Legislation and translation of required documents

• The educational institution has a list of documents that you need.
• Your documents must be original and complete.
• It must be translated by a sworn translator into English, French, German or Dutch. If the sworn translator is registered outside the Netherlands, you must also have the translation legalised. 
• Legalising your documents is ususally done by the Ministry of Justice & Human Rights and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from your country. Then you must have it legalised by the Dutch Embassy in your country.

Visa

Please note:

• It is not possible to change a Dutch tourist visa (category C visa) or another non-Dutch visa into a Dutch Residence Permit for Study.
• Only your host university can arrange a visa for you.
• All the steps you need to make are explained by the  Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Services  (IND): IND.nl

However, we have simplified the steps for you:

1. Check the conditions

Check whether your university is: a recognised sponsor according to the Public register of recognised sponsors: visit the IND website.

Check the conditions you need to fulfil:

• Accepted? Are you accepted by a university that is recognised as sponsor by the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Services (IND)? 
• Income? Do you have an independent sufficient & sustainable income? Generally you need to prove by completion of a bank transfer that you have enough financial means to cover the first year of your tuition fee and the living costs for a whole year. 
• Study credits? You need to obtain 50% of the required credits (ECTS) each academic year. Some institutions require ALL ECTS if you do a pre-master programme. If you don’t obtain enough credits, then the university is legally required to report this to the IND. This could eventually lead to having your Residence Permit revoked and having to leave The Netherlands. 
• Documents translated and legalised? 
• A tuberculosis test (TB), and if necessary a treatment, is required after arrival in the Netherlands. For this you need to sign a declaration of intent to undergo this test, which the university will require from you in advance.

2. After admission/acceptance from your host university

• you are generally asked to submit your Confirmation Statement via the online system of your university 
• follow the instructions as indicated in the Financial Letter
• fill and upload the required documents for your residence permit.

If you are not prompted to start up the application procedure, ask for help at the international office of your host university.

3. Application and payment (preferrably in May)

After step 2, the university that has accepted you, will contact the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Services (IND) to submit the application for a 2-visa’s-in-1-package:

• the ‘enter-the-country’ visa (called MVV) that is valid for 90 days
• and if you stay longer, the ‘entry-and-stay’ visa (called TEV), which is a Residence Permit for (the rest of your) Study duration.

The IND collects the fees from your educational institution, which is €192 and non-refundable.

You must register at your municipality within 5 days after arrival and for this you'll need your residence permit

4. Decision

The IND makes a decision within 60 days.

5. Collect your entry visa at the Dutch Embassy in your country

• Within 2 weeks after a positive decision, your residence permit is ready for collection. The IND will notify your educational institution when you can collect it. 
• After your host university has sent you a formal letter, you can make an appointment with the Dutch Embassy in your country to get your 'entry visa' (MVV), which is valid for 3 months. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months on the day you get the MVV. You have to provide your biometric information upon collecting the mvv. 
• Within 4 months after the formal notification you need to make an appointment at the IND, preferably long in advance, to collect the residence permit (entry-and-stay/TEV) in The Netherlands.
•  Make sure you can collect your residence permit within 4 days after arrival, because you must register at your local municipality within 5 days after arrival and for this you will need your residence permit!

6. Collect your residence permit at the IND desk in the Netherlands

During your appointment at the IND desk, check if the information on your residence permit is correct! The residence permit for study is valid for the duration of your education plus 3 months. You can get 1 extra year for a preparatory education or a transition year. For example to learn Dutch. The residence permit is issued for a maximum period of 5 years.