For many foreign workers and Dutch employers, the term arbeid in loondienst is confusing. It is often translated as "paid employment", "regular paid employment", or "employment as an employee". In immigration practice, however, it is not simply a "work permit". It is a residence purpose under Dutch immigration law. Whether the foreign national may actually work, for which employer, in which position, and under which labour conditions depends on the work authorisation attached to the residence document stipulated in the Dutch Foreign Nationals Employment Act (Wet arbeid vreemdelingen; or hereafter: Wav).
In most cases, a foreign national from outside the EU, EEA or Switzerland who wants to live and work in the Netherlands as an employee will need a GVVA: a combined permit for residence and work. The GVVA combines the residence permit and the work permit component, while the UWV (Employee Insurance Agency) assesses whether the employment satisfies the Wav requirements.
This means that arbeid in loondienst is not one single route with one single set of rules. It is better understood as an umbrella category. Some applications require a GVVA, some require a separate TWV, and some involve a residence permit for paid employment without a TWV requirement.
When is arbeid in loondienst relevant?
The arbeid in loondienst / regular paid employment route is often relevant for foreign nationals who wish to work in the Netherlands but do not qualify for other employment-based residence permits, such as the highly skilled migrant permit or the European Blue Card, as the latter routes are usually tied to high salary thresholds and specific employer or qualification requirements.
By contrast, regular paid employment can be relevant for sectors where salaries are more moderate, but where an employer can show that recruitment from the Dutch and European labour market is not possible. This does not mean that every shortage occupation automatically qualifies. In many cases, the employer must prove that there is no suitable "priority labour supply" available in the Netherlands, the EEA or Switzerland.
Examples of categories that may fall under the broader arbeid in loondienst framework include but are not limited to, spiritual counsellors or ministers, monks, nuns or missionaries, employees involved in the supply of goods by or to a foreign company, employees of international non-profit organisations, employees in art and culture, certain intra-corporate transferees, foreign correspondents, non-privileged military or civilian personnel, and employment on Dutch seagoing vessels or mining installations.
A practical example is the Asian catering sector. Until recently, there was a more specific framework for specialised Asian cooks. That special scheme definitively ended on 1 July 2024. Asian restaurants may still recruit cooks from outside Europe, but they must now rely on the regular TWV or GVVA framework, which is significantly stricter in practice.
GVVA and TWV: what is the difference?
A GVVA is the combined permit for residence and work. It is generally used when the foreign national will come to the Netherlands for more than 90 days and will live here for the purpose of paid employment. The application is submitted to the IND, either by the employer or by the employee. The IND then asks the UWV for advice on the labour-market part of the application. If the application is approved, the employee receives a residence document and, where applicable, an additional document stating the employment conditions.
A TWV is a separate work permit issued by the UWV. It is usually relevant where the person will work in the Netherlands for a shorter period, or where the person already has a residence status but still needs separate permission to work for a specific employer. The employer applies for the TWV via the UWV employer portal. Normally, the UWV decides within five weeks after the application is complete.
For a regular labour-market-tested position, the employer cannot immediately apply for a work permit. The employer must first search for a suitable candidate in the Netherlands, the EEA or Switzerland for at least three months. In addition, the vacancy must be reported to UWV at least five weeks before the work permit application. This is often one of the most difficult parts of the application, because UWV will look at the actual recruitment efforts, not merely at the employer's preference for a particular foreign candidate.
Salary requirements
The salary requirement depends on the category. For general regular paid employment and seasonal work, the IND income norm for the period from 1 January 2026 to 30 June 2026 is €2,294.40 gross SV-salary per month excl. holiday allowance.
Some sectors have their own salary norms. For example, for specific art and culture positions in 2026, the monthly gross SV salary thresholds include:
- €1,921 for a designer or form giver;
- €2,039 for a dancer or musical artist;
- €3,200 for a choreographer;
- €4,000 for a conductor or music/opera soloist;
- €4,233 for an actor or director.
These amounts are lower than the standard highly skilled migrant and European Blue Card thresholds, but they still function as minimum income conditions for the relevant category.
Ukrainians under the Temporary Protection
Ukrainians and certain other persons covered by the EU Temporary Protection Directive have a special position. For paid employment, they may generally work in the Netherlands without a TWV, although the employer has a notification obligation. This exemption is limited to arbeid in loondienst. For self-employed work, the situation is different: the person must either hold a residence permit as a self-employed person, or the client must have a TWV.
Pathway Partners has discussed this issue in more detail in its earlier article on Ukrainians and self-employment in the Netherlands. You can check here for more details: Ukrainians applying for self-employment in the Netherlands: a critical warning before March 2027
Arbeid in loondienst without TWV restriction
A separate and important category is the residence permit for paid employment where the person is free on the Dutch labour market. For someone who has been working in the Netherlands for five consecutive years, they may no longer need a TWV. Once the residence document states "Arbeid vrij toegestaan, TWV niet vereist", the person may work without a separate work permit.
This can be a useful alternative for people who do not yet qualify for permanent residence or EU long-term residence, for example because they have not passed the Dutch civic integration exams. This regular employment permit without restriction is not the same as permanent residence: it remains a temporary regular residence permit. However, where the person is free on the labour market, the permit may be granted or extended for a maximum of five years at a time. Caw law has also confirmed that a paid-employment residence permit for a person who is free on the labour market can be extended each time for up to five years.
What if the employment stops?
A common misunderstanding is that a person with arbeid in loondienst and "TWV niet vereist" can simply stop working without immigration consequences. That is not correct. Under Article 3.91 Vb and the IND policy based on it, a person who becomes unemployed may receive a search period of three months to find a new job. If no new employment is found within that period, the IND may withdraw the residence permit. The search period starts from the date on which the employment contract ends. Therefore, a person holding a residence permit for arbeid in loondienst without TWV restriction should not have an interruption of employment for more than three months. If the employment ends and no new employment is found within the applicable search period, the IND may withdraw the residence permit.
Self-employment allowed?
The fact that the labour market endorsement says "arbeid vrij toegestaan" for those without the TWV requirement does not mean that the person is completely free to replace employment with self-employment. Self-employed activities may be possible only to a limited extent, for example as side activities outside normal working hours, provided that the person continues to satisfy the main condition of the permit: working as an employee. The holder should therefore remain employed by a company in which he or she is not a director-major shareholder or otherwise able to determine their own salary and employment conditions.
If the person becomes a major shareholder, director-major shareholder, or otherwise effectively controls the company, the IND may regard the work as self-employment rather than employment. In that situation, the residence purpose of arbeid in loondienst may no longer fit the factual situation. A change of residence purpose, for example to self-employment visa, may then be necessary.
How Pathway Partners can help
Applications under arbeid in loondienst are often document-heavy and highly dependent on the facts of the case. The key questions are usually whether the correct route is GVVA, TWV or residence-only, whether the employer has made sufficient recruitment efforts, whether the salary and working conditions meet the applicable standards, and whether the employee's current residence position allows a smoother application.
Pathway Partners assists employers and foreign workers with analysing the chance of success, preparing UWV work permit submissions, coordinating supporting evidence, and filing the residence application with the IND. For tailored advice on an arbeid in loondienst application, contact Pathway Partners to discuss the most suitable route for your situation.