Organizations and terms relevant for au pairs

Organizations and terms relevant for au pairs

Alphabetic order

• Au pair agency: an organisation that mediates between host families and au pairs and is registered as an official referent. The IND (Immigration and Naturalisation Service) is the organization that officially recognizes the au pair agencies as a referent.
• BRP (Personal Records Database, or Basisregistratie persoonsgegevens in Dutch): administration of people and their addresses they are registered at in The Netherlands. Registration in the BRP can be taken care of at the municipality of your residence.
• BSN (Social Security Number, or burgerservicenummer in Dutch): is a nine digit number issued to Dutch residents. The number is issued to an individual at the municipality of their residence and is used as a national identification number for taxation and other purposes.
• CAK (Central Administration Office): takes care of enforcement of the healthcare law, by checking on people (including au pairs) registred in the BRP without having Basic Health Insurance. Those persons receive a letter with the urgent request under threat of penalty to arrange Basic Health Insurance.
• IND (Immigration and Naturalisation Service): threats and assesses visa applications of foreigners coming to The Netherlands, including au pairs. Only in case the official regulations and conditions of the official au pair programs are complied, one can be registered as an au pair.
• Inspectorate SZW (Social affairs and employment): Host families that do not comply with the rules of the official au pair program, officially break the Law on Labor of Foreigners (Wav-Wet arbeid vreemdelingen). The Inspectorate SZW is the authority to control and penalize.
• Health Care Allowance (zorgtoeslag in Dutch): a financial compensation for residents with low income in order to pay their Basic Health Care premium. Au pairs nearly always have the right to receive health care allowance. This can be checked at the tax authorities.
• Health Care provider (zorgverzekeraar in Dutch): a Dutch insurance company that provides basic health care, as described in the health care law (Zorgverzekeringswet, ZvW). Each health care provider is obliged to offer the Basic Health Care insurance to every person that is insured under the WLZ scheme.