The orientation year (zoekjaar) is a one-year residence permit that lets a recent graduate stay and look for a job in the Netherlands without needing an employer to sponsor the first step. It is the main reason people from outside the EU/EEA can plan to stay after a Dutch degree.

This is general information, not legal or immigration advice. The IND decides on residence permits and your institution decides on admission.

Who qualifies

Study in NL that if you are a non-EEA citizen and you completed your studies or research project in the Netherlands in the past three years, you are eligible. The IND page on the orientation year lists the situations in more detail. Within three years before you apply, you:

  • completed an accredited Dutch bachelor's, master's or post-master's programme (a post-master's programme must be at least 10 months), or
  • completed a programme at a "designated foreign educational institution" (an institution on the IND's own list), or
  • did scientific research in the Netherlands on an EU research permit or as a highly skilled migrant, or
  • obtained a master's through an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master programme.

What you get

  • A permit valid for 1 year. You cannot extend it.
  • The right to work freely or do an internship. Your employer does not need a work permit for you.
  • The chance to switch to another permit if you find a job, for example highly skilled migrant, start-up or self-employed.

The fee on the IND page is €254.00 as of October 2026, so check it before you apply.

The insurance trap

Study in NL’s insurance page that during an orientation year with a search visa you are not allowed to take out Dutch public health insurance if you have not started to work. You can take out an international health insurance instead. When you do start working, the rules change.

What Study in NL suggests

  • Have enough money saved at the start. Housing, insurance and daily costs add up while you search.
  • Start your job search early, ideally during your studies, and build a network through a side job or internship in your field.
  • Learn Dutch. Study in NL says it enhances your opportunities on the Dutch labour market.
  • Use the IND's list of recognised sponsors to find employers that can hire a highly skilled migrant.

Do graduates actually stay?

Study in NL points to Nuffic's interactive dashboard on the stay rates of international graduates, and says that technical degrees and degrees in education improve your chances of finding employment in the Netherlands. If staying matters to you, look at that dashboard for your field before you choose a programme.

Sources

Opened and checked on 5 October 2026. Figures that change from year to year are marked "as of October 2026"; check the source before you rely on them.