Netherlands · for applicants from Nigeria
A one-year residence permit letting recent graduates and researchers stay to look for work or start a business, with full, unrestricted work rights and no salary threshold during the year. Its biggest payoff: afterwards you can be hired as a highly skilled migrant at the much-reduced €3,122/month threshold. Once-in-a-lifetime; cannot be extended.
Rules last verified: 22 June 2026 · by Elizabeth O
Embassy processing
Often decided within weeks for Dutch-study switchers
Our turnaround
5–7 working days
Done-for-you Standard
Government fees
~£217
≈ ₦396,893
University not top-200 / outside 3-year window
Foreign degree not top-200 in the graduation year, or graduated too long ago.
Fix: Check the ranking for your award year and apply within 3 years.
Already used the orientation year
Permit previously held.
Fix: It is once-per-lifetime, plan the timing carefully.
Required
Valid passport
When: "all"
Diploma / proof of graduation (or research completion)
When: "all"
Evidence the university is top-200 (if foreign)
When: "foreign graduates"
MVV (if applying from abroad; Nigeria is MVV-required)
When: "from abroad"
Proof of funds + Dutch health insurance
When: "all"
1. Prepare your application
Gather documents, draft supporting letters, complete forms
1–3 weeks
2. Rekoja review (if Done-for-you)
Specialist checks your file before you submit
5–7 working days
3. Submit online or at visa centre
Biometrics appointment may be required
1 day
4. Embassy decision
Standard processing. Priority options may be available.
Often decided within weeks for Dutch-study switchers
These are the fees you pay to the government, not Rekoja's service fee. Shown at the indicative exchange rate.
Mandatory
Orientation Year (zoekjaar) permit
£217
₦396,893
Total government fees
~£217
≈ ₦396,893
Indicative. 1 GBP = 1829 NGN · 2026-08-03. Government fees change. Confirm on the official website before paying.
A free AI can tell you the rules. Rekoja does the harder part: we verify them against the official government source, prepare the actual application file, catch what gets people refused, and a specialist checks everything before you submit. We stand behind our work.
Free, in about a minute. Your eligibility, gaps, and the all-in cost estimate. No signup to see the score.
The assessment pre-selects Netherlands and the work route for you. You can adjust before you run it.
Sourced answers to the most-searched questions about this corridor are being verified and will appear here. Start the free assessment or ask the desk directly.
100% approved
Based on 12 reported outcomes across all Rekoja cases. This is a look back at past cases, not a prediction. The embassy decides; past results do not guarantee future outcomes.
Many work routes include an interview or credibility check. Done-for-you Premium includes a live interview-preparation session with a specialist: the questions officers actually ask on this route, practised with you before the real thing.
Preparation improves your readiness, not the decision. Practice, never a guarantee.
Other routes to Netherlands
Know exactly where you stand. Free, in about a minute. No signup to see your score.
Check your chances free →Not a visa decision or legal advice. Rules shown are as of the last verification date above. Immigration rules change. Confirm before filing. The embassy decides, not Rekoja.