Coming to The Hague - hopefully

I’ve been trying to get a position in The Netherlands as well. I’m also considered a highly skilled migrant worker.

SRR1979 wrote:

Hi All,

I am probably about to ask a question or two that have been asked hundreds of time before.

I am a British National, i have been approached by a company in the Netherlands to come and work in the Hague.  'Apparently' i meet the criteria for skilled migrant worker, i have had this verified by 2 umbrella companies so far.

Although i have consulted 2 companies, i am still struggling to understand the process of arriving into the Netherlands.

I will shortly have a contract offer, from a company outside of the Netherlands who have a end client (international organisation) in the Hague.

Using a umbrella company seems to be the way to go, as this will provide a Netherlands based entity.  I am happy with solution.

I guess my main question is, can i start work on day one?  Can i arrive into the Netherlands and begin working while waiting for the work permit to be approved?  Can i apply for the work permit ahead of arrival? Then later apply for the residency aspect?  The contract should last 12 months, although it could only last 6.

I have never lived nor worked in the Netherlands before.

If i have to wait for the permit before commencing work, does anyone have any concept on the timescales currently for the processing of the work permit?

Any advice, guidance or pointers would be greatly appreciated.

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

If you're a skilled migrant coming from overseas, your employer will apply for your work permit; for them to do this, they must be registered with the IND.  You should speak to your new employer to make sure they are aware of their responsibilities.

You will need to register (residency) with the local Town Hall (Gemeente) where you live, Dutch law requires you to do this within 5 days of you arriving to work in the Netherlands.  The actual interview may take weeks, but you need to make the initial contact to book your interview within 5 days.  Once you have had your interview, you will be issued with your BSN number, this is very important because it allows you to open a bank account, pay your taxes, register with a doctor, get health insurance, register your car.  You will also be issued a DigiD login, this system is used for all future communications with the Dutch government.

That said, and to answer your questions, you can start work without your formal BSN letter, particularly as Covid has played havoc with the Dutch Civil Service and many staff are working from home.  When you have your interview, just ask the person from the Gemeente if they can write your BSN on a piece of paper, or just tell you the number so you can write it down.

My only comment is while you say you are happy with the solution, it is unusual.  There are scammers out there and the offer of that dream job is sometimes very powerful.  If anybody at any stage asks you for any money up front to pay for permits/visas, then they are almost certainly scammers and my advice would be to walk away.

I wish you the best of luck; if you have any further specific questions, then please come back to us.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Cynic,

Thank you so much for such a precise and swift response.

With regards to the Work Permit - am I right in drawing the conclusion that the Permit will have to be issued before I arrive into the Netherlands?  If this is the case, would you know approx. how long the process is currently taking?

The solution i mention, the umbrella company, seems to be the only way i can accept the position i have been approached for.  The company i will be consulting for is based in another EU country, they will contract the umbrella company (registered in Netherlands) to then employ me,  where i will then work for the end client in The Hague.  If this illegal, please do let me know, but i am aware of others using a similar approach.

Thanks again for your reply, and thanks in advance for any future reply to this thread.

Hi again.

I'm aware of using an umbrella company, but my experience was prior to Brexit; the fact you will be working for a company in another EU country only complicates this - mainly because Brexit is so new and nobody has any experience of the good or bad.  The only stories we see in the Press are about UK truck drivers having their sandwiches confiscated.

If you're a UK passport holder, then because the UK is no longer a part of the EU, you no longer have the right to live and work anywhere in the EU, you have to go through the same process(es) as any other third-country national.  So, you certainly need to apply for both a work and a residence permit.  If your role falls into the category where there is nobody else in the Netherlands that can do it, then it could well fall into the Skilled Migrant category; you haven't told us what the job is and you don't have to, so I can't comment further on that aspect.  Assuming it is HSM, then the application can be processed within 7 days; if it's complicated, or the IND have questions, it can take up to a maximum of 90 days to process.  The company that is sponsoring you will be able to tell you more.  One word of advice, if you have a partner or children accompanying you, then it's best to get the people submitting your paperwork to also include them when they apply for your documents, otherwise, they can get caught up in the 90 days queue.

I don't think what you're doing is illegal, we've also heard of others doing it.  However, that was when the UK was in the EU and cross-border working was encouraged.  Have the people you know who do it started since 30 Jan?

Anyway, hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Cynic,

Thanks again.

I have made a few calls today and called a few places in the Netherlands to try and establish for my own sanity what the process is.

It seems I will be employed by a company in the Netherlands.  They will apply for the work permit and also conduct payroll.

The type of role I am doing requires a high level of national clearances etc and for that reason alone, along with the function, there should be no issues with gaining the HSM (so I am told).

As for anyone else doing this since Jan 30, i only know a colleague from the US, who is about to start his application.

Thanks again

Then I wish you both the best of luck and hope you have a great time in the Netherlands.