Employers who wish to offer an internship to foreign students no longer need to be in the possession of a work permit. This amendment took place 1 October 2016. There are 3 conditions to qualify for the work permit waiver. The foreign student must hold a permit for the purpose of study, the internship has to be relevant ‘relevant’ for the study, and the intern agreement should be signed by the employer, student and educational institution. The educational institution has to declare in the intern agreement that the internship is relevant. The internship agreement has to be present on the workplace.

Click here for a template internship agreement (also English template) drafted by EP-Nuffic.

Employers, please note that this work permit waiver is not applicable for foreign students studying abroad and doing an internship in the Netherlands. In this situation a work permit is required and will only be issued if the internship is mandatory for the completion of the educational program of the student.