Working in the Netherlands Through an Agency: A Guide for Polish Jobseekers on Pay, Housing and Contracts

What UWV Says About Working in the Netherlands

According to UWV (the Dutch employment office), citizens of the EU, the European Economic Area or Switzerland do not need a work or residence permit to live and work in the Netherlands. You do need a valid European passport or ID card, enough money to support yourself, and Dutch health insurance even if you are already insured in your home country. You also need to apply for a citizen service number (BSN) and DigiD.

How long you stay decides where you register. Staying longer than 4 months means registering with the municipality (gemeente) where you live, within 5 days of arrival. Staying less than 4 months means registering as a non-resident at one of the municipalities set up for that. UWV notes that this is general guidance and points to uwv.nl/en for the most reliable, up to date details.

How Agency Jobs With Accommodation Work

UWV explains that foreign workers often take jobs as temporary staff, particularly in agriculture, horticulture and hospitality, and that this work is frequently arranged through a temporary employment agency (uitzendbureau). The agency is your official employer and pays your wage, while the company you are placed with decides how you carry out the work. The longer you work, the more rights you build up, and as a temp worker you are entitled to the same treatment and pay as someone doing similar work directly for that company, at least the statutory minimum wage or the rate set in the collective agreement (CAO) for temporary workers.

Agencies active in this space, per aplikuj.pl, commonly place people in agriculture, horticulture, elderly care and construction. A reliable agency will often arrange accommodation near the job, help with opening a bank account, help with accessing health benefits, and sometimes even transport between Poland and the Netherlands.

What to Check Before Signing

Poland's Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy (gov.pl) sets out checks to do before agreeing to any placement. Confirm the agency is listed in the official register kept for certified employment agencies before discussing offers; agencies from EU or EFTA countries are exempt from needing a separate Polish certificate but must notify the relevant regional authority of their activity. Be wary of ads that give only a phone number, and avoid meeting a recruiter outside a proper office.

The agency sending you abroad must give you a written contract naming the foreign employer, the employment period, the type of contract, pay and working conditions, social insurance terms, and who pays for your return travel if the employer does not honor the deal. Read it fully before signing. Agencies cannot charge you for finding a job; they can only charge for actual costs such as travel, visa, medical exams or document translation, and those costs must be written into the contract, with no upfront payments or deposits. Keep your passport yourself and give an employer only copies, never the original.

Pay and Working Conditions

UWV points out that Dutch law protects worker rights and fair treatment at work, and that collective agreements (CAO) between employers and unions can set pay above the statutory minimum along with extra leave days. The statutory gross minimum wage that took effect on 1 January 2024 requires that workers aged 21 and over working 40 hours a week earn at least 13.27 euros gross per hour.

How Many Jobs Are Open in the Netherlands Right Now

NewLuxJob's Netherlands jobs page currently lists about 40,600 open vacancies, with about 3,530 added in the past week. About 2,170 of these are remote roles, and about 12,900 show a salary. Among the largest employers posting roles are Synsel Techniek, Deutsche Post DHL, EY, MilAnSa Personeelsdiensten and DSV. These counts are rounded and change daily, so treat them as a snapshot rather than a fixed total.