Hire Workers in the Netherlands from Outside the EU
Dutch employers need the honest version of this market before they budget for it. We place workers from India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan on the GVVA single permit — and we tell you up front when a role will not clear the labour market test.
- An honest read before you commit budget
The Netherlands refuses more low-skilled files than it grants. We say which yours is.
Read This Before You Brief Us
The Netherlands is the most restrictive market on our list for general labour, and an agency that tells you otherwise is selling you a refusal. The permit itself is straightforward enough: for work lasting more than three months a non-EU worker needs the GVVA, the combined residence and work permit, decided by the IND on advice from the UWV. Below three months the employer needs a TWV work permit instead.
The obstacle is the labour market test. To grant a GVVA the UWV must be satisfied that no worker from the Netherlands or the wider EU and EEA labour supply is available for the post. For unskilled and semi-skilled work that supply demonstrably exists, largely through intra-EU labour mobility, so those applications are refused as a matter of routine rather than as bad luck. No amount of paperwork changes that arithmetic.
What does work is a role where the shortage is real, specific and evidenceable — a genuinely scarce technical trade, a certified skill, a post you can show has been advertised properly across the EEA and has drawn nobody suitable. We will look at your actual vacancy and tell you which of those two categories it falls into. If it is the first, we will say so and point you at a market where the same headcount is achievable.
Who We Are
Hire Across Euro is an independent international recruitment consultancy with an active sourcing network across India, Nepal and Bangladesh. The founder runs every engagement personally, so a Dutch employer gets a direct answer about feasibility rather than a proposal that quietly assumes the permit will be granted.
What We Handle for Dutch Employers
Sourcing and Vetting
We shortlist workers whose training documents and work history stand up to consular scrutiny. Every file is checked for document completeness and practical competence before it reaches you.
- Document verification
- Trade competence check
Feasibility and GVVA Filing
Before anything else we assess whether the post can survive the UWV labour market test. Where it can, we assemble the GVVA application and the advertising evidence that sits behind it.
- Labour market test review
- GVVA file assembly
Alternative Market Routing
Where a Dutch permit is not realistic, we say so and set out which neighbouring market will take the same headcount on a route that is actually open.
Arrival and Onboarding
Workers are briefed on Dutch working-time rules, workplace safety expectations and municipal registration before they travel.
Where Dutch Demand Is Genuine
Four areas of persistent Dutch shortage. Demand being real is necessary for a permit, but on its own it is not sufficient.
Technical Trades
Welders, mechanics, electricians and maintenance technicians with certified, verifiable process qualifications.
Logistics and Distribution
Warehouse and distribution-centre roles around Rotterdam, Venlo and the Randstad corridor.
Horticulture and Glasshouse
Glasshouse, nursery and packing-line work in the Westland and Noord-Limburg growing regions.
Food Processing
Production and processing operatives in meat, dairy and prepared-food plants.
Hire Workers in the Netherlands: The Route at a Glance
The permit is simple. The labour market test is where most applications end, and it is worth knowing that before you budget.
| Over three months | The GVVA, the single permit combining residence and work, decided by the IND on advice from the UWV |
|---|---|
| Under three months | A TWV work permit for the employer, with the worker holding separate residence permission |
| The obstacle | The labour market test. The UWV must be satisfied that no worker from the Netherlands or the wider EU and EEA supply is available for the post |
| What gets refused | Unskilled and semi-skilled roles. That supply demonstrably exists through intra-EU mobility, so those files are refused as a matter of routine rather than bad luck |
| What clears | Roles where scarcity is documented rather than asserted — a coded welder with a tested process qualification, a certified technician, a trade advertised across the EEA without a suitable applicant |
| Evidence required | Proof the vacancy was properly advertised and reported before the application |
| Above this route | Recognised-sponsor schemes such as the highly skilled migrant route, aimed at professional rather than manual hiring |
| If it will not clear | We say so at the first call. Belgium, Romania and Serbia carry volume manual headcount that the Netherlands will not |
What It Actually Takes to Hire Non-EU Workers in the Netherlands
Employers searching for how to hire workers in the Netherlands from India, Nepal or Bangladesh usually find a lot of confident marketing and very little accurate law. The accurate version is short. A non-EU national working in the Netherlands for more than three months needs a GVVA, the single permit combining residence and work. The IND issues it. The UWV advises on whether the labour market justifies it. That advice is where most applications end.
The Dutch labour market test is not a formality to be papered over. The UWV asks whether the post could be filled from the Netherlands or from the EU and EEA priority supply, and requires evidence that the vacancy was properly advertised and reported. For roles that require no specific certification, the honest answer is that such supply exists. Those files are refused. We have no interest in charging an employer to run one.
The roles that do clear are the ones where scarcity can be documented rather than asserted: a coded welder with a tested process qualification, a technician with a certificate the Dutch market genuinely lacks, a maintenance trade with an evidenced recruitment history behind it. Those exist, they are worth pursuing, and they take longer than employers expect. Recognised-sponsor routes such as the highly skilled migrant scheme sit above this in salary terms and are aimed at professional hiring rather than the manual roles we place.
If your requirement is volume general labour, the Netherlands will not supply it through this channel and we will tell you at the first call rather than the third invoice. Employers in that position usually redirect to markets where the same headcount is legally achievable — Belgium next door, or Romania and Serbia further east. Our live roles are on the vacancies board, and our standards on fees and worker treatment are set out in ethical recruitment compliant with EU labour law.
How the Process Works
Six steps, the first of which is an honest feasibility answer.
Requirement Call
We go through headcount, roles, worksite location, contract length and the start date you are working back from.
Shortlist
We present vetted workers from India, Nepal, Bangladesh or Pakistan with their training and work-history evidence attached.
Permit Filing
Where the post is viable we file the GVVA with the IND and manage the UWV labour market stage.
Visa Application
We prepare the consular file and the employer-side documents your HR team is asked to produce, and track it to decision.
Arrival
We coordinate travel and the first days in the Netherlands, including municipal registration and the practical basics.
Onboarding
We support induction at the worksite and stay reachable through the first weeks of the placement.
Quick Answers
Can we bring general labourers from India or Nepal for a Dutch warehouse?
Realistically, no. The UWV labour market test asks whether EU and EEA workers are available for the post, and for unskilled warehouse work they demonstrably are. Those GVVA applications are refused as a matter of course, and we will not take a fee to file one.
What kind of role does clear the test?
One where scarcity is documented rather than claimed: a coded welder with a tested process qualification, a certified technician the Dutch market genuinely lacks, or a maintenance trade you can show has been advertised across the EEA without drawing a suitable applicant. Those roles exist, they are worth pursuing, and they take longer than employers expect.
What is the difference between a GVVA and a TWV?
The GVVA is the combined residence and work permit for employment lasting longer than three months, issued by the IND on UWV advice. For work shorter than three months the employer needs a TWV work permit instead, while the worker holds separate residence permission.
Official Sources and Further Reading
Two bodies decide a Dutch file: the IND issues the permit, the UWV advises on the labour market. These are the official references.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can we bring in general labourers from India or Nepal for a Dutch warehouse?
Realistically, no. The UWV labour market test asks whether EU and EEA workers are available for the post, and for unskilled warehouse work they demonstrably are. Those GVVA applications are refused as a matter of course. We will not take a fee to file one.
What kind of role does clear the Dutch labour market test?
One where scarcity is documented rather than claimed — a coded welder with a tested process qualification, a certified technician, a maintenance trade you can show has been advertised across the EEA without a suitable applicant.
What is the difference between a GVVA and a TWV?
The GVVA is the combined residence and work permit for employment lasting longer than three months. For work shorter than that, the employer needs a TWV work permit instead while the worker holds separate residence permission.
Do you charge to tell us whether our vacancy is viable?
No. The feasibility conversation is free, and it is the most useful thing we do for Dutch employers. If your requirement cannot be met legally here, we would rather point you at a market where it can.
Which countries should we look at if the Netherlands will not work?
It depends on where your operation can sit. Belgium runs a comparable single permit with regional shortage lists that are more forgiving for medium-skilled roles, and Romania and Serbia both operate employer-led routes built for volume manual hiring.
Ask Us About a Dutch Requirement
Tell us the roles, the headcount and the date you are working back from. A consultant replies within one business day with a straight answer on whether it is achievable here.
Talk to Us
Send us the requirement and a consultant replies within one business day — with the route that is legally open in the Netherlands, or with the market where your headcount is realistically achievable.