Clearer requirements for posted third-country nationals

Practical information Work and residence permits

Third-country nationals are workers from outside the EU who come to work in the Netherlands via a work and residence permit from another European country. They are only allowed to work in the EU if they have a work and residence permit. Unlike other countries, the Netherlands is very reluctant to issue these permits. Some people still manage to find work in the Netherlands via a loophole.

An example

Recently, the Dutch Labor Inspectorate (NLA) fined a Polish entrepreneur and three flower bulb and vegetable growers in North Holland nearly € 175,000. These fines were for, among other things, the illegal employment of at least 26 migrant workers from outside Europe.

The Polish entrepreneur recruited Belarusians via a PO box company in Poland and gave them a so-called ‘declaration for entrusting work to a foreigner’. This enabled these so-called third-country nationals to obtain a Polish D visa, which, in combination with the declaration, allows them to work and live in Poland. This visa (residence permit) is intended for persons who wish to stay in the Netherlands for more than 90 days. After spending a few days in Poland (without working there), the Belarusians were brought to the Netherlands, where they were provided with accommodation and work.

According to the NLA, this was a form of illegal secondment because there was a letterbox company in Poland where no ‘substantial activities’ were carried out. The migrant workers started working for Dutch horticulturalists immediately, without first having worked in Poland.

Loophole

If an employer allows third-country nationals to work through a letterbox company, this constitutes a loophole involving illegal posting. As a result, both the Polish entrepreneur and the Dutch horticulturalists were fined for illegally employing migrant workers.

Clearer rules on how long

European regulations do not clearly state how long someone must work in one country before they can start working in another European country. Research has shown that Dutch legislation and regulations offer some scope for clearer rules. Further details will be worked out on how long someone must work in another country before they can start working in the Netherlands.

Third-country nationals must in future have a work and residence permit in the sending Member State for the type of work they will be doing in the Netherlands. It is unacceptable for a Spanish work permit for the care sector to be used by a company from Cyprus to employ workers in a Dutch slaughterhouse.

Employee protection

Third-country nationals are relatively often victims of abuses such as underpayment, poor working conditions and, in the most serious cases, even labor exploitation.

The aim is therefore to protect these workers better by providing them with better information and support in seeking and finding legal assistance. Clearer regulations will give the Dutch Labor Inspectorate better tools to enforce the rules in the event of violations.

Deduction of housing costs

It is particularly common among migrant workers for employers to provide accommodation and deduct an amount from the employee’s wages for this. In the case of the minimum wage, this deduction may still be a maximum of 25% of that wage in 2025.

Phasing out and abolition

The government believes that the deduction can encourage a model of earning and dependence on the employee. This can lead to the exploitation of migrant workers. The government therefore wants to abolish the scheme.

The proposal is to reduce the deduction by 5% per year from 2026 and to completely abolish the possibility of deducting housing costs from the statutory minimum wage from 2030.

Tip! Employers will still be allowed to provide housing for their employees from 2030 onwards. However, it will no longer be possible to deduct part of the costs from the statutory minimum wage.

Internet consultation

The proposal has been submitted for internet consultation. Responses to the proposal can be submitted until June 6, 2025.

The ViDA package is intended to simplify VAT collection throughout the EU, buat also to make it more fraud-proof.

2025

With the adoption of the package, improvements will be made to the Import One-Stop Shop (IOSS) system in 2025 to make it more robust. This will be done by improving the checks of the EU member states.

Furthermore, from 2025, EU member states will have the option of making electronic invoicing mandatory in their own country under certain conditions. This may mean that companies trading internationally must already be able to receive electronic invoices via Peppol (the international standard in the field of e-invoicing and e-ordering).

As of 1 January 2027

From 1 January 2027, a number of minor legal clarifications will be made that will affect users of the One-Stop Shop (OSS) and the IOSS schemes.

As of 1 July 2028

Platforms that facilitate the short-term rental of accommodation and passenger transport services (such as AirBnB and Uber, but also smaller platforms) will be obliged to charge VAT to the customer of the service from 1 July 2028. This is only necessary if the landlord of the accommodation or the carrier does not charge VAT themselves.

From 1 July 2028, the OSS will also apply to installation supplies and intra-Community transfers of own goods.

EU member states have the option of postponing these measures until 1 January 2030.

From 1 July 2030

From 1 July 2030, digital reporting obligations will be introduced and electronic invoicing will be mandatory for cross-border transactions between companies (B2B) within the EU member states. The electronic invoice must comply with the EU standard (usually Peppol). From that date, the deadline for issuing the electronic invoice for certain transactions (including ICL) is a maximum of 10 days after the transaction (or earlier advance payment). The supplier must submit a digital report to the local tax authorities immediately after issuing the electronic invoice. The buyer must also submit a digital report within five days of receiving the invoice. The digital report replaces the current statement of intra-Community transactions.

Please note! We have only provided a brief summary of a number of important components of the ViDA. The ViDA could have significant consequences for you, particularly if you trade across borders. Please contact us if you would like more information about the impact on your company.

Registration in the BRP

Labour migrants who want to stay in the Netherlands for more than four months must register as residents in the municipality where they will be living within five days of their arrival. For shorter stays, they can register at a Non-Resident Registration (RNI) desk. Migrant workers are regularly incorrectly listed as non-residents in the BRP. This means that municipalities and other organisations do not have a clear picture of where migrant workers are staying.

Mandatory support

Migrant workers themselves remain responsible for correct registration in the BRP. What is changing is that employers who hire migrant workers are obliged to support the migrant worker in registering in the BRP at the start of an employment contract. This can be done by providing the correct information in the language of the migrant worker. The employment agency must then verify that the migrant worker is actually registered.

These measures will become part of the Placement of Personnel by Intermediaries Act (Waadi). The rule applies to all employers who send migrant workers.

Additional measures

The government is also working on raising awareness among migrant workers. For example, they are working on communicating by email to make migrant workers aware of the importance of correct registration. In addition, migrant workers can contact regional physical and mobile WorkinNL information points with questions about registration in the BRP. These WorkinNL points are being rolled out across the country and services are provided in several languages.