Maastricht University

Work during study

An international student holding a residence permit for study purposes at a Dutch university or institute of higher professional education (HBO) may work, but only if their employer first obtains a work permit (tewerkstellingsvergunning, TWV) for them from the Employee Insurance Agency (UWV) — the right to work is not automatic the way it is for on-campus work in some other countries. Within that TWV, a student may work up to 16 hours per week during the academic year, or full-time in June, July and August. The Dutch Labour Inspectorate checks compliance, and working more than permitted, or without a TWV, can result in a fine for the employer.

Post-study work visa

Residence permit for the orientation year for highly educated persons (zoekjaar hoogopgeleiden) . Up to 1 year
A residence permit valid for exactly 1 year that lets a recent graduate look for a job (typically as a 'highly skilled migrant') or start a business, applied for within 3 years of graduating. It cannot be extended, and a person can hold it more than once only after completing a further, later study programme or research project. During the orientation year the holder may work freely — their employer does not need a separate work permit (TWV) — or work as a freelancer or self-employed person. Eligibility requires having completed, within the 3 years before applying, an accredited bachelor's or master's degree at a Dutch higher-education institution (no extra test needed), a PhD, an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's, or a master's/doctoral/post-master's programme at a 'designated foreign educational institution' — defined as one placed in the top 200 of the general or by-subject rankings of at least 2 of 3 named publishers (Times Higher Education, QS World University Rankings, or ShanghaiRanking's Academic Ranking of World Universities) at the time of graduation — in which case an IELTS score of at least 6.0 (or an equivalent recognised English test) is also required unless the programme itself was taught in English or Dutch. All foreign diplomas must additionally be evaluated by Nuffic, the Dutch credential-evaluation body.

Route to permanent residence

The orientation year permit does not itself lead to settlement, and by IND's own classification it is a 'temporary regular residence permit' (type I) — a category distinct from the 'non-temporary residence purpose' permit that Dutch permanent-residence rules require a holder to have at the time they apply. In practice, a graduate who wants to stay long-term must first move onto a qualifying work route — commonly the national Highly Skilled Migrant scheme, which is gated on a minimum salary set annually (around EUR 5,000/month as of this reading, lower for applicants under 30 or on a reduced-salary criterion) rather than on a specific occupation or shortage list. From there, a person who has held a valid Dutch residence permit for at least 5 consecutive years, kept their main residence in the Netherlands throughout, always renewed on time, met the income requirement, registered in the Dutch population register (BRP), and passed a civic-integration exam at A2 level (or been exempted) may apply for a permanent residence permit — or, on largely the same 5-year qualifying basis, an EU long-term resident's permit. It is not clearly stated on IND's own pages whether time spent under a temporary-purpose permit (such as the orientation year, or study itself) counts towards that 5-year clock the same way time on a non-temporary work permit does, so StudyPath does not assert either way.

Route to citizenship

Naturalisation (naturalisatie) is decided by the King on the Justice and Security Minister's recommendation, but administered day-to-day by IND, the same service that runs residence permits. The standard route requires having lived in the Kingdom of the Netherlands for at least 5 consecutive years with a valid residence permit, always renewed on time, plus passing a civic integration exam at Dutch language level A2 (unless exempt, e.g. already sufficiently fluent). Shorter routes exist — for example 3 years if married to or the registered partner of a Dutch national and living together throughout, or in some cases naturalising while living abroad. Unlike most of the other countries on StudyPath, the Netherlands' default rule points the other way on dual nationality: IND's own page states plainly that 'Dutch citizens are usually not allowed to have dual nationality' and that an applicant aged 18 or over 'must renounce' their other nationality or nationalities after naturalising. Exceptions exist and are common in practice — including a spouse/registered partner of a Dutch national at the time the Royal Decree is signed, an asylum residence permit holder, someone born and still living in the Kingdom, or a national of a country (IND names Taiwan and the Palestinian Territories) that the Netherlands does not recognise as a state — and the IND will not require renunciation where the applicant's own country's law simply does not allow it.