For foreign staffing suppliers and crewing agencies
SNA certification and NEN 4400-2 for foreign companies
For staffing companies established outside the Netherlands, NEN 4400-2 is the relevant standard used for SNA inspection. Certification concerns your company and its administration. Keep it separate from WTTA admission and individual workers’ permission to work. Start with the Labour Authority’s explanation of SNA checks and NEN’s official standard summary.
Already decided to apply? Go to the official SNA application page. This guide helps you prepare your questions and records before arranging an inspection.
Preparing for SNA and WTTA?
Leave your work email to discuss the next step for your company. No call or employee documents are needed to send this request.
No obligation. Any paid work and fee are agreed in advance. Privacy notice. Prefer email? r.saif@admitta.eu
What is the difference between SNA and NEN 4400-2?
SNA is the quality mark and register. NEN 4400-2 sets assessment requirements for foreign-established labour suppliers and contractors. NEN currently lists the 2025 edition. Confirm the applicable scheme and modules with your inspection body. NEN 4400-2:2025.
A pending SNA application is not certification. SNA distinguishes its list of applicants from its register of certified companies. Check the exact legal entity in the official register. SNA FAQ on registration status.
Does every foreign staffing company need SNA certification?
SNA says its quality mark is not generally compulsory by law. However, a client or applicable collective agreement may require it. Ask why it is requested rather than assuming that no register entry means your company is operating unlawfully. SNA FAQ · Labour Authority guidance on collective agreements.
SNA can support a client’s tax-liability checks, but protection depends on additional conditions. It is not a blanket guarantee. Worker identity, work permission and other assignment checks remain separate. Official hirer checklist.
How does the SNA application and inspection process work?
- Choose an inspection body. Use SNA’s approved list and confirm it handles foreign companies and your activities.
- Apply through SNA. Follow the current application instructions. SNA provides a separate form for foreign businesses without a Dutch KVK registration.
- Confirm readiness and scheduling. Agree the inspection scope, required evidence and available dates with the inspection body.
- Track the outcome. A positive inspection alone is not a reason to claim registered status before SNA has processed the result and confirmed certification.
Inspections are performed by accredited bodies working under an agreement with SNA. Read SNA’s application procedure and its FAQ on inspection results and registration.
What should a foreign company prepare?
Use this as a working list for your preparation discussion, not as the complete NEN standard or an official inspection checklist. Ask your inspector which records, periods, languages and modules apply to your company.
| Area | Prepare for the discussion | Question to resolve |
|---|---|---|
| Company and activities | Legal entity, registration details, services, client countries and any intermediaries. | Which entity and activities will be inspected? |
| Employment and assignments | An overview of contracts, placements and where supporting records are kept. | Can each assignment be linked to the employer and client? |
| Payroll and payments | How hours, wages, payslips and payment evidence can be retrieved and reconciled. | Who can explain differences and missing evidence? |
| Invoicing and tax administration | The responsible accountant, invoicing process and location of relevant returns and payment records. | Which Dutch and home-country records does the inspector need? |
| Identity and work-right checks | The process for arranging the required checks and recording their outcome. | Who reviews individual cases and unresolved questions? |
| Outstanding actions | A list of missing information with an owner and target date. | What must be clarified before the inspection? |
The Labour Authority describes identity, wages, invoicing and payroll tax or VAT among the areas inspected. This table adds practical organising questions; it does not reproduce the standard. Official explanation of certification. For wider assignment evidence, use our Netherlands document guide.
How long does certification take and what does it cost?
Ask SNA about application processing and your chosen body about inspection availability. SNA currently warns of extended application processing; inspection timing depends on the body’s capacity. There is no reliable universal completion date. Inspection charges are separate from SNA’s entry and annual fees. Check the current official fees and application notice and request an inspection quote.
When requesting a quote, ask what is included, how follow-up work is charged and which records must be ready before an inspection can be booked.
Does SNA certification give us WTTA admission?
No. Under the one-off SNA route, NAU requires a valid SNA quality mark with the making-workers-available module on 30 June 2027 and an admission application between 1 May and 30 June 2027. Other admission conditions still apply. SNA certification does not itself grant admission. Official WTTA route with SNA.
If you are not certified, do not assume either that WTTA does not apply or that SNA is your only route. Read WTTA without SNA for the separate route and transitional-registration questions. For a company-specific discussion, see the WTTA assessment.
How Admitta can help you prepare
Start by identifying your question: certification preparation, an outstanding document issue or your WTTA route. We can agree the scope of help by email before any paid work starts. Admitta does not issue the SNA quality mark or decide WTTA admission.
Supplying staff in the Netherlands without SNA certification? See our WTTA support for foreign staffing agencies without SNA, including help planning the evidence and inspection preparation for your route.