Host an au pair in Netherlands

Host an au pair in the Netherlands

Legal obligations, agreement, declaration, contributions and salary: everything a family needs to know to host an au pair in the Netherlands.

Prepared by AuPair Connect — Compliance Team

Every legal, tax or safety detail in this content is verified by the AuPair Connect Compliance Team against official sources and dated.

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Your host-family obligations in the Netherlands

🔍 Verified by AuPair Connect Verified by our compliance team · on 08/24/2026

Legal status(es)

Au pair (cultural exchange) residence status Non-EU/EEA

Age 18–25 years

Residence permit filed by an IND-recognised au pair agency + MVV for non-EU/EEA nationals

Visa

Required

MVV + “Cultural Exchange” residence permit (au pair)

Non-EU/EEA nationals (incl. ZA, PH) must obtain an MVV (provisional residence authorisation) and then the au pair residence permit. The combined application (Toegang en Verblijf) is filed by an IND-recognised au pair agency.

Age

18–25 years

Age requirement: 18–25 years at the time of application. People aged 25 and over are no longer eligible for the au pair scheme (new IND regulation).

Working time

5 h/day

30 h/week

The Dutch au pair status (Cultural Exchange) limits light household tasks and childcare to max 30 h/week. The IND requires a recognised host family and an exclusively cultural-exchange purpose; any excess is a sign of abuse of the scheme.

Contract / Agreement

Cultural-exchange agreement (contract) via an IND-recognised au pair agency — Written au pair contract (model of the recognised agency)

IND (Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst) via the recognised au pair agency · Before arrival: the TEV (access + residence) application must be filed and approved before entering the Netherlands

Only an IND-recognised au pair agency can file the application. The au pair lives with the family, takes part in family life and performs up to 30 h/week of light tasks and childcare.

Steps

1 Find a host family and a cultural-exchange contract through an IND-recognised au pair agency — IND-recognised au pair agency
2 The agency files the combined MVV + residence-permit application (Toegang en Verblijf / TEV) with the IND — IND — www.ind.nl
3 After a positive decision, have the MVV visa affixed at the competent Dutch embassy or consulate-general (e.g. Pretoria / Cape Town for ZA, Manila for PH) — Dutch embassy / consulate (NetherlandsWorldwide)

Salary / Pocket money

0.00–0.00 EUR/month

The Netherlands imposes no legal pocket-money amount: the host family must provide lodging and meals as well as a reasonable monthly allowance so the au pair can discover the country (amount set by mutual agreement). No binding official figure exists.

Contributions

IND / host family

Cultural-exchange scheme (outside salaried employment): no classic EU social contributions for the au pair

The Dutch au pair status is an unpaid cultural exchange; the family provides lodging, meals and a monthly allowance, without a salaried employment contract.

Tax advantages

Where detailed legal rules are missing on some aspects (criminal record, exact allowance amount), AuPair Connect recommends referring to the IND requirements (~30 h/week max, lodging and meals provided, reasonable monthly allowance, IND-recognised au pair agency), to references and to a thorough interview before hosting.

Not reported