As an international student, you must check beforehand whether you require a student visa for the Netherlands. Our Central Student Administration will help you with your visa application through an accelerated process. We will tell you exactly which documents you require and how to obtain these documents.
Who needs a student visa?
There are two types of immigration procedures:
- Residence permit (VVR) procedure
- Long stay entry visa (MVV) and residence permit (VVR) procedure
In the overview below you can find the different procedures per nationality. The Central Student Administration will apply for your visa and residence permit at the Dutch immigration office (IND: www.ind.nl) on your behalf. You can find more information about the visa procedure via this link.
Which residence permit application applies to you?
Choose your nationality:
No procedure required
Residence permit (VVR) procedure
Residence permit fees
The fees for a residence permit to study in the Netherlands are non-refundable and currently total 207 euros. Fees are reviewed twice a year and are subject to change. Please note that you may incur additional expenses to have documents authenticated/notarised in your home country.
Required documents to apply for your residence permit
Once you have completed your application, the Central Student Administration will apply for your residence permit on your behalf. Deadlines to upload the needed documents are:
- 1 July for September intake
- 1 December for February intake
To enable us to apply for your residence permit we will need the following documents:
Copy of your pasport
Your passport will have to be valid for at least one year after your arrival in the Netherlands.
Proof of financial means
As a student from outside the European Union, you are obliged to provide NHL Stenden with proof that you will be able to finance your stay in the Netherlands. You may do so in one of the following two ways:
A money transfer of € 11.250 to NHL Stenden's bank account, which will be refunded upon your arrival after you have opened a Dutch bank account.
Proof of a scholarship amounting to at least € 11.250.
Note that this amount covers living expenses only and does not include the annual tuition fees and visa application fee. The above-mentioned rates are for informational purposes and subject to change twice a year.
Antecedents certificate
This document will be made available to you, once you have been accepted as a student.
Nuffic certificate
Only for Chinese nationals (People’s Republic of China). This document will be made available to you, once you have been accepted as a student.
Application for a residence permit
The application for a residence permit for non-EU students is submitted to the IND by NHL Stenden. Two weeks after your arrival or after you have submitted biometrical data, your residence permit will be ready for collection.
To be sure if your residence permit card is indeed ready for pick up at IND in Zwolle or if you still need to provide biometrical data, please call +31 (0)88-043 0430.
Please mention your V-number when calling the IND. If you would you like to visit the IND desk, you will need to make an appointment using this link: Biometrics appointment: photo, signature and fingerprints | Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND).
IND Zwolle
Zuiderzeelaan 43-51
8017 JV Zwolle
Opening times: Mon-Fri from 9am to 4pm
Long stay entry visa (MVV) procedure
Visa fees
The fees for a visa to study in the Netherlands are non-refundable and currently total 207 euros. Fees are reviewed twice a year and are subject to change. Please note that you may incur additional expenses to have documents authenticated/notarised in your home country.
Required visa documents
Once you have completed your application, the Central Student Administration will apply for your visa on your behalf. Deadlines to upload the needed documents are:
- 1 July for September intake
- 1 December for February intake
To enable us to apply for your visa we will need the following documents:
Copy of your pasport
Your passport will have to be valid for at least one year after your arrival in the Netherlands.
Proof of financial means
As a student from outside the European Union, you are obliged to provide NHL Stenden with proof that you will be able to finance your stay in the Netherlands. You may do so in one of the following two ways:
A money transfer of € 11.250 to NHL Stenden's bank account, which will be refunded upon your arrival after you have opened a Dutch bank account.
Proof of a scholarship amounting to at least € 11.250.
Note that this amount covers living expenses only and does not include the annual tuition fees and visa application fee. The above-mentioned rates are for informational purposes and subject to change twice a year.
Antecedents certificate
This document will be made available to you, once you have been accepted as a student.
Nuffic certificate
Only for Chinese nationals (People’s Republic of China). This document will be made available to you, once you have been accepted as a student.
* EU countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Northern Ireland and Sweden.
