Permit Rulebook

Orientation year — a year to look for work after studying (zoekjaar)

The rules, quoted and dated:

A one-year permit to look for work — any job, no separate work permit, and it cannot be extended. The Dutch immigration service (IND) grants it after certain studies, doctorates or research finished in the three years before you apply; its list of qualifying programmes and institutions is longer than the two cases asked about here, so read its own page before ruling yourself out. Having a job offer does not stop you applying — but with an offer the work routes may fit you directly, so compare them. Every number on this page is the authority's own sentence, with the page it came from and the day we read it. This page is for people who need a permit to work in the Netherlands. This page describes the rules; it does not decide on you.

PR

What this route asks for

No salary or points threshold — what this route asks for is in the conditions below

Read from the authority's own page on , with the sentence it came from below.

Where do you stand on this route? The questions are answered on this device only — nothing is sent anywhere. You get each rule against what you declared, the gap if there is one, and which single change would open more routes.

Check yours — Netherlands, Orientation year — a year to look for work after studying (zoekjaar)
What the checker asks, and what it does not

Every number below is quoted from an official page, and a daily check re-reads every source. On this route — quoted and dated · scored — 5 conditions this interview did not ask and 1 condition in our own words, not the authority's. Of the five situations the authority lists, the two that turn on where and when you studied are asked here; three are not — research carried out in the Netherlands, an Erasmus Mundus master's, and a permit you already hold or have held — and three further conditions are listed with the rules below and never asked. The provisional residence permit this application needs is listed with the rules below too, and your passport decides whether the Dutch immigration service exempts you from it.

A non-EU passport

Who this is for

Citizens of the EU, of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, and of Switzerland, can live and work in Germany, France, Spain and the Netherlands under free movement — the routes on this site are for other passports. Check registration rules after arrival (e.g. Anmeldung in Germany).

As an EU national you generally don't need a work permit to work anywhere in the EU. · europa.eu · TFEU (the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union) art. 45 (free movement of workers) — Your Europe · · English, from europa.eu. Official page ↗

A degree from a Dutch university or research institution, from the last 3 years or a degree from a foreign institution the Dutch immigration service designates

Condition

Any of these: a degree from a Dutch university or research institution, from the last 3 years or a degree from a foreign institution the Dutch immigration service designates.

You completed one of the following study programmes in the 3 years before the date of application: · ind.nl · · English, from ind.nl. Official page ↗
An accredited bachelor’s or master’s degree programme at a Dutch higher education institution. · ind.nl · · English, from ind.nl. Official page ↗
A master’s degree programme, a doctoral programme or a post-master’s study programme at a designated foreign educational institution · ind.nl · · English, from ind.nl. Official page ↗
Also required — not checked here
  • You must not have previously held an orientation year permit for the same study programme, doctorate or research.
    You have not previously held a residence permit for an orientation year for the same research for which you are now applying. Nor have you held such a permit following the completion of the same study programme or doctoral programme. · ind.nl · Dutch immigration service, Residence permit for orientation year — Requirements (the page's own last-update date: 12 June 2026) · · English, from ind.nl. Official page ↗
  • The scientific research must have been carried out in the Netherlands in the three years before the date of application
    You have conducted scientific research in the Netherlands in the 3 years before the date of application. · ind.nl · · English, from ind.nl. Official page ↗
  • If you studied at a foreign educational institution the Dutch immigration service (IND) designates, you must also meet one of its further requirements: a score of at least 6.0 on the IELTS English test or another accepted test, or a programme that was taught in English or Dutch
    If you have completed your course or programme at a designated foreign educational institution, you must also meet one of the following requirements: You obtained a minimum score of 6.0 on a test in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). · ind.nl · · English, from ind.nl. Official page ↗
  • This application needs a provisional residence permit (MVV).
    A valid provisional residence permit (MVV) is needed for this application · ind.nl · · English, from ind.nl. Official page ↗
    Who this does not bind You do not need a provisional residence permit (MVV) — the Dutch immigration service names your passport among the nationalities that need none.
    You do not need an MVV if you have the nationality of one of these countries. Australia Canada Japan Monaco New Zealand Vatican City United Kingdom United States South Korea Switzerland An EU/EEA Member State · ind.nl · Dutch immigration service, MVV exemptions — Your nationality is decisive · · English, from ind.nl. Official page ↗
The official page also says
  • If you hold a Turkish passport, the Dutch immigration service says the requirements for you and your family may be different. It does not say how, so read its own page before relying on the answer above.
    Different requirements may apply to Turkish citizens and their family members. · ind.nl · Dutch immigration service, Residence permit for orientation year — Requirements · · English, from ind.nl. Official page ↗
Our reading, not the authority's words
  • The Dutch immigration service lists five situations that open this route. We model the two that turn on where and when you studied; the other three — research done here, an Erasmus Mundus master, a permit you already held — are not asked about anywhere on this site.