Check the sponsor before the family
The Immigration and Naturalisation Service publishes a register of recognised sponsors for au pair and exchange programmes. The recognised agency, not the host family and not RealAuPair, submits the residence-permit application. Check the legal name in that register before paying, sending sensitive documents or making travel plans.
Recognition matters because the sponsor has duties to provide information, keep records and exercise care. An introduction service outside that register may help people meet, but it cannot replace the recognised sponsor in the immigration process. A convincing website or a Dutch address is not recognition.
The limit is 30 hours a week and 8 a day
An au pair may perform light housekeeping tasks for no more than eight hours a day and 30 hours a week. The work is only for the host family and at the host family’s address. It cannot include specialised care that requires nursing or another professional skill.
Both limits matter. Three ten-hour days are not permitted just because the weekly total is 30. Time spent responsible for children counts even when the task is described as waiting, listening or being nearby. Write actual start and finish times instead of a list of chores.
The seven-day schedule is mandatory
The au pair and family must make and sign a schedule covering all seven days. It must say how many hours of light household tasks the au pair will do, which two days are free, and the name of the person who does the household tasks besides the au pair. This last field stops a family from quietly making one young person responsible for the entire household.
Treat the signed schedule as an operating document. If school, work shifts or childcare needs change, discuss a new lawful schedule rather than stacking extra hours onto the old one. Keep both versions and the date each took effect.
Two days off means two days off
The IND requires at least two free days each week. A free day is not a day when the au pair has no listed chores but must remain available in the house. The schedule should identify those days clearly and the family should have another adult or childcare arrangement covering them.
The au pair is in the Netherlands for a cultural exchange. Classes, friends, travel and ordinary private time require predictable rest. Families whose childcare cannot function for two days without the au pair need a different care plan.
Age and personal circumstances are strict
The applicant must be at least 18 and no more than 25 when applying. The IND also requires the person to be unmarried, have no children or foster children, and not have previously held a Dutch exchange residence permit. The au pair cannot be related to the host family and cannot have worked for that family before, in the Netherlands or abroad.
The host household must have at least two members, be registered in the Personal Records Database, and meet the income conditions. The au pair lives at that registered address and registers there too. These are questions to resolve before a long conversation about personality or dates.
The permit lasts no more than one year
The Dutch au pair residence permit is temporary and valid for up to one year. It is not a route that can be renewed into another au pair year. The recognised sponsor manages the application and receives the decision. Some applicants also need an MVV provisional residence visa, which the sponsor applies for together with the permit.
The IND has a legal decision period and publishes current fees and expected handling information on its page. Do not promise a start date until the sponsor has assessed the case. A family’s urgent childcare need does not accelerate the legal process.
Other work is prohibited
The residence permit allows only the light household tasks for the named host family at its address. The au pair may not work for a second family or an employer. A family may not lend the au pair to friends, and the au pair may not take a side job to make up income.
The IND also limits what an au pair can pay to intermediaries and rejects contracts with penalties for non-performance. Read any agency agreement closely. A fee or exit penalty that conflicts with the official conditions is not rescued by calling it an administration charge.
How to test a Dutch offer
Ask for the recognised sponsor’s exact registered name and verify it in the IND public register. Check the age and prior-exchange rules. Write a seven-day schedule with no more than eight hours on any day, no more than 30 in the week, two named free days and the other person who does household work.
Then confirm the room, food, insurance, registration address and programme documents with the sponsor. If the family wants to avoid the agency, use a tourist stay, hide extra work or leave the second helper blank, stop. Those are not minor filing problems; they contradict the route itself.
Questions people ask
- Can a Dutch host family sponsor an au pair directly?
- No. Only an au pair agency recognised by the IND can apply for the au pair residence permit.
- How many hours may an au pair work in the Netherlands?
- No more than 8 hours in a day and 30 hours in a week, with at least 2 days off.
- Can an au pair work for another family in the Netherlands?
- No. The permit allows light household tasks only for the named host family at its address.