What the Wtta means for labor providers
If you supply staff to other companies, a major change starts on January 1, 2027. From then on, you'll need an official license to do so.
The new law is the Wet toelating terbeschikkingstelling van arbeidskrachten, or Wtta for short. It's the Dutch licensing act for companies that supply labor. It applies to temporary employment agencies, secondment firms and payroll companies, and also to foreign companies that supply staff in the Netherlands. There's some urgency, because the first step has to happen this year.
The timeline
- November 1 to December 31, 2026. You register for the transitional scheme with the Nederlandse Arbeidsmarkt Autoriteit, the new Dutch labor market authority. This is a registration, not yet a license application.
- January 1, 2027. The law comes into force.
- May 1 to June 30, 2027. You apply for the license itself.
- January 1, 2028. The Netherlands Labour Authority starts enforcement.
People often mix up registering and applying, and the difference matters. If you register in the first period, you can keep supplying staff while your application is processed. If you skip that registration, you don't have that safety net. Registration is open for two months and closes on New Year's Eve. There won't be a second chance.
What the license involves
For the license itself, you'll need to:
- Submit a certificate of conduct for legal entities (VOG).
- Pay a €100,000 deposit. New labor providers pay €50,000 first and top it up later.
- Show that you meet the required standards: paying the right wages, paying your taxes and following employment law.
- Provide an inspection report from an inspection body appointed by the authority.
You can get an exemption from the deposit, but the conditions are strict. On December 31, 2026, you must have been registered with the KVK (the Chamber of Commerce) for four years without a break, with supplying labor as a registered activity. You must also have actually supplied labor during those years, hold a certificate of conduct, and be able to submit a recent payment record statement from the Belastingdienst, the Dutch tax authority.
If you have an SNA certificate
The SNA certificate is the existing quality mark for labor providers, issued by the Stichting Normering Arbeid. If yours is valid on June 30, 2027, you can use it for your license application instead of a full new inspection report.
If you don't have an SNA certificate yet and you supply labor on a regular basis, now is the time to start. You won't be able to arrange it at the last minute.
Two exceptions
The Wtta doesn't apply to lending staff between companies in the same group. There will also be an exemption for companies that only supply labor on a small scale. The exact conditions are still being worked out in further regulations, so don't count on it until it's confirmed.
If you use agency staff
If you hire staff through a labor provider, this affects you too. From the enforcement date, you can only work with licensed labor providers. A public register will show who has a license.
If you work with a party that isn't in the register, you can also be fined. So it's wise to ask your regular labor providers now whether they've registered.
Not sure whether this law applies to you or what you need to arrange? Get in touch and we'll look at your situation with you.
