Working for the Dutch government: nationality, the Dutch level you need and screening

Which Dutch government jobs are open to foreigners, how much Dutch you really need (B1 to C1, by job), the VOG and security screening, and how to apply.

Updated October 3, 2026 · 5 min read

The Dutch government — ministries, agencies, provinces and municipalities — hires constantly, and most of its jobs are open to people who are not Dutch. What decides your chances is usually not your passport but your Dutch. This guide explains the nationality rules, the language levels the government actually asks for, and the screening you should expect.

Can foreigners work for the Dutch government?

For most jobs, yes. The law reserves specific posts for Dutch nationals:

• Positions of trust (vertrouwensfuncties) — posts where national security could be harmed: only Dutch nationals, unless the service specifically requires otherwise (Civil Servants Act 2017, art. 12).
• Judges and other judicial officers (wetten.overheid.nl), mayors, police officers — Dutch nationality must be held before selection starts, though it can be a second nationality (politie.nl) — and military personnel.
• Foreign Affairs postings abroad require Dutch nationality; non-Dutch nationals can work at the ministry in The Hague (werkenvoornederland.nl).

Outside those posts there is no general nationality condition: the government's flagship Rijkstraineeprogramma, for example, is open to Dutch, EEA and Swiss nationals, and to others with a work permit (werkenvoornederland.nl). EU, EEA and Swiss citizens need no work permit; most others need an employer to sponsor them under IND conditions (government.nl).

How much Dutch do you need?

Each vacancy states its own requirement, and the vacancies themselves are written in Dutch. Levels published by the government itself:

When a vacancy states no level, assume you will work in Dutch every day: going by the published examples above, aim for B2 or higher for office and policy jobs. If you are still working towards that, the inburgering and NT2 guide explains the Staatsexamen NT2 — programme I is B1, programme II is B2.

Screening: VOG and security clearance

• VOG (Verklaring Omtrent het Gedrag): a certificate of conduct issued by Justis, asked of new central-government staff. From 1 January 2027, municipal staff who handle passports and ID cards need one at the start and every 2 years (Rijksoverheid).
• Security screening for positions of trust, at level A, B or C, by the AIVD (Defence screens military staff); the outcome is a *verklaring van geen bezwaar* (AIVD). It looks back 10, 8 or 5 years depending on the level, with a legal decision period of 8 weeks (AIVD).
• Time abroad matters: every stay abroad longer than a month is examined, and if the AIVD cannot get enough information the clearance is refused — foreign criminal-record certificates and employer statements help (AIVD).

How to apply

Central-government vacancies are on [werkenvoornederland.nl](https://www.werkenvoornederland.nl). A typical process — Foreign Affairs, for example — is application and CV, interview, an assessment, terms of employment with a VOG, and security screening for trust posts (werkenvoornederland.nl). Pay follows the CAO Rijk scales — scale 10, for example, runs from €3,496.31 to €5,535.40 a month from 1 July 2026 (CAO Rijk) — plus an Individual Choice Budget of 16.5% of salary (werkenvoornederland.nl).