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When you get a job in the Netherlands, you sign an employment contract: the written agreement between you and your employer about your work, your pay and the rules. Most expats sign it from abroad, in a hurry, while thinking about their visa and their move. But a few parts of that contract matter much more than they seem. For example: the probation period at the start, whether the job is temporary, a rule that stops you working for a competitor, and a rule that makes you pay back your relocation costs if you leave. Dutch law puts limits on all of these, and some of the rules you'll see in contracts are not valid at all. This guide explains each part in plain words, what the law allows in 2026, and what is different when your residence permit depends on your job.
The idea in simple words
Dutch law protects workers more than many countries do. An employer can't fire you just like that. A probation period can only be short. And many "rules" written in contracts don't count if they break the law.
So read your contract before you sign, and check the few parts that can hurt you later: the probation period, the end date, the rule about competitors, and any rule about paying money back.
If your residence permit depends on your job, the contract matters even more, because your permit usually lasts only as long as your contract.
The most important facts
- Probation period (In Dutch: proeftijd. A short period at the start of a job when you and your employer can both end the contract immediately, without a reason.): none for contracts of 6 months or less, at most 1 month for contracts under 2 years, at most 2 months for longer or permanent contracts. It must be written down.
- Temporary contracts: at most 3 in a row, within 3 years. After that, the next contract is permanent by law.
- Leaving: you must give 1 month's notice, unless your contract says something else. Your employer can't just give you notice: they need permission from the The Dutch government office for unemployment and sickness benefits. It also decides if an employer may dismiss someone for economic reasons. or a judge, or your agreement.
- Rule against working for competitors (non-compete): only valid if it's written down. In a temporary contract, it also needs a written reason. Judges can limit it or cancel it.
- Paying money back: your employer can never ask you to pay back training that the law or your In Dutch: cao (collectieve arbeidsovereenkomst). An agreement between unions and employers for a whole sector, setting pay, holidays and other rules. requires. Paying back relocation costs or a sign-on bonus is allowed, within limits.
Before you sign: the basics
- Check if there is a collective agreement (cao). Many types of work have one. It often sets your salary, holiday days, notice period and pension. If the cao is better for you than your contract, the cao usually wins. Ask which cao applies, if any. It's often only in Dutch.
- Ask for an English version. No rule says your contract must be in Dutch. If the official version is in Dutch, ask for a translation, and don't sign parts you don't understand.
- You must get the main terms in writing. Since August 2022, your employer must give you written information about your job, salary, working hours, leave, training and notice periods. Most of it must come in your first week.
- Check the salary against the permit limit. If you need a A residence permit for skilled workers hired by a Dutch employer approved by the immigration office (IND). In Dutch: kennismigrant., the salary in the contract must be at least the amount the Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst: the Dutch immigration office. It decides on residence permits. requires, without counting the holiday allowance. Our salary guide lists the 2026 amounts.
Temporary or permanent?
A permanent contract has no end date. A temporary contract (tijdelijk contract) ends on a fixed date. Dutch employers often start new people on a temporary contract of 6 or 12 months. A rule called the chain rule (ketenregeling) stops employers from doing this forever:
| Rule | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| 3 contracts | Your 4th temporary contract in a row with the same employer automatically becomes permanent. |
| 3 years | Once your temporary contracts together last more than 36 months, you are permanent by law, even with fewer than 3 contracts. |
| The gap | Contracts count as "in a row" if there are 6 months or less between them. A longer break starts a new chain. |
| The cao | A collective agreement can allow more contracts (up to 6) or a longer time (up to 4 years) for some jobs. |
Warning before the end: if your temporary contract lasts 6 months or more, your employer must tell you in writing, at least 1 month before the end date, whether they will give you a new contract, and on what terms. This is called the aanzegplicht. If they forget, they owe you up to 1 month's salary. A temporary contract simply ends on its end date. Your employer doesn't need a reason or permission to stop it. But if your employer chooses not to renew it, you have a right to the In Dutch: transitievergoeding. Money your employer must pay you when they end or don't renew your contract. It grows with the years you worked there., explained in our guide to losing your job.
Coming in 2028: a new law for flexible workers (Wet meer zekerheid flexwerkers) was published in July 2026. From 1 January 2028, it changes the 6-month gap to 36 months. After that date, employers can no longer restart the chain by pausing for half a year. And collective agreements can no longer allow extra contracts. Until then, the current rules count.
A temporary contract means a temporary permit
If you are a highly skilled migrant, the IND gives you a permit for as long as your work contract lasts, up to 5 years. So a 12-month contract gives you a 12-month permit. When your contract is renewed, your employer must ask the IND to extend your permit before the old one runs out. Ask HR to start this 2 to 3 months before the end date. If your contract isn't renewed, your search period starts: a short time to find a new job. A permanent contract also helps later with the income rule for permanent residence.
The probation period
During a probation period (proeftijd), you and your employer can both end the contract straight away, without notice and without a reason. It's a time for both sides to see if the job works. The law sets strict limits on how long it can be:
| Your contract | Longest probation period |
|---|---|
| Temporary, 6 months or less | Not allowed |
| Temporary, more than 6 months but less than 2 years | 1 month (a cao can allow 2 months) |
| Temporary, 2 years or more | 2 months |
| Permanent | 2 months |
- It must be written down, and it must be the same length for both of you. If the probation period is too long, or only agreed by talking, it doesn't count: you then have no probation period at all.
- Only one probation period per employer. A new probation period in a follow-up contract is usually not allowed, unless the new job clearly needs different skills.
- Ask for the reason. If your employer ends the contract during the probation period, they must give you the reason in writing if you ask. Ending a contract for a discriminating reason, such as pregnancy, is never allowed.
- No transition payment if your contract ends during the probation period. But you may still get In Dutch: WW (Werkloosheidswet). Money from the UWV for a while after you lose your job, if you worked long enough. (WW).
For people with a work permit, losing your job during the probation period works like any other job loss: your search period starts, and you have 3 or 6 months to find a new employer who can sponsor you.
Notice periods: leaving, and being dismissed
Notice is the time between saying the job will end and the last day of work. If you quit, your notice period is 1 month, unless your contract or cao says something else. A contract can make your notice period up to 6 months long, but then your employer's notice period must be at least twice as long. Notice normally runs to the end of a calendar month. So if you quit on 10 March, your last day is 30 April, unless your contract allows notice on any day.
Your employer's notice period, set by law, depends on how long you have worked there:
| How long you've worked there | Employer's notice period |
|---|---|
| Less than 5 years | 1 month |
| 5 to 10 years | 2 months |
| 10 to 15 years | 3 months |
| 15 years or more | 4 months |
In many countries, an employer can fire you with a letter and a notice period. Not in the Netherlands. A Dutch employer needs one of three things: permission from the UWV (for money reasons, or long illness), a decision from a judge (for reasons such as bad work, which must be well written down), or your agreement in a In Dutch: vaststellingsovereenkomst. A written deal in which you and your employer agree to end the contract, usually with some money for you.. When the employer has UWV permission, the notice period is made 1 month shorter, but never less than 1 month. Being on sick leave gives you extra protection, explained in our sick leave guide.
The non-compete clause: a rule against working for competitors
A non-compete clause (concurrentiebeding) stops you from working for a competitor, or starting a competing business, for some time after you leave. A similar rule, the non-solicitation clause (relatiebeding), stops you from working for your employer's clients. Dutch employers use them a lot, and many employees don't know how limited they are:
- Only if written down and signed by an adult employee. A rule in a staff handbook you never signed doesn't count.
- Temporary contracts: a non-compete only counts if the contract itself explains which important business interests make it necessary. A standard rule without a specific reason doesn't count.
- A judge can make it smaller. If the rule limits you too much compared with your employer's interests, a judge can make it shorter, limit it to a smaller area or type of work, cancel it, or order your employer to pay you money.
- If your employer ends the contract and is seriously to blame, they can't use the non-compete at all. In practice, many employers drop the rule in a settlement agreement. Ask for this clearly.
- A very different job counts. If your job changes a lot while you work there, the rule may no longer apply, unless you signed it again.
Why this matters more with a work permit: in your search period, you have only 3 or 6 months to find a new employer who is an approved sponsor and pays enough for the permit. The most likely employers are often competitors in the same field. If your old employer won't drop the rule, an employment lawyer can ask a judge to pause it in a fast court case. The short search period is a strong argument.
A change is coming, but it isn't law yet. In June 2026, the government sent a law proposal to the Raad van State: the body that gives the government advice on new laws before parliament votes on them.. It would limit non-competes to 12 months, require the area to be written down, require a written reason in permanent contracts too, and make employers pay you 50% of your last monthly salary for each month the rule applies. Until both parts of parliament approve it, the current rules count.
Side jobs: the side-work clause
Since 1 August 2022, an employer can't simply forbid you from working somewhere else as well. A rule that bans side work (nevenwerkzaamhedenbeding) only counts if there is a real, objective reason. Examples: protecting secret information, health and safety, or a conflict of interest. A rule that asks you to tell your employer, or ask permission, before you take side work is still allowed. Our guide to side jobs and freelancing explains what your residence permit allows.
Paying back relocation, sign-on and training costs
Expat contracts often have a rule that you must pay back your relocation costs, your sign-on bonus or your training costs if you leave within 1 or 2 years. This is sometimes called a clawback. The rules are different for each type of cost:
| Cost | Can your employer make you pay it back? |
|---|---|
| Training required by law or your cao, such as a certificate you need to do your job | No. Since August 2022, a pay-back rule for this training doesn't count, and the training counts as working time. |
| Other training, such as an MBA or a course for your next career step | Yes, if it was agreed in writing before the training, with the amount and a sliding scale. Usual: 100% within a year, then less and less. |
| Relocation costs and sign-on bonus | Yes, if clearly agreed in writing. Judges expect the amount to go down over time and to be reasonable. |
Questions to check in any pay-back rule:
- Does it count if your employer ends the contract? A fair rule only counts if you quit, or if you are dismissed because you did something seriously wrong. If it also counts when your job disappears, ask to take that out before you sign.
- Does the amount go down each month or each year? A monthly scale is fairer than "all or nothing" at 12 months.
- Gross or net? If your employer paid your relocation costs tax-free, for example under the 30% ruling, make sure you only pay back the amount you actually got, not a bigger amount with tax added.
- How will you pay it back? Many employers take it from your last salary. Ask for the calculation in writing before your last payslip.
Example: paying back relocation costs
Priya's employer paid €8,000 for her move from Bangalore. Her contract says she pays back 100% if she leaves in the first 12 months, and 50% in months 13 to 24. She gets a better offer and quits after 14 months, so she owes €4,000. If her contract had said "1/24th less for each month worked", she would have owed €3,333. If her employer had ended her job instead, a fair rule wouldn't apply at all.
Holidays, overtime and pay
- Holiday days: by law, at least 4 times the number of days you work in a week. So 20 days for a full-time job. Most employers give 25 or more. The legal days disappear 6 months after the end of the year in which you earned them. Extra days from your contract or cao disappear after 5 years.
- Holiday allowance: at least 8% extra on top of your yearly salary, usually paid in May or June. Some employers pay it every month instead. See our payslip guide.
- Overtime: the law doesn't say you get extra pay for working longer. It depends on your contract or cao. Many expat contracts say overtime is "included in the salary".
- Public holidays: the law doesn't give you the day off. Your contract or cao does. Check which Dutch public holidays your employer gives.
Your contract checklist
- Find out if a cao applies, and get a copy.
- Check whether the contract is temporary or permanent, and for how long. With a work permit: check the salary is high enough for the IND.
- Check the probation period against the legal limit for your contract length.
- Check your notice period, and whether notice runs to the end of the month.
- Read the non-compete and non-solicitation rules. In a temporary contract, look for the written reason. Ask to make the time, area or list of competitors smaller.
- Check any pay-back rule: what it covers, the sliding scale, and whether it counts if you are dismissed.
- Check holiday days, holiday allowance, pension and overtime.
- Have unclear parts checked by an employment lawyer before you sign. In Dutch: rechtsbijstandverzekering. Insurance that pays for a lawyer or legal help if you have a legal problem. usually only covers problems that start after you buy it, so arrange it early.
Official sources and useful links
- Business.gov.nl: terms of employment
- Business.gov.nl: non-compete clause
- Business.gov.nl: proposed stricter non-compete rules
- Business.gov.nl: changes to temporary contracts
- Business.gov.nl: notice periods
- Juridisch Loket: checklist before you sign a work contract (Dutch)
- Juridisch Loket: paying back training costs (Dutch)
- IND: highly skilled migrant permit
This is general information based on the law in October 2026. Your collective agreement can change several of these rules, and the non-compete law proposal may still change before it becomes law. If a rule in your contract affects a big decision, such as quitting or taking a new job, have it checked first by an employment lawyer or your union.
