What are the options for a non-EU national who wants to stay in Netherlands for more than 90 days?

The "Working Holiday Program/Working Holiday Scheme" allows Australians (as well as Canadians and New Zealanders) under 31 years to stay in the Netherlands for up to one year. While this allows you to work, it's not mandatory if you have other means.

This is basically the mirror image of similar programs in Australia, and the reason why the Dutch program is restricted to nationals of those countries.

I have studied in the Netherlands for the past year and have paid for a lot of legal advice on relocating there. YOU DO NOT NEED AN MVV AT ALL. You might need a residence permit depending upon how you proceed. Here are my suggestions:

• Do you like Copenhagen? If you spend 90 days in Schengen and another 90 days in Denmark, you're in good shape. And, well, you don't need a huge amount of proof that you were actually in Denmark, you pretty much just need to be flying out from Copenhagen. See http://australien.um.dk/en/travel-and-residence/short-stay-visas/bilateral-visa-agreements/ for details, print out the law and bring it along with you to the airport. Basically how this would work in practice is that you need to book your flight out from Copenhagen and you need some way to prove you've been in Denmark for the period constituting a Schengen overstay. A train ticket receipt is fine, after all, who keeps their ticket stubs... ;)

• The UK loophole works as well. Closer to the Netherlands. Someone else already pointed this out.

• Working holiday is another loophole for some nationalities (including yours), that's good for 2 years. If you're not independently wealthy this is a good way to go; there are plenty of jobs in Holland for those who are reliable and actually want to work. Let's just say that the Aussie work ethic is rather attractive to most Dutch employers; treat a job as seriously as you would in Oz and you'll be fine.

• If you fall into a number of skilled migrant categories the Dutch government really wants to attract skilled workers. The Dutch government operates a Web site explaining the details of these schemes here: http://www.newtoholland.nl/NewToHolland/app/en/home?init=true

• Want to improve your education? Dutch universities are some of the best in Europe and the costs are very reasonable. Consider applying for a student visa.

If you want to pull the Aussie trick of just overstaying because "no worries, mate" and you don't want to leave from Copenhagen then I suggest you leave Europe from France. You won't escape Schiphol without a hefty fine and overstayer stamp in your passport (if you get this, it's the kiss of death for future hassle-free travel), but Charles de Gaulle might just wave you through. Enforcement is also fairly lax in Greece and Spain.

Finally, if you're planning to use the Denmark loophole and the police haul you in for drunk fighting in Amsterdam 120 days into a 90 day Schengen stay, you're going to have an awful lot of explaining to do. Mind your manners!

Good luck!

I found a link at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

I want to stay longer than 90 days (MVV procedure):

An MVV is needed by the nationals of all countries except the EU member states and a few other countries.

Australia is listed as one of this countries: Countries whose nationals do NOT require an MVV for a stay of more than 90 days

I would recommend to ask the embassy to be sure about this.

Another idea: Maybe you can attend a university and ask for a student visa.

But the Student visa wizard also confirms for Australia:

You do not need a visa to enter the Netherlands, neither for a short, nor for a long stay. All you need is a valid passport.

I found another interesting website http://english.ind.nl/residencewizard/ :

For holidays longer 3 month I found the information:

Holiday longer than 3 months

It is not possible to apply for a short stay visa for a period exceeding 3 months. If you wish to stay in the Netherlands for longer than 3 months, you must apply for a residence permit. In order to be eligible for a residence permit you need a purpose of residence other than holiday and you must meet the conditions of the purpose of residence you have stipulated.

Perhaps you find more informations there.