Working in the Netherlands from Uzbekistan: Visa, Permit, Costs (2026)

The reality of working in the Netherlands from Uzbekistan

If you live in Uzbekistan and dream of working in the Netherlands, you need to understand the legal reality from the start. The Netherlands has strict employment laws. Dutch companies cannot simply hire anyone from outside the European Union. By law, a Dutch employer must first try to recruit a candidate from the Netherlands or another EU country before offering a contract to a citizen of Uzbekistan.

Because of this EU-first rule, getting a legal visa for basic manual trade roles like general warehouse labor, basic construction, or standard driving can be very difficult. Countries like Poland, Croatia, or Lithuania have larger quotas and simpler routes for general workers from Uzbekistan. However, if you hold specialized technical qualifications, certified trade skills, or seek seasonal agricultural work, legal pathways to the Netherlands are open. This guide explains how to navigate the Dutch visa system safely and legally from Uzbekistan.

Permit routes: Who applies first and official names

To work legally in the Netherlands as a non-EU citizen, you need a specific combination of a residence permit and a work permit. You cannot move first and find a job later. The process always starts in the Netherlands with your employer.

• The Single Permit (GVVA): The most common route for skilled trade workers is the Gecombineerde vergunning voor verblijf en arbeid (GVVA). This combines your residence permit and work permit into one application. Your Dutch employer must submit this application on your behalf directly to the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND).
• Seasonal Work Permit (Seizoensarbeid): For short term work in agriculture, farming, or horticulture, employers apply for a seasonal permit. This allows work for up to 24 weeks. The employer applies to the Dutch employee insurance agency (UWV) and the IND.
• The Entry Visa (MVV): Once the IND approves your GVVA or seasonal permit, they notify you and your employer. You then receive authorization to pick up a special temporary entry visa called a Machtiging tot voorlopig verblijf (MVV).

Remember: You cannot apply for a GVVA work permit yourself. Any agency in Tashkent or Samarkand that claims they can buy a Dutch work permit directly for you without a real Dutch employer sponsor is lying.

Applying from Uzbekistan: Embassy and visa processing

Once the IND in the Netherlands approves your employer's application, you must finalize your entry visa in Uzbekistan. You will take your passport and approval letter to the official Dutch diplomatic representation.

• Submission location: You will submit your passport and biometrics at the Embassy of the Netherlands in Tashkent or an authorized visa application centre handling Dutch visa services in Tashkent.
• Biometrics collection: During your appointment, staff will scan your fingerprints and take a digital passport photo.
• Passport sticker: Once approved, the embassy places the MVV sticker into your Uzbek passport. This sticker allows you to enter the Netherlands legally and collect your residence card upon arrival.

Required documents and the Uzbek Apostille

Preparing clean, legal documents in Uzbekistan is critical. Submitting false or incorrectly certified documents can lead to an immediate visa refusal and a ban from entering the Schengen area.

• Valid Uzbek passport: Your international passport (the red passport) must be valid for at least six months beyond your planned start date and have at least two blank pages.
• Signed employment contract: A legally binding offer or contract signed by your Dutch employer, stating your salary, job title, and working hours.
• Police clearance certificate: You must request a official criminal record check (Sudlanmaganlik haqida ma'lumotnoma) through the Public Services Center (Davlat xizmatlari markazi) or the Single Interactive State Services Portal (my.gov.uz) in Uzbekistan.
• Trade qualifications: Certificates, diplomas, or official work record books (Mehnat daftarchasi) proving your trade experience.
• Apostille requirement: Uzbekistan is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention. Official Uzbek documents, such as your police record certificate, must receive an legal Apostille stamp from the Ministry of Justice or Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan. After receiving the Apostille, the document must be translated into Dutch or English by a certified sworn translator.

Costs, Fees, and Illegal Recruitment Charges

It is crucial to know who pays for what when moving from Uzbekistan to the Netherlands. Official application fees are set by the Dutch government and are usually paid directly by the employer.

• IND Permit Fee: The official administrative fee set by the Netherlands for a work permit is approximately 350 to 400 EUR. In most reputable companies, the Dutch employer pays this fee directly to the IND. Check the official IND.nl website for current exact figures.
• Police clearance and Apostille in Uzbekistan: Getting your police record in Uzbekistan and securing an official Apostille stamp costs approximately 100,000 to 350,000 UZS (around 8 to 25 EUR).
• Certified translations: Professional translation of your Uzbek documents into English or Dutch costs approximately 150,000 to 400,000 UZS (around 10 to 30 EUR) per document.
• Medical check and flight: A basic medical checkup in Uzbekistan costs approximately 200,000 to 500,000 UZS. Your flight ticket from Tashkent to Amsterdam usually costs between 4,000,000 and 8,000,000 UZS (approximately 300 to 600 EUR).

Warning about illegal fees: Under Dutch employment law and European regulations, no employer or recruitment agency is allowed to charge a jobseeker a fee simply to give them a job contract. If an agent in Uzbekistan asks you for 2,000 or 5,000 Euros for a job offer in the Netherlands, this is a dangerous scam. They are charging you for fake documents or illegal promises.

Trades hiring foreign workers in the Netherlands

While general unskilled labor roles are mostly filled locally within the EU, specific technical and agricultural trades in the Netherlands rely on non-EU workers:

• Greenhouse and agricultural specialists: Dutch commercial farming companies hire seasonal workers and technical crop handlers to operate high-tech greenhouse infrastructure.
• Certified coded welders: Industrial fabrication plants and shipbuilding yards in Dutch port cities look for welders certified under international ISO standards.
• Heavy equipment mechanics: Transport and construction sectors hire experienced diesel mechanics capable of maintaining complex agricultural and logistics machinery.

Myths vs facts

• Myth: You can fly to Amsterdam on a Schengen tourist visa and start working legally once you find a boss.
  Fact: Working on a tourist visa is illegal in the Netherlands. You must return to Uzbekistan and wait for the IND permit approval before you can work legally.
• Myth: Paying an agency in Tashkent thousands of dollars guarantees you a Dutch work visa.
  Fact: No private agency can control the decision of the Dutch IND immigration service, and charging workers placement fees is illegal under Dutch law.
• Myth: A work permit issued in Poland or Lithuania lets you work legally for a company in the Netherlands.
  Fact: A Polish or Lithuanian work visa only allows you to work in that specific issuing country. To work in the Netherlands, you must have a Dutch-issued permit.
• Myth: You do not need an Apostille on your Uzbek documents if they are translated into English.
  Fact: Dutch immigration authorities require official Uzbek state documents to be legalized with an official Apostille stamp before accepting translations.

Before you sign

Protect yourself before accepting any job offer or signing an employment contract from the Netherlands. Go through this safety checklist:

• Check sponsor status: Verify that your Dutch employer is registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KVK) and listed as a recognized sponsor with the IND.
• Verify wage details: Ensure your contract offers a salary that meets or exceeds the Dutch official minimum wage or the applicable collective labor agreement (CAO) rate for your trade.
• Clarify housing: Ask where you will live. The Netherlands faces severe housing shortages, so confirm if the employer provides legal housing and what amount will be deducted for rent.
• Keep document copies: Keep copies of your signed contract, apostilled documents, and IND approval letter stored digitally on your phone and printed in your luggage.
• Never hand over your passport: Keep your original Uzbek passport in your possession at all times. No boss or agency in the Netherlands has the legal right to hold your physical passport.

Build your profile on Workuro

If you are a skilled worker in Uzbekistan looking for legal international trade opportunities, create your free online profile on Workuro today. Make sure to list your exact technical skills, upload your trade certificates, state your language level, and select the specific work permit routes you are prepared for. Employers looking for dedicated tradespeople search our register directly to find qualified candidates like you.

Workuro is free for workers - employers pay to search the register, and nobody may charge you for a job.