results to the employer's own recruitment page and check the role is still open. Ask which language is used for daily work, supervision, meetings and assessment. An English advertisement alone does not settle those questions. Check whether the host can support the project's learning objectives and university involvement. Do not use the highly skilled migrant sponsor directory as an automatic eligibility filter for every internship. Establish the applicable route with the employer instead. **Do this:** shortlist roles by project fit, dates, language and supervision, not just the word “internship”. A first message you can adapt: "I'm studying [programme] at [institution] and looking for a [subject] placement from [start] to [end]. My programme coordinator will need to confirm its academic fit and agreement. Could you confirm the supervision, working language and contact for the authorisation checks?" > **Common mistake:** saying “I do not need sponsorship or a permit” before your own situation has been checked. **Source:** [Study in NL: doing an internship](https://www.studyinnl.org/dutch-education/doing-an-internship) Anchor: https://howtoin.nl/arrange-internship-non-eu-student#step-3 ### 4. Check the work-authorisation route with the employer For someone on the Dutch higher-education study-permit route, IND says a traineeship that forms part of the study programme does not require a TWV, the Dutch work permit. Ordinary employment alongside study is different. For the standard work-student route, the employer needs a TWV and the permitted choice is up to 16 hours a week or full-time work in June, July and August. Do not apply that employment rule indiscriminately to curricular internships. If the placement is outside your programme or the position is unclear, do not assume either exemption or automatic eligibility for the student-job route. Ask the employer to check with UWV and the international office to clarify the residence question with IND where needed. **Do this:** record the route being relied on, its conditions, who checks them and any employer application needed before starting. > **Common mistake:** deciding permission from whether the placement is paid or unpaid. Its academic relationship and legal classification need separate checking. **Source:** [IND: higher-education study permit](https://ind.nl/en/residence-permits/study/student-residence-permit-for-university-or-higher-professional-education) Anchor: https://howtoin.nl/arrange-internship-non-eu-student#step-4 ### 5. Complete the agreement accepted by your institution For the relevant non-EU/EEA/Swiss study-in-the-Netherlands arrangement, Study in NL specifies a three-party agreement signed by the student, host and institution. It directs research-university programme internships to the UNL agreement. Ask your own institution which current version to use; do not choose a generic form for it. The UNL model includes the placement period, learning arrangements, supervisors, assessment-related details and payment fields. Its non-EU/EEA declaration covers enrolment and residence-document validity for the placement period, and it calls for an authorised university signatory. **Do this:** send the draft to the programme's authorised contact, settle any requested changes and keep the completed agreement and learning plan. > **Common mistake:** accepting “the university can sign later” as the basis for starting. A signed agreement is also not a substitute for a required permit or a different residence route. **Source:** [Study in NL: doing an internship](https://www.studyinnl.org/dutch-education/doing-an-internship) Anchor: https://howtoin.nl/arrange-internship-non-eu-student#step-5 ### 6. Agree the practical terms, pay and insurance A genuine internship centres on learning. Rijksoverheid distinguishes it from ordinary employee work: where the activity is ordinary work, employment and minimum-wage rights are relevant even if the role is called an internship. A genuine placement should not replace a regular worker. Ask the host to state any allowance, expense reimbursement, payment dates, working schedule and supervision arrangements. Ask the university to review proposed terms that could prevent assessment or completion of your project. Check health insurance separately. SVB's current internship guidance distinguishes situations involving residence, treaty arrangements, employee insurance and remuneration. Do not use a single allowance threshold, nationality or an old student checklist as the answer for everyone. Ask the host or UWV about employee-insurance coverage where relevant; ask SVB when your Wlz insurance position is unclear. **Do this:** confirm the appropriate cover and start date, and ask the host and institution about accident and liability cover. Use only confirmed payments in your budget. > **Common mistake:** assuming “no TWV needed” also means your existing insurance is sufficient. **Source:** [SVB: studying or doing an internship](https://www.svb.nl/en/the-wlz-scheme/insurance-under-the-wlz-scheme/you-are-a-student-or-doing-an-internship) Anchor: https://howtoin.nl/arrange-internship-non-eu-student#step-6 ### 7. Finish the checks before starting, and revisit changes Before your first day, confirm programme approval, residence and work permission, and payment and insurance with your coordinator and host. Use the three checks below. If something is unresolved, agree who will settle it before you start. Recheck when the project, host, dates, hours, enrolment or residence status changes, especially at graduation. A valid orientation-year permit allows work and internships without an employer TWV. IND also allows work during certain pending applications, but only in its specified situations and after obtaining the required residence-endorsement sticker stating that work is freely permitted and a TWV is not required. An application alone is not enough. **Do this:** keep a dated record of the checks and the contacts responsible for any change. > **Common mistake:** assuming graduation automatically extends the study-related internship arrangement or creates unrestricted work rights. **Source:** [IND: orientation-year permit](https://ind.nl/en/residence-permits/work/residence-permit-for-orientation-year) Anchor: https://howtoin.nl/arrange-internship-non-eu-student#step-7 ## Documents - Enrolment evidence and relevant residence documents - Programme approval for the actual placement and dates - Signed internship agreement and learning plan - Academic and workplace supervisor contact details - Applicable work-authorisation evidence or route confirmation - Agreed payment terms and insurance confirmation ## Costs - Budget for travel, housing or commuting, appropriate insurance and any other confirmed costs. Do not assume an internship allowance covers them or count a payment before its amount and timing are agreed. Any immigration fee belongs to the specific route, not to every internship. ## Timing Ask the programme and host about approval and signing deadlines before promising a start date. The length of the search and administrative process depends on the placement and route; there is no guaranteed turnaround in this guide. ## Common mistakes - treating an unexpired card or a company's offer as confirmation that every proposed activity is permitted. - assuming personal career value is the same as academic recognition. - saying “I do not need sponsorship or a permit” before your own situation has been checked. - deciding permission from whether the placement is paid or unpaid. Its academic relationship and legal classification need separate checking. - accepting “the university can sign later” as the basis for starting. A signed agreement is also not a substitute for a required permit or a different residence route. - assuming “no TWV needed” also means your existing insurance is sufficient. - assuming graduation automatically extends the study-related internship arrangement or creates unrestricted work rights. ## Next steps - Send the exact placement description and dates to your programme coordinator and host. Resolve academic approval, supervision and work-authorisation questions before day one. - Keep the signed agreement, learning plan, relevant residence and work checks, payment terms and insurance confirmation together. Use your institution's secure document-sharing process. - For academic fit, assessment and the agreement, ask your programme coordinator. For study-residence questions, ask your international office and IND where needed. - For employer-side permission, ask the host's HR team and UWV where relevant. For insurance, ask SVB and your insurer. ## Related guides - [get-a-student-residence-permit](https://howtoin.nl/get-a-student-residence-permit) - [work-part-time-as-international-student](https://howtoin.nl/work-part-time-as-international-student) - [get-health-insurance](https://howtoin.nl/get-health-insurance) - [apply-for-the-orientation-year](https://howtoin.nl/apply-for-the-orientation-year) - [plan-your-student-budget-netherlands](https://howtoin.nl/plan-your-student-budget-netherlands) - [finding-a-job-netherlands-internationals](https://howtoin.nl/finding-a-job-netherlands-internationals) ## Official sources - [IND: higher-education study permit](https://ind.nl/en/residence-permits/study/student-residence-permit-for-university-or-higher-professional-education) - [UWV: work-student permit](https://www.uwv.nl/nl/werkvergunning/werkstudent) - [Study in NL: doing an internship](https://www.studyinnl.org/dutch-education/doing-an-internship) - [Universiteiten van Nederland: academic internship agreement](https://www.universiteitenvannederland.nl/files/publications/Internship%20Agreement%20UNL%20English.pdf) - [IND: orientation-year permit](https://ind.nl/en/residence-permits/work/residence-permit-for-orientation-year) - [Rijksoverheid: minimum wage and internships](https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/vraag-en-antwoord/minimumloon/minimumloon-stage) - [IND: intern or apprentice route](https://ind.nl/en/residence-permits/work/intern-or-apprentice-in-the-netherlands) - [SVB: studying or doing an internship](https://www.svb.nl/en/the-wlz-scheme/insurance-under-the-wlz-scheme/you-are-a-student-or-doing-an-internship) ## About this document This is a machine-readable rendering of https://howtoin.nl/arrange-internship-non-eu-student. Published by How to in NL, part of Flux Forward (https://fluxforward.world). Last reviewed against its official sources on 2026-10-25. Canonical JSON: https://howtoin.nl/content/guides/arrange-internship-non-eu-student.json General guidance only. Rules can change and may depend on your situation; verify important steps with the official source before acting.