Documents for the Dutch Residence permit

Residence permit

If you are a non-EU/EEA student and plan to stay for a period of three months or longer, you must apply for a residence permit to legally stay in the Netherlands.

The University of Amsterdam will process the application for a residence permit on the basis of study for you; you therefore do not need to contact the Immigration and Naturalisation Services (IND) yourself.

However, if you intend to request a residence permit for a reason other than study, you will need to contact the Immigration and Naturalisation Services (IND) yourself to request it.

You cannot register at the University of Amsterdam if you are not legally residing in the Netherlands. The University of Amsterdam is required to inform the IND of the duration of registration of enrolled international students. Therefore, if you do not apply for a residence permit and are staying for longer than three months, the IND will know that you are illegally residing in the Netherlands.

The application for a residence permit

When you apply for your residence permit, you hand in your application and pay the fee.

Payments can only be done by transferring the fee to the University of Amsterdam's account, by credit card, or by pin (Dutch debit card system). You will not be able to pay using traveller's cheques or cash. Instructions on how to pay the legal fee for the residence permit can be found in the file below. Residence permit payment instructions

Documents needed

You will need to bring a number of documents when you apply for your residence permit. You can find an overview of the documents needed and the fee for the residence permit below.

All documents must be in Dutch, English, French or German. If this is not the case, you must arrange for the documents to be translated by a translator who has been sworn in by a Dutch court and enclose the translation of the document with the application. Documents needed for application

Registering with city council

Apart from applying for a residence permit you are also required to register with the city council of the city or town you will be living in. For students residing in Amsterdam an appointment, will for registration with city council will be made by the University. Students residing outside of Amsterdam will need to make their own arrangements.

Fact sheets

Nuffic, the Netherlands organization for international cooperation in higher education, has published a number of useful fact sheets. Follow the link below for tips on completing the application form for a residence permit, information on extending your visa and much more. Nuffic fact sheets

ID

In the Netherlands, everyone aged 14 and older must always carry a valid proof of identity. You can use your passport or a residence permit. A foreign driver's licence or photo health card are not considered valid ID, because you need to prove your citizenship and right to be in the Netherlands. If you get stopped by the police and are not carrying your ID, you may be fined or made to go to the police office for verification of identity.