Settling in and working
National starting points for arriving, studying and working here, including the English-language ones.
Operator named · AI-assisted research · Human-reviewedHow we check thisHide
Each service links to its own website and names who runs it, so you can see whether you are dealing with a government body or a company. Research tools, including AI, help us find them, compare them and draft the entry. A person checks and publishes every one. Being listed here is not an endorsement and not advice to buy anything.
Welcome to NL
Official · Commissioned by the Ministry of Economic Affairs · Free
A national English-language starting point for people who have just arrived, covering permits, registration, housing, healthcare, taxes and the regions.
An orientation layer across many topics. For the procedures themselves, the guides on this site go further.
www.welcome-to-nl.nlStudy in NL
Official · Nuffic · Free
The national portal for studying here: programmes, finances, planning your stay and what an institution expects before you arrive.
Your own institution's checklist overrides the national one wherever the two differ.
Studentswww.studyinnl.orgEURES Netherlands
Official · EURES, European Employment Services · Free
The European Employment Services summary of living and working conditions in the Netherlands, written for people moving under EU free movement.
Written for EU, EEA and Swiss nationals. It does not describe the residence routes that apply to everyone else.
EU, EEA and Swiss nationalseures.europa.eu/living-and-working/living-and-working-conditions-europe/living-and-working-conditions-netherlands_enWorkinNL
Official · Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment · Free
A multilingual site for people who live and work here, covering contracts, wages, housing, healthcare, taxes and leave. Its information points give free advice in person.
An orientation layer. For the procedures themselves, the guides on this site go further.
www.workinnl.nl/en/default.aspx
Guides these help with
How to settle in after arriving as an international student in NL
Arrival is the start of a system, not a single moment. Sort the student-specific parts from the ones every newcomer faces: municipal registration, a BSN, DigiD, insurance and banking, and know which questions belong to your university.
How to find a job as an international in NL
A Dutch job search works better when it combines direct applications, referrals and recruiters, not job boards alone. Settle work authorisation first, then separate role clarity, visibility and network instead of treating every application as the problem.
How to plan your first 90 days in NL
Plan your first 90 days in the Netherlands: registration, BSN, DigiD, health insurance and banking, with the deadlines and order that actually apply.
How to register at the municipality in NL
Register as a resident in the BRP with the municipality where you live if you will stay in the Netherlands for more than 4 months.
Suggest an updateSpot something outdated, missing or incorrect?
Pick what it is. Your own email app opens with this page's details already filled in, so you do not have to explain which page you mean. Nothing is sent until you send it.
Not a correction? Suggest a resource or organisation.
A suggestion is read by a person and does not change a published page on its own. Please leave out personal details such as your BSN, passport number or case number.