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Do I need Wtta admission? (am I a lender?)

You are a lender if you make an employee available to another company, get paid for it and the employee works under that company's direction and supervision. From 1 January 2028 you then need an admission or exemption, unless an exception applies.

Updated 29 October 2026

New to Dutch rules? The Wtta (Wet toelating terbeschikkingstelling van arbeidskrachten, the Placement of Personnel Admission Act) is a Dutch law that requires every business that supplies workers to other companies in the Netherlands to hold an admission from the Dutch Labour Market Admission Authority (NAU). Official sources are mostly in Dutch, so we link to them and summarise them in English.

When are you a lender?

The Wtta looks at 3 points. You are a lender (uitlener) if:

1. you make an employee available to another company;
2. you receive a fee from that other company for it;
3. the employee works under the direction and supervision of that other company.

If your situation meets all three, you are a lender and will probably need to apply for admission. Do check whether an exception applies or whether you qualify for an exemption (see below).

Not only staffing agencies

The admission requirement also applies to other businesses and legal entities that supply workers. It does not matter whether supplying workers is your main activity or a side activity.

• Secondment and payroll: your employees are on your payroll but work at another company that directs them. The law treats this as supplying workers.
• Foundations that supply workers to third parties, for example through secondment or payrolling.
• Foreign lenders whose workers actually work for a hirer in the Netherlands. A foreign company cannot request a VOG, so that obligation only applies to Dutch companies, or if there is a Dutch director.
• Freelancers (zzp) and director-major shareholders (DGA) can also be affected by the Wtta; the official site has a separate page on this.

When is no admission needed?

• Contracting or outsourcing work: the workers work at the client but remain under the direction and supervision of their own employer. The client decides what needs to be done, not how.
• Collegial lending: you temporarily let an employee of yours work at another company, without profit or mark-up, and you can show this in your records.
• Within the same group: subsidiaries of the same company that lend employees to each other do not need admission.
• Excluded sectors: government organisations and legal entities that employ people with an occupational disability; vocational training foundations that place bbl students at accredited training companies; security firms and private investigation agencies with a valid licence.

Exemption for a limited side activity

If you supply only few workers, you can in some cases apply for an exemption instead of admission. According to the NAU decision tree, this applies if:

• turnover from supplying workers is less than 10% of your total turnover, and
• that turnover is no more than €5 million a year.

You apply for the exemption online with the NAU between 1 May and 30 June 2027. With a valid exemption you may supply workers without admission.

Just starting as a lender?

Start-up lenders can get a provisional admission valid for 6 months. During that period you do not yet need an inspection report, but you do need a valid VOG for legal entities, a security deposit and compliance with the standards framework. As a start-up you first pay €50,000; when you apply for final admission after 6 months, you top this up to €100,000. The NAU can extend the provisional admission once by up to 6 months.

Fines from 1 January 2028

From 1 January 2028 the Netherlands Labour Authority can fine:

• lenders that keep supplying workers without admission;
• hiring companies that work with lenders that are not admitted. A hiring company that is fined must also end the collaboration.

Admitted lenders also remain under the Labour Authority's supervision. If you breach labour laws such as the Minimum Wage and Minimum Holiday Allowance Act (Wml), the Working Hours Act (Atw) or the Foreign Nationals Employment Act (Wav), you can be fined for that.

The amount of the fine for supplying or hiring workers without admission is not stated on the official information pages we checked, so we do not give an amount here.

Hiring company? Read how to check whether an agency is admitted.

The decision tree in 4 questions

1. Do you make workers available to work in the Netherlands under someone else's direction and supervision? No: the Wtta does not apply to you.
2. Do you only lend collegially or within the same group? Yes: the Wtta does not apply to you.
3. Do you only work in an excluded sector or segment? Yes: the Wtta does not apply to you there.
4. Is supplying workers only a very limited side activity? Yes: you may qualify for an exemption. No or unsure: you must apply for admission.

Need admission? Register between 1 November and 31 December 2026 for the transitional arrangement and follow the application roadmap. If in doubt, use the official decision tree (in Dutch).

Frequently asked questions

Am I a lender if I offer secondment or payroll services?

Yes. With secondment and payrolling, the workers are on your payroll but work under another company's direction. The Wtta treats that as supplying workers.

Do I need admission for collegial lending?

No, as long as the employee is employed by you, you charge no profit or mark-up and you can show this in your records.

From when can fines be imposed?

From 1 January 2028. The Netherlands Labour Authority can then fine lenders without admission, and also hiring companies that work with lenders that are not admitted.

Read next

• Registering for the transitional arrangement (1 Nov – 31 Dec 2026)
• Applying for admission as a staffing agency: 2027 roadmap
• Wtta requirements: deposit, VOG, inspection report
• Wtta timeline 2026–2028
• Is my staffing agency admitted? (for hiring companies)
• Free Wtta readiness check (3 minutes)