Question of the week (29 November 2010). Host mom Selma K. from Norway has found her matching Dutch au pair. Her favourite au pair is 26 years old. Selma found out that au pairs in the Netherlands may be no older than 25. Her great concern is whether or not her family may invite this au pair.
Dear Support Team,
Last month I registered as a host family on Aupair World in order to find an au pair for my two kids. Within a short time, I received many applications from interested au pairs. I upgraded to the Premium Membership, so that I would be able to contact the au pair personally. I was very fond of an applicant from the Netherlands. It was a mutual feeling from the very beginning. The problem is: I read on your website that au pairs in the Netherlands may not be older than 25 years. However, this au pair is 26. May I still invite the au pair to live with us?
Selma K. aus Norwegen
Dear Selma K.,
In order to answer your question directly: yes, you may invite the au pair to live with you. By inviting him/her, you will not be breaching the country's regulations concerning the au pair placement. What happened to you is exactly the reason why many users keep contacting us: you checked the regulations of the various countries on our "Visa and Regulation" section, but you relied on the au pair 's country of origin and checked the age limit for au pairs in the Netherlands. The information on the "Visa and Regulations" page refers to the regulations in the respective host countries.
The regulations in the au pair's country of origin are not relevant. Since you are a host family living in Norway, Norwegian regulations apply. In Norway, the age limit for au pairs is 30. Therefore, nothing stands in your way of hosting a Dutch au pair. By the way, on the page "Au pair ABC", you can find a list indicating age limits in various countries.
Best wishes
your Aupair World Support Team
