Preparing for study in Holland
May 28, 2010
International students who wish to study or do an internship in the Netherlands need to go through a number of Dutch immigration procedures.
Depending on your nationality and the period you want to stay, you might need:
Visas and residence permit
a short-stay visa (Visum Kort Verblijf, VKV) for a stay of up to three months; or- a provisional residence permit (Machtiging tot Voorlopig Verblijf, MVV) and/or a residence permit (Verblijfsvergunning Regulier voor bepaalde tijd, VVR) for a stay longer than three months.
To obtain a short-stay visa, you must apply in person to the Netherlands Embassy or Consulate in your home country (or the country in which you legally reside).
The provisional residence permit (MVV) is a sticker placed in your passport at the Dutch Embassy or Consulate in your home country (or in a third country where you are legally residing) which allows you to enter the Netherlands. Once in the Netherlands you will need to apply for a residence permit for the same purpose as stated on your MVV, e.g. if you have an MVV to study you must apply for a permit for the purpose of studying and not for the purpose of working.
A residence permit is a card which proves that you are residing legally in the Netherlands. All students who are not citizens of an EU/EEA country or Switzerland and who would like to stay in the Netherlands for more than three months are obliged to apply for a residency permit. The permit will generally be issued for a period of one year but may be valid for a longer or shorter period of time, depending on the purpose of your stay.
So there are two factors that determine which procedures apply to you:
- your nationality
- the length of your stay
Depending on the purpose of your stay you might need a work permit as well as a short or long-term visa.
Go to the Student Visa Wizard pages on the Study in Holland website to find out which procedures apply to you on account of your nationality and the duration of your stay.
Application procedure for a provisional residence permit and/or residence permit
As a student you can apply for an MVV through the Dutch Embassy or Consulate in your country or the country where you legally reside. The regular procedure may take three to six months, sometimes even longer. Alternatively, your Dutch host institution can apply for an MVV on your behalf using a fast-track procedure, but only if it has signed a special agreement with the Dutch Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND). It is definitely advisable and worth asking the institution about the fast-track procedure, because it will save you both time and trouble. The administration fee for an MVV is 433 Euros if you apply for it yourself and 250 Euros if the Dutch host institution does so on your behalf.
Once you are in the Netherlands, you should go to your institution as soon as possible in order to jointly apply for your residence permit (except for students from the EU/EEA and Switzerland, who do not need a residence permit but can register with the IND free of charge. Bulgarians and Romanians can still apply for a residence permit though). All foreign students also have to register with the local municipality.
The administration fee for a residence permit currently stands at 433 Euros if you do not need an MVV, and 188 Euros if you do. For Bulgarians and Romanians the fee is 30 Euros if they apply for a ‘special’ European residence permit.
European citizens
Nationals of EU/EEA countries and Switzerland are not required by law to apply for a residence permit. Nor are they required to register with the Dutch immigration authorities. However, it is advisable to register all the same in order to avoid any possible hassle when dealing with certain authorities and companies.
Registration with the IND is free. Bulgarians and Romanians cannot register with the IND, but they can apply for a ‘special’ European residence permit. The fee is 30 Euros. Students from these two countries can also apply for a regular residence permit, but that is far more expensive (433 Euros). If you are from an EU or EEA member state, you may be entitled to a regular student grant or to a refund of the tuition fees.
For more information:
www.ind.nl
www.studyinholland.nl
www.ib-groep.nl
Work permits
International students who are not from an EU/EEA country or from Switzerland and who are doing an internship or practical training as part of their studies in the Netherlands do not need a work permit anymore. However, there must be an internship agreement between the employer, the intern and the host institution.A standardized agreement can be found on the Nuffic website.
If you have followed a programme of study in your home country and you come to the Netherlands solely for an internship or practical training, you will need a work permit if you are not from an EU/EEA country or from Switzerland. Your employer must apply for this permit on your behalf. The permit is valid for up to one year and cannot be extended.
If you want to work alongside your studies there are two options:
- you work either less than ten hours a week year-round, or
- full-time during the months of June, July and August only.
Your employer must apply for a work permit on your behalf. You must also apply for a Dutchn your behalf. You must also apply for a Dutch health insurance asiszorgverzekering) once you start working.
Finance
A student in the Netherlands will spend an average of 700 Euros to 1, 000 Euros a month. This is the amount needed to cover daily expenses, to pay the rent, and for registration and tuition fees. You cannot rely on finding a source of additional
income after you arrive.