Orientation Year Visa - Netherlands

Have you graduated with a Masters or PhD in the last 3 years from one of the top 200 universities (according to QS, Times Higher Education, or Academic world university rankings) in your area of study? Are you keen to live a year abroad, working and/or possibly finding a permanent position in the Netherlands? Then you should look into the Orientation Year Visa offered by the Dutch government.

This visa is offered to anyone who meets the simple requirement that they attended a top 200 school (at the time of study) in the world for their field of study for their master’s or PhD and graduated within the last three years. You can read and learn more about the exact details on the IND website.

This visa permits you one-year access to the Dutch labour market. Meaning you are able to work in any position and actively seek work throughout the year. The goal of it is to help you find a job that will than sponsor your visa long-term, and lowers requirements for the company to keep you on.

And while depending on what country you’re from will change how the process to get the visa is (whether you get a temporary MVV to enter into the country or you complete the process within the Netherlands), I am going to share the steps of getting the visa sorted, and the basic bureaucratic stuff to set-up with the experience of holding a US passport and coming in the middle of a pandemic.

If you are from one of the following countries, USA, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand, or the UK, than you can complete your application within the Netherlands. However, while that sounds straight forward, due to COVID there have been some changes with the way to handle to process. This includes the need to submit your application via post, as opposed to setting up an appointment to drop off your documents, complete your biometrics, and pick-up your endorsement sticker.

I recommend sending you application prior to your arrival into country, as you can not book your biometric appointment, endorsement sticker appointment, nor BSN appointment until you get a letter from the IND confirming they have received your application and provide you with a v-number. You will not be able to complete any further steps, nor book appointments unless you have this letter and the v-number.

*I know all of these names and appointments sound strange when you are first learning the process, but don’t worry, I will be breaking it down and explaining what the importance of each of these are.

Once you submit your application via post, then you will need to wait 2 to 3 weeks to get a letter back from the IND confirming the receipt of your application and providing you with a v-number. Once you have this number you can easily go online and book your biometric appointment. This needs to be completed in order to complete your application process. This also needs to be completed in order to complete any other tasks (including getting your endorsement sticker & your BSN).

Once you complete your biometric appointment, you can then complete your endorsement sticker appointment, which I recommend you book for the same day that you go in for your biometric appointment. This sticker allows you to begin working while you wait for the decision from the IND on your visa. You can book that also online.

Following these two appointments you can then go ahead and get your BSN number. This number is needed to be able to really do anything in the country, from starting work, to opening a bank account, to having access to social programmes offered by the government. Depending on if you are staying longer than 4 months, will depend on which type of registration you will do.

Again, I recommend at least a month before you move you start to search for an appointment, as in some cases appointments can take up to 2/3 months to get (especially around school time), meaning you can not start working or moving forward in next step processes until you complete that appointment. And depending on which type of registration you do, it can be hard to find one at your municipality, and you won't be able to register at another municipality.

If you are staying temporary, less than 4 months, than you can register without a permanent residency (no need to show you rent contract), and you can register at a different municipality than the one you are living in. This type of registration registers you in the RNI database. You can find information out about each municipality, their appointments available, and how to book them, here.

If, however, you are staying longer than 4 months, or you first register with the temporary one and than decide you want to be in the Netherlands longer, than you must register in the BRP database. This can be done by booking an appointment with your municipality (and only at your municipality). To book these, or find further information out for how to book it at your municipality, you can also go onto the the link above, and then choose the municipality you reside in. One key thing with this registration is you must have a rental agreement, meaning the place you choose to live must offer you access to registering.

*Keep that in mind as you look for places to move to.

Once you have your BSN number and are registered you can then start getting the other basic need-to-dos sorted. This includes getting a bank account (personally I registered for ABN AMRO bank, as it allowed me to create an account online) and a sim card (I started off by using L-Mobile, as they provided a SIM card that did not require registration, however if you want to get a contract-based SIM you must register). And if you register in the BRP database, then you also access social programmes such as housing subsidy. You can also then register for DigID, which allows you to complete most official tasks online, as oppose to needing to present yourself to the municipality or the IND desk.

And while all of this sounds overwhelming, if you plan accordingly than it can be quite easy for you get it all sorted within the first week or two upon arrival. Also knowing these things before you move over helps with your transition, and allowing you to focus your attention on job searching or house hunting (which also can offer their own challenges).

Are you interested in moving over and seek more guidance? Feel free to reach out to me for more tips, insight, and to answer any other questions you may have.