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.
Non-EU students will need to pick up their residence permit from the Dutch Immigration Office in Zwolle. You will receive more information on picking up your residence permit card further on in the process.
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 €228. This fee is the same whether you study for six months or one year in the Netherlands. 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 passport
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. This payment is required in order to initiate the visa procedure. You can prove your financial means in one of the following two ways:
- A money transfer of €15,000 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 €15,000.
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.
If you are coming to NHL Stenden as an exchange student for 6 months, then the proof of financial means is €7,500.
Antecedents certificate
This document will be made available to you, once you have been accepted as a student.
Long stay entry visa (MVV) procedure
Visa fees
The fees for a visa to study in the Netherlands are non-refundable and currently total €228. This fee is the same whether you study for six months or one year in the Netherlands. 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 passport
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. This payment is required in order to initiate the visa procedure. You can prove your financial means in one of the following two ways:
- A money transfer of €15,000 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 €15,000.
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.
If you are coming to NHL Stenden as an exchange student for 6 months, then the proof of financial means is €7,500.
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.
Conditions to keep your Dutch residence permit for study purposes
New or current international non-EU/EEA students, residing in the Netherlands with a residence permit for study purposes, have to meet two requirements every year to keep their Dutch residence permit. Read more about the conditions to keep your Dutch residence permit.
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. This payment is required in order to initiate the visa procedure. You can prove your financial means in one of the following two ways:
- A money transfer of €15,000 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 €15,000.
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. The proof of financial means is refunded to you once you have opened a Dutch bank account. As this may take a few weeks to organise, you will need to ensure you have sufficient access to funds and suitable payment methods to cover this period.
If you are coming to NHL Stenden as an exchange student for 6 months, then the proof of financial means is €7,500.