A third-country national (TCN) is any individual who does not hold citizenship of an EU or EEA member state or Switzerland. Unlike EU citizens, who benefit from freedom of movement and the right to work in any member state, TCNs must obtain specific immigration permission before they can legally reside and work in the Netherlands or another EU country.
The main routes to legal work in the Netherlands for TCNs include the highly skilled migrant permit (kennismigrant), the European Blue Card for high-qualification roles, the intra-company transfer permit (ICT), and the seasonal worker permit. Each route has distinct salary thresholds, employer eligibility conditions, and permit duration rules. The UWV issues a separate work permit (TWV) for categories of lower-skilled work not covered by the residence-based routes.
Sponsors (employers) recognised by the IND as a sponsor are permitted to process most TCN work applications on behalf of the migrant, significantly reducing administrative processing time. Recognised sponsors must maintain accurate records of their sponsored workers and report changes in employment conditions to the IND promptly, as failures trigger administrative penalties and can result in withdrawal of sponsor status.