There is a ceiling, not a floor
This is a guide, not legal or immigration advice.
Rules change, vary by region and depend on your exact arrangement and nationality. Everything here was researched from official sources and dated, but figures go out of date — check the official links on this page before you rely on any of it, and get proper advice on your own visa position.
Where you stand
A Dutch au pair placement is a cultural exchange, arranged through an agency recognised by the IND. Only that agency can apply for your permit — you cannot apply yourself. The host family provides board, lodging and an allowance, and the allowance is capped: pay above the ceiling and the arrangement stops being an exchange and becomes taxable employment.
What makes the Netherlands different: The cap is written into a regulation that has not changed since 1 January 2001. The original text is in guilders. It has never been adjusted for inflation in twenty-five years.
The numbers
Allowance ceiling
€340 a month
a maximum, not a minimum
Hours
30 a week
and no more than 8 a day
Age
18–25
permit lasts up to 12 months
If employed instead
€14.99 an hour at 21+
from 1 July 2026
Can you go?
You must be aged 18 to 25, live with the host family and take part in family life. The permit runs for up to one year and cannot be extended beyond it.
The host family must be at least two people. Your agency must be an IND-recognised sponsor — check that before you sign anything, because an unrecognised agency cannot get you a permit at all.
Three things worth doing
South Africans are the second-biggest group here
On the IND's own figures, South Africans are the second-largest au pair nationality in the Netherlands after Filipinos, and the numbers have risen every year since 2018. You will not be the only one.
Know who can actually check on you
The IND says agencies are not allowed to inspect host families, and neither is the IND. Only the police and the Labour Inspectorate can, and they need a prosecutor's permission to enter a home.
Keep your own record of hours
The IND has itself reported cases of au pairs working well beyond the cap. It also notes that because it can revoke a permit, au pairs are often reluctant to report anything. A private record you control is worth having, whatever you decide to do with it.
Check it yourself
Every figure on this page came from these. Rules change — if something matters to you, read it at the source.
Keep your own record
Whatever the rules say where you are, they only help you if you can show what you actually worked. NannyTank counts your hours as you work them, works out overtime at the legal rate where there is one, and turns the month into a claim your employer approves in one tap.
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Researched from official sources and last reviewed 2 September 2026. Employing an au pair instead? See the rules for host families in the Netherlands.