Can my spouse or partner work here?

This is one of the most misunderstood, and most joyful, facts about moving here as a family. Many couples arrive assuming only the main applicant can work. Not true. A partner who comes on a dependent residence permit has free access to the Dutch labour market.

What 'free access' actually means

The partner's residence document is endorsed with words to the effect of *arbeid vrij toegestaan, TWV niet vereist*: work freely permitted, no work permit required. In plain terms:

• Your partner can take any job, with any employer, full-time or part-time.
• The employer does not need to be a recognised sponsor, and does not need to arrange a work permit. This makes your partner far easier to hire than a fresh migrant.
• Your partner can also be self-employed or freelance, or study, on the same permit.
• There is no minimum-salary threshold on the partner's job, unlike the main skilled-migrant route.

The practical first steps

1. 1Make sure your partner is registered at the gemeente and has a BSN and DigiD, exactly like you (see our first 30 days).
2. 2Open a Dutch bank account in their name so an employer can pay them.
3. 3Build a Dutch-style CV and start applying. In tech, finance and research, English-first roles are common and Dutch is often not required to begin.
4. 4Point recruiters to the magic line: your partner already has the right to work, with no permit needed from the employer.

For many families, the second income is what turns the move from a stretch into a genuinely comfortable life. It is worth chasing from month one.