Working during Erasmus: what each country actually allows
Work rights on a student visa, weekly hour limits, tax and social security obligations, and whether earning affects the grant.
Working during Erasmus is possible in most countries, but the conditions are more layered than people expect. There are three separate layers, and they operate independently: the right your residence status gives you, the administrative registrations work requires, and your university's expectations about course load.
This article covers the first two. The third is personal: working 20 hours a week while carrying a full course load is a balance most students do not manage.
The basic split: EU citizen or not
If you are an EU/EEA citizen you have freedom to work in member states. No separate work permit is needed; local registration (tax number, social security) is enough.
If you are from outside the EU — including Türkiye — the right to work depends on your residence permit and is usually capped by hours. Exceeding the cap is not merely a fine; it risks the cancellation of your residence permit, which means the end of your Erasmus.
The critical point: the rules of the country you are going to apply, not those of your home country. Read the current page of that country's immigration authority for each case; rules change often and forum answers go stale quickly.
What to watch, country by country
Germany
Your work rights are printed on your visa or residence document — read what it says rather than assuming. Two things are needed before you start: Anmeldung (address registration) and a tax identification number. Neither is possible without an address, so the order is housing, then registration, then work. Details in the Germany guide.
Netherlands
Almost everything depends on the BSN: bank account, insurance and work. The BSN is only issued after municipal registration, which itself requires a valid address. For non-EU students the employer may additionally need a permit — ask about this explicitly at the interview. Details in the Netherlands guide.
Poland
Living costs are low enough that the need to work is smaller than elsewhere. Working on a student status is generally possible; local registration and a contract are required. See the Poland guide.
The cost of working off the books
Erasmus students are often offered cash-in-hand work with no registration. The price of accepting is heavier than it looks:
- No cover whatsoever in case of a workplace accident.
- No legal basis if you are not paid.
- If caught in an inspection, your residence permit can be cancelled — meaning removal and problems with future visas.
- Nothing to show institutions that ask for proof of income for a rental contract or bank account.
Does it affect the grant?
The Erasmus grant is a mobility contribution rather than a scholarship, and earned income does not normally reduce it. But the grant is tied to a minimum duration and to course obligations: if work prevents you completing courses, or causes an early return, the grant can be cut proportionally.
For how the payment works, see the grant payment article.
The practical order
- Read the work permission on your visa or residence document and note the weekly hour cap.
- Complete address registration — in most countries it is the precondition for everything else.
- Get your tax number and social security registration.
- Do not start work without a written contract.
- Prefer jobs near campus that do not clash with your timetable — commuting quietly eats several hours a week.
To find out where students actually work in your city, ask in that city's room; on-campus jobs are usually heard about there rather than seen in listings.