Dutch labour market opens registration for new worker-placement licensing regime
Published on 3 November 2026
Staffing companies have until year-end to register or risk losing the right to operate when enforcement begins in 2028
At a glance
The Netherlands' new Act on the Authorisation for the Provision of Workers takes effect from January 2027, reshaping the Dutch staffing market
A transitional arrangement is open for registration until 31 December, offering qualifying companies a window to keep operating after January 2028.
Hiring companies are also affected: engaging workers from an unlicensed provider will itself become a breach of the new rules.
The Netherlands has opened registration for a transitional arrangement under a landmark new licensing regime for companies that place workers with third parties, with a deadline of 31 December for businesses that wish to continue operating when enforcement begins in January 2028.
The Act on the Authorisation for the Provision of Workers, Wet Toelating Terbeschikkingstelling Arbeidskrachten (WTTA), enters into force on 1 January 2027 and introduces an authorisation system for the provision of workers on the Dutch labour market.
The system will be enforced as of January 2028. As of then, companies require authorisation from the Dutch government to provide workers on the labour market. If companies lack authorisation on 1 January 2028, they must immediately cease their services related to the provision of workers. An exception applies for companies that qualify for the transitional arrangement. These companies may continue to provide workers after 1 January 2028 if their application for authorisation is still pending. To qualify for this arrangement, active registration may be required.
Scope of the system
The WTTA applies to all companies providing workers on the Dutch labour market. A worker is considered to be "provided" if where a company supplies them to a third party to perform work under the control and supervision of this third party in return for which the company receives a compensation from the third party.
Companies can apply for an exemption if the following conditions are met: the turnover from the provision of workers is less than 10% of the annual turnover and does not exceed €5 million per year, the company paid wages for at least twelve months prior to the application for exemption, and the company is not a temporary work agency (uitzendbureau) or payrolling company.
The WTTA has direct implications for hiring companies as well. It will be prohibited to hire workers from unauthorised companies. Both the providing as well as the hiring company can be fined if the providing company is not authorised.
Authorisation conditions
To obtain authorisation, companies need to satisfy four principal conditions. first, they must have an accurate entry in the Dutch Chamber of Commerce trade register. Second, they must provide a certificate of good conduct for legal entities dated no more than three months before application. Third, they must pay a security deposit of €100,000.
And fourth, they must have an inspection report that demonstrates compliance with labour, tax and social security laws. This must be done by submitting a report of an inspection body. The government authorises private institutions to be an inspection body. No inspection report will be required if the company has a valid quality mark of the Dutch Foundation for Labour Standards (Stichting Normering Arbeid (SNA)) on 30 June 2027. This is a non-mandatory mark that many staffing agencies have to prove compliance to clients and customers. New entrants on the market do not require an inspection report either, but can apply for a provisional authorisation without an inspection report.
Transitional arrangement
The government offers a transitional arrangement that allows qualifying companies to continue to placing workers after 1 January 2028, provided that their application for authorisation is still pending. Registering for the transitional arrangement does thus not qualify as an application for authorisation, which must be applied for separately between 1 May 2027 and 30 June 2027.
Two categories of companies qualify for the transitional arrangement. Companies that have a valid quality mark from the SNA on 30 June 2027, and those without the quality mark but actively registered for the transitional arrangement.
How to register
The registration window for the transitional arrangement opened on 1 November. Companies must register before 31 December this year to qualify for the transitional arrangement. They will need to provide their expected total net annual turnover for the current year and indicate the type of application they intend to submit later, including authorisation with an inspection report; provisional authorisation for new entrants; authorisation with an SNA quality mark; or exemption.
Osborne Clarke comment
Registration can be done via the website of the Dutch Governmental Institution for the Provision of Workers (Nederlandse Autoriteit Uitleenmarkt (NAU)). To register for the transitional arrangement, companies require eHerkenning at level 3 or higher, which is the Dutch digital authentication service for companies, and a digital business mailbox (berichtenbox voor bedrijven).
Companies must also ensure the accuracy and completeness of their details in the Dutch Trade Register. The NAU will draw information directly from this register. Companies intending to rely on the transitional arrangement are encouraged to take timely action as the registration window will close per 31 December.
