Excerpted from the Netherlands Career Guide

Overview

The Kingdom of the Netherlands is a member of the Schengen Convention whose purpose is to eliminate controls at common borders and to promote free movement of people within the Schengen area. The countries covered under the Schengen Agreement include Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. The Schengen Convention has also made traveling between its European member countries much easier and less bureaucratic: Schengen visa holders can travel to any (or all) member countries using one single visa, thus avoiding the hassle and expense of obtaining individual visas for each country. This is particularly beneficial for persons who wish to visit several European countries on the same trip.

Short Term Visas

If planning a short stay in the Netherlands or the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, a visa may be needed.

Schengen Visa

Schengen visas are issued when the purpose of the visit is leisure, tourism or business. Upon the issuance of the visa, the visa holder is allowed to enter all member countries and travel freely throughout the Schengen area. It is strongly recommended to plan the journey within the timeframe of the Schengen visa as extensions can be very difficult to obtain, thus forcing an individual to leave to stay in compliance with the Schengen rules and regulations. A Schengen visa allows the holder to travel freely within the Schengen countries for a maximum stay of up to 90 days in a six-month period.

Long Term Visas

Many foreign nationals will require a temporary residence permit (MVV) when going to the Netherlands for longer than three months.

Student Visas

An applicant may study in the Netherlands for up to 90 days without a visa if he is a citizen of certain visa waiver countries. If he is not a citizen of a visa waiver country or wants to study in the Netherlands for more than 90 days, the applicant must obtain a residence permit authorizing his studies. See the Resident Permit section. In order to qualify for a residence permit to study in the Netherlands, an applicant must be enrolled or provisionally enrolled in a full-time program recognized by the Dutch government.

Work Permits

An employer receives permission for an applicant (foreign employee) to work in the Netherlands and carries his work permit. Thus, the applicant’s permission to work in the Netherlands is tied to the specific employer who provides sponsorship.

This is just a short sample of what you’ll find in over 100 pages of information in the complete Netherlands Guide.