Shortly after the 2007 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, Fer was selected for the Netherlands under-19 team in September 2007 and made his debut for the national U19 team, in a 3–1 win against Germany U19 at the same month. On 24 May 2008, he scored his first goal for the U19 national team, in a 2–2 draw against Russia U19. Five months later on 14 October 2008, Fer scored his second goal for Netherlands U19, in a 2–1 loss against Germany U19. The team underachieved and failed to qualify for the 2008 UEFA European Under-19 Championship in Czech Republic and the 2009 UEFA European Under-19 Championship in Ukraine.