Do you dream of working with a sea view, but want to keep your Dutch job? It's possible. More and more consultants and IT professionals are temporarily living and working abroad, but simply working for a Dutch company.
It sounds fantastic, but it does involve a few things. Good preparation and time registration can make the difference between a relaxed workation and a fiscal or legal nightmare.
The most important insights
- Asking for permission at least four weeks in advance prevents legal surprises
- <30 dagen) en lang (>Working abroad for a short (30 days) period has various tax and social consequences
- A1 statement and 183-day rule are crucial for tax and social security
- Digital time registration is mandatory and essential for compliance, billing and project insight
- Excel and separate tools fall short among international teams: errors and loss of time are lurking
- Integrated systems provide overview, save time and keep projects profitable
Why more and more people are working from abroad
You see it everywhere: developers who pack up their laptops and leave for Berlin, consultants who are temporarily staying in Lisbon. For modern teams, working remotely from abroad has become increasingly common.
For Dutch companies, this offers concrete advantages:
- You keep talent that might otherwise leave
- You can visit international customers without involving your entire team
- Employees are often more productive and happy
But freedom also comes with responsibilities.
- Tax regulations and employment laws are piling up rapidly
- Insurances do not always automatically cover foreign situations
- Multi-country administration requires accuracy
If you prepare well, you will avoid unpleasant surprises.
Can you just (temporarily) work from abroad?
Yes, but only if your employer explicitly agrees. Your employment contract often determines your work location. A spontaneous workation to Portugal without permission can have legal consequences.
💡 Tip: Discuss your plans with your employer at least four weeks in advance. This way, you avoid surprises and you can be sure that everything is legally correct.
Check your employment contract and remote policy
Before you go, it's smart to know exactly what's allowed:
- View work location clauses in your employment contract
- Check whether there is a remote work policy and what it says
- Ask HR about expectations about accessibility and working hours
- Record all agreements in writing
Short or long period?
Working temporarily from abroad for a period of two weeks requires different preparations than moving for three months:
- Short (<30 days): most Dutch regulations remain valid
- Long (>30 days): tax and social security rules abroad come into view
Insurance and equipment
Your Dutch health insurance often only covers acute care. Also, make sure that business equipment is insured against theft or damage. Many liability insurances do not cover damage outside the Netherlands.
💡 Tip: Arrange everything well in advance so that there are no surprises during your workation.
Working abroad: tax and legal things to arrange first
If you work and live permanently abroad, your tax obligations change. The basic rule is simple: you will continue to pay Dutch payroll tax as long as you are employed by a Dutch company. But each country has its own rules. Double tax treaties prevent you from paying twice, provided you have the correct paperwork in order.
Payroll tax and social security contributions
- Dutch payroll tax continues through your employer.
- Do you work longer than 183 days a year in another country? Then that country can also levy taxes.
- The employer must administer this correctly
A1 statement and 183 day rule
- The A1 statement proves where you pay for social insurance
- Request it from the Social Insurance Bank before departure (an average of 2 weeks)
- The 183-day rule states that you become a taxpayer in the country where you work for more than 183 days
Data safety and AVG
- GDPR continues to apply no matter where you work
- Some countries have stricter rules about where data can be stored
- Always use a VPN with customer data
- Don't work on public Wi-Fi without extra security
EU Digital Time Registration Directive
Since 2019, employers have had to register working time objectively and reliably. This applies in all EU countries. For Dutch consultancy companies, this means that simple timesheets afterwards are no longer sufficient. Digital time registration is mandatory, especially if you work internationally.
Why time registration is so important when working abroad
Time registration may sound like an administrative obligation, but in reality, it is much more than that. It's an essential tool for organizing your work properly, keeping projects profitable, and complying with the rules.
With a reliable time registration, you can be sure that you:
- Complies with local employment laws — you can demonstrate that you're following each country's rules
- Invoicing is correct — customers receive detailed proof of hours worked
- Projects remain profitable — you see what the actual costs are versus the budget
- Tax returns are correct — business expenses are well substantiated
Without a good registration, you run risks:
- You can't prove that you're complying with local rules
- You have no overview of which projects are profitable and which are not
In short: time registration is not just an administrative task, but a key to insight, overview and financial control within your team.
Excel bottlenecks and separate tools
Excel works great... as long as your team is all in one place. But once your team starts working internationally, the picture changes rapidly. Then the problems begin:
- Versions are getting out of sync and no one knows which file is the latest
- Consultants forget to update their hours because it is too cumbersome
- Operations managers lose 5 to 8 hours a week chasing hours — almost an entire working day
Separate, non-integrated tools often don't help much. In fact, they can cause new problems:
- Synchronization: different laptops, different data
- Accessibility: managers have no real-time overview of who is working on what
- Integration: you have to enter data twice, which is error-prone
- Compliance: manual processes are not EU-directive-proof and increase the risk of fines
In short: if you're going to work internationally, it's time to say goodbye to Excel and separate tools and opt for an integrated solution. This way, you keep an overview, save time and prevent your compliance from being compromised.
Keep projects profitable, even from abroad
Working from abroad can be great, but keeping an overview of hours, projects and billing is a challenge.
TimeChimp makes it easy:
- All-in-one solution for remote teams
- Timezone conversions and multi-currency automatically controlled
- Links with 25+ tools, such as Exact and Moneybird
👉 Try TimeChimp free for 14 days — no connection costs, no obligations.
FAQs
Inform your HR department immediately and check if additional A1 statements or tax returns are required. The 183-day rule counts cumulatively over the entire year. Even short extensions can have an impact on your tax position.
If you work in another country for less than 183 days a year, you will usually continue to pay Dutch payroll tax. If you work longer, the country of residence can also levy taxes. Always request an A1 statement from the Social Insurance Bank and check the tax rules of the country concerned.
Digital time registration is mandatory under the EU directive and helps you:
- Comply with local employment laws
- Correct billing to customers
- Keep project margins and costs transparent
- Properly substantiate the tax return
Without reliable time registration, you lose overview and run the risk of errors and missed billable hours.
