VisaCross-border workers in the Netherlands may still need a work permit
A free passport sticker can document cross-border work. The employer may have to obtain separate permission before work begins.
Official announcement date: not established (undated guidance)
Last verified against linked sources:
Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
Check whether you will continue living abroad
The IND cross-border route covers people working in the Netherlands who return at least weekly to their home in another EU or EEA country or Switzerland. Other nationalities need valid residence permission in their home country.
The IND’s employer guide treats a cross-border worker’s presence as short stay. Its ordinary section for employees staying more than 90 days concerns people staying in the Netherlands to work. An open-ended contract does not answer where the employee lives. If the plan changes from commuting to moving into the Netherlands, ask which residence procedure fits the new arrangement before using a checklist meant for commuters.
Have the employer check permission to work
The IND lists a work permit, known as a TWV, for workers from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland who rely on foreign residence permission and certain family members whose qualifying relative does not work in the Netherlands.
UWV, the employee insurance agency, says the employer files a TWV request through its employer portal with eHerkenning credentials. A worker cannot file that application personally. UWV may request missing evidence and publishes a five-week decision period. Its application guide also says the employer must request a new permit if the existing one does not cover the new work or is nearing expiry. The employee should ask for the employer’s decision and check that it covers the actual role before starting. If an agency files on the employer’s behalf, UWV requires the employer to arrange an eHerkenning authorisation that allows the intermediary to act for it.
Book the passport sticker appointment separately
Eligible European nationals can use a valid passport or identity card. Other nationals may request a free sticker, valid one year, and apply again if work continues. Take a passport, foreign residence document and TWV copy where required. Family cases need additional evidence.
Both language versions of the cross-border page show two first steps, one mentioning a provisional residence visa and one omitting it. The IND’s separate visa guide describes that visa as an entry sticker for people who need ordinary Dutch residence permission for a stay longer than 90 days. Ask the IND to confirm the appointment checklist for your circumstances instead of purchasing a separate visa solely on the strength of the duplicated step.
The official contact page lists 088 043 04 30 from inside the Netherlands and +31 88 043 04 30 from abroad, weekdays between 09:00 and 17:00. Specify the cross-border worker endorsement when calling. This helps identify the desk appointment, since other passport endorsements serve different purposes.
Register the foreign address for a Dutch citizen service number
For the citizen service number, use the NetherlandsWorldwide guide to the Register of Non-Residents. Eligible European nationals can choose an available registration desk. The guide directs other nationalities to Breda or Venlo. The desk checks identity in person. Bring a valid passport or identity card, and take the personal QR code if you completed the advance online form. After registration the desk supplies a record summary and a letter with the number.
Work in NL explains that commuters use this number for dealings such as work, taxes and healthcare. For example, a worker commuting from Belgium can need the number for payroll while the employer is still establishing whether a TWV applies. The registration letter serves a different purpose from the employment authorisation and the IND endorsement. Keep each document available separately.
Check the separate route for protected British frontier workers
A UK national whose Dutch frontier work began before 1 January 2021 and has continued may fall under the Withdrawal Agreement instead. The IND’s separate route describes a five-year frontier worker document and no TWV for its holders. Renewal is by post from three months before expiry. Use that route’s instructions when renewing this document, even if your commute looks like that of a person using the ordinary sticker.
