Visa and Permits

To enter the Netherlands for study purposes, nationals from most states need a visa. Once in Holland, a residence permit or work permit is often required. Here you can find out which requirements apply to you and how you go about arranging things.

An entry visa is a sticker placed in your passport at the Dutch embassy or consulate in your own country (or the country in which you legally reside), but it must be applied for well in advance.

For a stay of up to three months, you might need a short stay visa (Visum Kort Verblijf ), depending on your nationality. If you will be staying for longer than three months, you might need a provisional residence permit (Machtiging tot Voorlopig Verblijf , or MVV ). This requirement does not apply to citizens of the EU/EEA and Switzerland, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Vatican City, Monaco or South Korea.

There are three elements which are important to find out which procedures apply to you:

•    your nationality,
•    the length of your stay,
•    the purpose of your stay.

The starting point is your nationality. The second step is the length of your stay. If you are staying for three months or less, different rules apply than when you will be in the Netherlands for longer than three months.

We advise you to fill in the Student Visa Wizard first before you read more. This way you can find out which procedures apply to you on account of your nationality and the duration of your stay.

Residence permit (non EEA/EU students)

A residence permit is a card which proves that you are residing legally in the Netherlands. You are obliged to obtain a residence permit if you are a citizen of a non-EU/EEA country or of Switzerland and would like to stay in the Netherlands for a period of more than three months. A residence permit will generally be issued for a period of one year. Depending on the purpose of your stay, the validity may be for a longer or shorter period of time. If you are staying here for a longer period, you have to extend your residence permit before the expiring date. Furthermore, a change of purpose of stay in the Netherlands also means your residence permit has to be changed.

On arrival - first application

Within five days of your arrival in the Netherlands you must apply for your residence card. Your host institution (university or university of applied sciences) can apply for it on your behalf, but until August 1st 2008 you can also do it yourself.

If you come to the Netherlands to do a traineeship (you are studying abroad), or if you come for the purpose of a work experience (you already have a job abroad), you have to go to the IND office in the region where you are staying.

Travel with the correct visa

Remember: If you are in the Netherlands on a short-stay visa, you can never be issued a residence permit. It is therefore crucial that you depart from your home country with the correct document in your possession: a short-stay visa if you are staying for three months or less, or an MVV if you intend to stay for more than three months and if your nationality requires it (see Student Visa Wizard).

Validity of the residence permit

If you are:

•    a student preparing for enrolment: Your residence permit will be valid for a maximum of twelve months. It is not possible to extend it.
•    a student: Your residence permit will be valid until the end of the academic year (until September 1st), but may be extended.
•    a student doing a traineeship: Your residence permit will be valid for a maximum of twelve months. It is not possible to extend it.
•    a migrant coming for work experience: Your residence permit will be valid for a maximum of six months. It is not possible to extend it.

Extension of the residence permit

When you are in the Netherlands to study and your stay will be longer than your residence card lasts, you have to extend your residence card.

Change in the purpose of your stay

It is possible that you change the purpose of stay while residing in the Netherlands temporarily, e.g. a change from studying to working or a switch of courses. You will have to change your residence card accordingly.

Administration fees

When you apply for a residence permit, you have to pay a handling fee (administration fee).
For study purposes the following amounts apply:
•    € 188, when you came to the Netherlands with a provisional residence permit (MVV),
•    € 433, when you did not need a provisional residence permit (MVV) to come to the Netherlands.

Paying the fee does not automatically mean that your application will be granted. The fee must be paid even if your application is turned down.

Extending a residence permit costs € 52 for students. Changing the purpose of your residence permit costs in between € 331 and € 830, depending on the purpose.

Proof of financial independence

When applying for the residence permit, non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizens will need to prove that they have enough money to live on while they are in the Netherlands. The monthly amount considered adequate depends on your status.

Sources

The money can come from any or all of the following sources:

•    The Dutch organization where you will do your traineeship or work experience: take with you the contract in which the payment is stated.
•    A student grant: take with you a document from the body that gives you your grant, which states the amount of the grant and its duration.
•    If you are a student with money of your own: take with you a statement with your name on it from a Dutch bank or an internationally known bank which shows that there is enough money in your account to cover your costs in the Netherlands.

If someone else is sponsoring you (for example your parents), take with you a written statement of your sponsor which states the amount and the duration of the sponsorship, plus a proof that your sponsor is in possession of the money himself.