Graduate visa
Orientation Year Visa Netherlands
The orientation year, the zoekjaar, is one of the most generous permits in Europe. If you graduated recently from a Dutch institution or a highly ranked international university, it gives you twelve months to live in the Netherlands and work for any employer, no sponsorship required.
The application itself is straightforward when done right, so our real value is what comes after: turning that year into a career and a home. We guide graduates from the first form to the first apartment, and stay close while you find your footing.
What is the orientation year?
The orientation year, zoekjaar in Dutch, is a one-year residence permit that lets recent graduates and researchers look for work in the Netherlands without an employer sponsoring them first. During that year you may work freely, with no work permit required from any employer.
It exists to solve a chicken-and-egg problem: employers want someone who can start, and permits usually need an employer. The orientation year removes that deadlock, and it comes with a lower salary threshold afterwards if you move onto a highly skilled migrant permit.
Who qualifies
- Graduates of Dutch universities and hogescholen, within three years of graduating
- Graduates of top-ranked international universities
- PhD holders and researchers who recently finished in the Netherlands or abroad
- Former orientation year candidates now switching to a work permit
Who qualifies for the zoekjaar
The orientation year is generous once you are inside it, and strict about who gets in. The window is the part people miss.
- You must apply within three years of graduating, obtaining your PhD or completing your research.
- Graduates of accredited Dutch bachelor, master and PhD programmes qualify on the Dutch degree alone.
- International graduates need a degree from a university ranked in the top 200 of a recognised global ranking.
- The permit runs for twelve months, cannot be extended, and can only be granted once.
- You may work employed or self-employed for the whole year with no work permit and no salary threshold.
- In the year that follows, the reduced highly skilled migrant criterion of 3,122 euro applies (2026).
What we do for you
Eligibility check
We verify your degree, its date and your university’s ranking position against the IND requirements before you spend a euro on the application.
Full application handling
You apply for this permit yourself, without an employer. We prepare the file, submit it and track it so nothing stalls.
Diploma paperwork
Foreign degrees need the right certified copies and, in some cases, legalization. We tell you precisely what to bring.
Landing support
Municipality registration, BSN, health insurance and a room or apartment in a market that is brutal for newcomers. We know where to look and who to call.
The step after
When you find a job, employers can hire you against a reduced salary threshold. We manage the switch to a highly skilled migrant permit when the moment comes.
How it works
- 01
Check
One conversation to confirm you qualify and to plan the timing of your move.
- 02
Apply
We prepare and file the IND application and keep you updated at every status change.
- 03
Arrive and settle
We line up your registration and essentials so you can spend the year on your career, not on bureaucracy.
Professional fees for the orientation year
Available upon request
The orientation year is a short procedure and what you need from us depends on whether you apply from inside or outside the Netherlands. You receive a fixed quotation after a brief assessment of your diploma and your timing.
- Assessment of whether your degree and graduation date still qualify
- Application prepared and filed with the IND
- Guidance on moving to a work permit before the year runs out
The three-year window after graduation is strict, and rankings lists change per year. If you are close to the edge, contact us before you assume you are out. Questions rarely keep office hours, which is why clients reach us on a personal WhatsApp line day and night.
Making the year count
What makes me easier to hire during the zoekjaar?
You have free access to the Dutch labour market. Your employer needs no work permit, no sponsorship and pays no IND fee, which removes the exact objection that blocks other non-EU candidates. Put it in your first line, because most Dutch employers do not know it.
What happens at the end of the twelve months?
You switch to another permit, most often the highly skilled migrant permit at the reduced criterion. The switch has to be filed before the orientation year expires, so we begin preparing it around month nine rather than month twelve.
Can I start a business during the year?
You can register at the KvK and work as a self-employed person for the duration. Converting to a permanent entrepreneurial basis afterwards is a separate application with its own test, so it is worth planning from the start.
Does my partner get anything?
Yes. Your partner can apply for a dependent permit for the same twelve months and also has free access to the labour market.
Frequently asked
Can I work during the orientation year?
Yes, fully and freely. Any employer can hire you without a work permit or sponsorship during the twelve months.
Do I need a job or income to apply?
No job offer is required. You do need to show you can support yourself, and we walk you through what the IND accepts as proof.
What happens when the year ends?
Most graduates switch to a highly skilled migrant permit through their new employer, at a reduced salary threshold that makes hiring you easier. We plan that transition well before month twelve.
Your degree just opened a door
Tell us where and when you graduated. We will confirm your eligibility and sketch your year in the Netherlands.
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