TWV vs GVVA: The Netherlands Work Permit Difference Explained

The Official Rule

Two different Dutch permits control paid work for people who aren’t EU, EEA, or Swiss nationals, and which one applies comes down to a single number: 90 days.

TWV (Tewerkstellingsvergunning), a standalone work permit, covers employment that runs under 90 days within a 180-day period, or up to 24 weeks a year for seasonal roles. It’s issued by UWV, the Employee Insurance Agency, and only the employer can apply for it, through UWV’s employer portal. A TWV is tied to one employer, one role, and one approved period. Crucially, it does not grant any right to stay in the Netherlands on its own, someone holding a TWV whose passport requires a visa for a short stay still needs that visa separately.

GVVA (Gecombineerde Vergunning Verblijf en Arbeid), the combined residence-and-work permit, is required once employment will run longer than 90 days and the person is going to live in the Netherlands. It’s issued by the IND, the Immigration and Naturalisation Service, not UWV, and it bundles the work authorization and the residence permit into a single decision and a single document. Either the employer or the employee can technically submit the application, though in practice it’s almost always the employer.

Where UWV and IND Actually Divide the Work

This is the part that trips people up: UWV never issues a residence document, and the IND never independently re-runs the entire labor-market check from scratch. For a GVVA, the IND makes the final decision within its legal 90-day decision period, but as part of that same process it asks UWV for advice specifically on the labor-market side of the application, the same kind of check UWV runs on its own for a standalone TWV. That advisory step happens inside the IND’s 90 days, it isn’t an extra 90-day process bolted on top.

For a TWV, UWV runs the whole process itself: once your application is complete, UWV aims to decide within 5 weeks, calling or writing to the employer if information is missing, and only starting the clock once everything requested has actually arrived.

The Labor Market Test, and Who’s Exempt

For most standard cases, both routes require the employer to first try to fill the role from within the EU, EEA, or Switzerland. In practice this typically means posting the vacancy and keeping it open for 5 weeks before a non-EU candidate’s TWV or the labor-market portion of a GVVA can move forward, according to Jobbatical’s guide for employers. UWV’s own explainer video on the vacancy notification requirement walks through this from the employer’s side.

Several categories skip this test entirely on both routes: EU/EEA/Swiss nationals don’t need either permit at all, and highly skilled migrants (kennismigranten), intra-company transferees, and a handful of other defined categories have their own faster, exemption-based tracks.

Who Actually Pays, and What It Costs

Here’s a point worth being precise about, because guides disagree. The IND’s own GVVA page states the application fee is 423 euros. For the TWV, several sources, including a Dutch immigration consultancy’s cost breakdown, confirm that UWV itself charges no government fee for processing a TWV application, though you’ll sometimes see third-party figures in the hundreds of euros floating around online, which usually reflect a relocation agency’s or immigration lawyer’s service fee rather than an official government charge. If a quote you’re given doesn’t clearly separate “government fee” from “service fee,” ask which is which before assuming the number comes from UWV or the IND directly.

What isn’t in dispute: under the Wet arbeid vreemdelingen (Foreign Nationals Employment Act), the employer is legally required to cover whatever fees do apply, for either permit, and is not allowed to pass that cost on to the employee.

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels

Step by Step

1. Work out your real timeline first. If the actual working period in the Netherlands, counted within any rolling 180-day window, will stay under 90 days, you’re likely looking at a TWV. If it runs longer, or the person is relocating to live in the Netherlands, it’s a GVVA.
2. Check exemptions before assuming you need the labor market test. Highly skilled migrant sponsorship, intra-company transfer, and EU/EEA/Swiss nationality all change the process substantially.
3. If TWV: the employer applies through UWV’s employer portal, which requires eHerkenning (a Dutch digital business-identity login). Agencies applying on an employer’s behalf need a chain authorization for this.
4. If GVVA: apply through the IND, either online or by post, with the employer typically handling the submission and cooperating with UWV’s labor-market advice request.
5. Budget the labor market test into your timeline, not just the permit decision itself. A 5-week vacancy posting requirement before submission, plus a 5-week UWV decision or a 90-day IND decision, adds up fast if you start counting only from the day you submit.
6. Confirm who’s paying what before the process starts. The employer is legally on the hook for government fees either way, and getting a clear breakdown of any additional service fees from a relocation agency upfront avoids surprises.

What You’ll Need

• A written job offer or employment contract detailing role, salary, and duration.
• Proof of the labor market test (vacancy posting dates and channels), unless exempt.
• For a GVVA: the completed IND application, employer and employee identification documents.
• For a TWV: the completed UWV application submitted via the employer portal, with eHerkenning access.
• Confirmation of which fees, if any, apply and who is paying them.

Compliance Note

This page explains the general TWV/GVVA framework as published by the IND and UWV and reported by immigration practitioners as of 2026. It is not legal or immigration advice for your specific employment situation. Fees, exemptions, and processing times can change, and some third-party sources report conflicting cost figures for the TWV specifically, treat any number that isn’t sourced directly to UWV or the IND with caution. Always confirm current requirements directly with UWV, the IND, or a licensed immigration lawyer before applying.