Immigration procedures for exchange students

VU Amsterdam will initiate the relevant immigration procedure for exchange students once they've been admitted to the programme. They will need to confirm their participation in the exchange programme before they can start the process. Please also take a look at our step-by-step visa application video.

The immigration procedures will open on 1 April for the fall semester, and 1 October for the spring semester. The deadlines for completing the immigration procedure are 1 June (fall) and 1 December (spring). The application procedure takes approximately 6 to 8 weeks. Once the visa section in the VU Dashboard is available, students need to complete the visa questionnaire. Once this has been completed and the student has paid the visa fee (if applicable), we will email students with more information on how to log in and start the application process through our online immigration platform VisaCare (with the exception of students applying for a Working Holiday Permit). More information about the different immigration procedures and their requirements can be found below.

For students coming from abroad, the deadline for completing the immigration procedure is 1 June for the fall semester, and 1 December for the spring semester. Please be aware that the application procedure takes approximately 6 to 8 weeks, so upload documents on time.

Whilst the VU Amsterdam submits the application to the IND, it is the students own responsibility to complete the procedure before the deadline and to provide correct documentation.

Please note that VU Amsterdam cannot guarantee that the immigration procedure will be approved by a certain date, or at all.

Timeline

VU Amsterdam sets deadlines to try to keep to the below timeline, but delays by students can lead to delays in the timeline.

Start date: 1 April (fall semester)/ 1 October (spring semester)

From this date, students can and should start the entry visa (MVV) and/or residence permit (VVR) application procedure in their personal dashboard on vu.nl.

The immigration team at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam aims to check uploaded documentation in VisaCare within 2 weeks. If documents are incorrect, students will be informed via email – it is important to check these emails and re-upload the correct documentation as soon as possible.

The student immigration team will start submitting completed applications about a month before the deadline, in order of completion, and so it is crucial to upload documentation in good time.

From the date that the application is submitted to the IND, it should take approximately 1-3 weeks for the IND to inform the student immigration team about the approval or rejection of the application. In the busy summer period, it is likely that this can take up to 3 weeks.

Students will be informed of the decision via email. Once students have received this decision, students who require an MVV will be able to make an appointment at the embassy or consulate to collect it. These students will need a copy of the approval letter to take to the appointment. Be aware that it can take up to 3 weeks for the approval letter to be received and processed by VU Amsterdam, so please take this into consideration when making the appointment.

August (fall intake)/January (spring intake):

Students travel to the Netherlands. For VVR only students, an appointment needs to be made at the IND to provide biometrics.

In August the Introduction week and Practical Matters Days take place and in January there is an Introduction Day and Arrival Day. More information can be found here.

September (fall intake)/February (spring intake):

Students collect their residence permit on of the collection days (fall semester) or at an IND desk (spring semester). Further information about this process can be found in the To Do section in VisaCare. If applicable, students will be informed individually by email about the TB test procedure. 

Relevant for students from one of the following countries: Australia / Canada / Japan / Monaco / New Zealand / South Korea / United Kingdom / United States of America / Vatican City State.

OR: students from a non-EU country not listed above but in possession of a valid residence permit of another Schengen country. The Schengen permit should be valid until at least the end of August so that it can be used to enter the Netherlands on time.

Students who are eligible for this procedure are only required to apply for a residence permit (VVR) but not a long stay entry visa (MVV). This means that they can enter the Netherlands with just their passport (and their Schengen permit, if applicable). Students need to apply for the residence permit in advance and it will be collected in the Netherlands.

Please note that possession of a Schengen permit in most cases does not exempt students from requiring a Dutch residence permit!  The only exception is when students have a permit for study from another Schengen country, and for more information about this please refer to the section ‘Intra-EU mobility’ below.

How to apply

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam will apply for a residence permit when students have been (conditionally) admitted. To apply for a residence permit, please follow the steps below. The required documents must be uploaded before 1 June when starting in September (before 1 December when starting in February). From 1 April onwards, it is possible to upload the required documents to our immigration portal called VisaCare.

Step 1: Confirm your participation

On the VU Dashboard students can confirm their participation in the “complete application” section. Once this has been completed, the visa form will become available. Please be aware that it is only possible to complete this step once students have been admitted to the exchange programme.

Step 2: Submit the online visa form in your VU Dashboard

Now that participation has been confirmed, the visa section will become available, and an introductory visa questionnaire needs to be completed. For students who are re-enrolling, or if this visa questionnaire does not appear, please contact the student immigration team as soon as possible.

Step 3: Pay the visa fee

The residence permit needs to be paid for using the online payment tool in the VU dashboard. The fee must be received before the application can be submitted (to the IND). The online payment tool can take several days to be activated in the VU Dashboard after completion of the visa questionnaire. If the online payment tool does not work, it is possible to transfer the old-fashioned way, using the following bank details:

Account name: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Name of bank: Deutsche Bank
Address of bank: De Entree 99-197, 1101 HE Amsterdam, The Netherlands
IBAN: NL49DEUT0488004470
BIC: DEUTNL2A

When transferring this way, the student's full name and student number (e.g S1234567) must be stated. When paying from abroad, all banking costs are paid by the applicant. Paying both the visa and housing fee in one transaction is possible and recommended.

Step 4: Complete the application in VisaCare

After submitting the visa questionnaire and paying the visa fee, there will be information sent via email regarding access to VisaCare. Log in to VisaCare, check your personal information and if there are any discrepancies, contact the student immigration team. Once the application has been started there will be a To Do page on the VisaCare website which will include more detailed information and is where documents must be uploaded.

The following documents need to be uploaded to complete the residence permit procedure:

• Passport: including signature and any stamped pages. There must be at least 6 months of validity on the passport from the date of application.
• If applicable, a copy of the Schengen residence permit (both front and back side)
• Antecedents certificate signed by hand, on paper. We cannot accept digital signatures.
• TB Statement: not all students need to fill in this form, it is dependent on nationality. Note: the TB test is not taken in your home country, but in the Netherlands within 3 months of arrival in the country. Further information will be provided by email in September (for those starting in the 1st semester) and February (students starting in the 2nd semester). The TB test costs €54 (as of 1/1/24, subject to change).
• Proof of financial means. In this manual, detailed information of the requirements from the IND can be found. Please be aware that the current monthly minimum for living expenses is €1400 (as of 1/1/24, subject to change).

The documents which are uploaded need to meet the strict requirements of the IND. If documents do not meet these requirements, the student immigration team will have to reject these documents, and this will slow down the immigration procedure.

Please use this checklist to check if documents are correct.

Step 5: Application sent to the IND

Once all the required documents have been uploaded, reviewed and approved by the immigration team, the application will be sent to the IND. The IND usually takes 2-3 weeks to approve an application. Once VU Amsterdam has received a decision on the application from the IND, we will notify the student of this by email. We will also forward a copy of the official IND approval letter by email as well, which we usually receive around two weeks after the application has been approved.

Step 6: Providing biometrics

Once the residence permit (VVR) application has been approved, an appointment needs to be scheduled at an IND desk to provide biometric information (fingerprint and photo). An appointment can be scheduled using the link to the IND appointment tool, which can be found within the relevant section in the VisaCare To Do list.

VU Amsterdam recommends scheduling an appointment as soon as possible, as time slots can fill up quickly, particularly in the summer period.

Step 7: Collection of the residence permit

VU Amsterdam will send students a notification once their residence permit is ready to be collected, and this email will contain further information regarding collection location and how to schedule an appointment.

At the end of summer, the IND organises central collection days spread over multiple weekends for all students to collect their residence permit cards. More information about this will be sent directly to the applicable students. Please be aware that it is not allowed for students to schedule separate appointments with the IND to collect their permits in this period. The IND will cancel these appointments.

For students enrolling in February, the residence permit will have to be collected at the IND desk chosen by the student during the initial application process.

Deadline

The deadline for applying for your residence permit is 1 June for the fall intake, and 1 December for the spring intake. Please be aware that the application procedure takes about 6-8 weeks, so ensure documents are uploaded in time. Failure to upload documents on time will impact the immigration procedure and could lead to students not being start at VU Amsterdam at the desired time.

Whilst the immigration team submits the application to the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND), it is always the responsibility of the student to complete the procedure before the deadline and to ensure that documentation provided is correct. Please note that VU Amsterdam cannot guarantee that a residence permit is granted by a certain date, or at all. The procedure cannot be expedited as the IND already prioritises student applications.

Strict requirement of the IND

As an educational institution, VU Amsterdam needs to apply for residence permits for study purposes on behalf of all non-EU students (if they don't have a valid Dutch residence permit already). The university acts as the legal sponsor as soon as the IND has approved the residence permit application. As such, VU Amsterdam is liable and bound by the strict and specific requirements set by the IND. Not meeting these requirements means that VU Amsterdam will not submit the application.

After arrival

For further information on other matters to take care of after arrival in the Netherlands, please visit this page. 

After completion of exchange 

Once students complete their exchange period at VU Amsterdam (or cut their exchange short), we are obliged to deregister their permits with the IND. As a result, their residence permit will be revoked. Students should keep this in mind when making plans to travel within Europe after their exchange. 

Contact

Our contact information can be found at the bottom of this page. 

Applicable to students who are not nationals from Australia, Canada, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, South Korea, United Kingdom, United States of America or Vatican City State. The student also doesn’t hold a valid residence permit from another Schengen country.

The MVV is an entry visa into the Netherlands and will need to be collected from a Dutch embassy/consulate, either in the country of citizenship or the country where the student holds long term (i.e. more than three months) residency. If that country does not have Dutch diplomatic representation or the embassy/consulate does not process MVV applications, the student will have to travel to one in a country recommended by the Dutch government to collect the MVV. Please note that you won't be able to collect your MVV anywhere else in this case. For example, if you are a citizen of Mauritius, you will have to collect your MVV in Tanzania.

If there are multiple embassy options in your country, you can choose the location most convenient to you.

An MVV is valid for 90 days from the date of collection, and students have those 90 days to enter the Netherlands. VU Amsterdam organises the MVV/residence permit (VVR) procedure in such a way that entry will be possible before the academic year starts, to collect the residence permit.   

How to apply

VU Amsterdam will apply for a residence permit when students have been (conditionally) admitted. To apply for a visa and residence permit, please follow the steps below. The required documents must be uploaded before 1 June when starting in September (before 1 December when starting in February). From 1 April onwards, it is possible to upload the required documents to our immigration portal called VisaCare.

Step 1: Confirm your participation

On the VU Dashboard students can confirm their participation in the “complete application” section. Once this has been completed, the visa form will become available. Please be aware that it is only possible to complete this step once students have been admitted to the exchange programme.

Step 2: Submit the online visa form in your VU Dashboard

Now that participation has been confirmed, the visa section will become available and an introductory visa questionnaire needs to be completed. For students who are re-enrolling, or if this visa questionnaire does not appear, please contact the student immigration team as soon as possible.

Step 3: Pay the visa fee

The immigration application needs to be paid for using the online payment tool in the VU dashboard. The fee must be received before the application can be submitted (to the IND). The online payment tool can take several days to be activated in the VU Dashboard after completion of the visa questionnaire. If the online payment tool does not work, it is possible to transfer the old-fashioned way, using the following bank details:

Account name: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Name of bank: Deutsche Bank
Address of bank: De Entree 99-197, 1101 HE Amsterdam, The Netherlands
IBAN: NL49DEUT0488004470
BIC: DEUTNL2A

When transferring this way, the student's full name and student number (e.g S1234567) must be stated. When paying from abroad, all banking costs are paid by the applicant. Paying both the visa and housing fee in one transaction is possible and recommended.

Step 4: Complete the application in VisaCare

After submitting the visa questionnaire and paying the visa fee, there will be information sent via email regarding access to VisaCare. Log in to VisaCare, check your personal information and if there are any discrepancies, contact the student immigration team. Once the application has been started there will be a To Do page on the VisaCare website which will include more detailed information and is where documents must be uploaded.

The following documents need to be uploaded to complete the residence permit procedure:

• Passport: including signature and any stamped pages. There must be at least 6 months of validity on the passport from the date of application.
• If the MVV will be collected in a country which is not one’s native country, include proof of residency of the country where the MVV will be collected. This is not necessary for those who do not have Dutch representation in their native country.
• Antecedents certificate signed by hand, on paper. We cannot accept digital signatures.
• TB Statement: not all students need to fill in this form, it is dependent on nationality. Note: the TB test is not taken in your home country, but in the Netherlands within 3 months of arrival in the country. Further information will be provided by email in September (for those starting in the 1st semester) and February (students starting in the 2nd semester). The TB test costs €54 (as of 1/1/24, subject to change).
• Proof of financial means. In this manual, detailed information of the requirements from the IND can be found. Please be aware that the current monthly minimum for living expenses is €1400 (as of 1/1/24, subject to change).

The documents which are uploaded need to meet the strict requirements of the IND. If documents do not meet these requirements, the student immigration team will have to reject these documents, and this will slow down the immigration procedure.

Please use this checklist to check if documents are correct.

Step 5: Application sent to the IND

Once all the required documents have been uploaded, reviewed and approved by the immigration team, the application will be sent to the IND. The IND usually takes 2-3 weeks to approve an application. Once VU Amsterdam has received a decision on the application from the IND, we will notify the student of this by email. We will also forward a copy of the official IND approval letter by email as well, which we usually receive around two weeks after the application has been approved.

Step 6: Collection of the MVV (long stay entry visa)

Once the MVV/VVR application has been approved, students must schedule an appointment with the Dutch embassy or consulate that was chosen at the start of their application for collection of the MVV. Students will require their v-number for this, which is included in both the approval email we send and the IND approval letter they receive a few weeks after. The embassy often requires students to bring their IND approval letter with them, so please keep this in mind when scheduling your appointment. Students will provide their biometric information during the appointment (photo and fingerprint). More information about visiting the embassy can be found under step 1 in the To Do list in VisaCare.

Students will have to hand in their passport and the MVV will be placed inside it within 10 working days.

Step 7: Collection of the residence permit

VU Amsterdam will send students a notification once their residence permit is ready to be collected, and this email will contain further information regarding collection location and how to schedule an appointment.

At the end of summer, the IND organises central collection days spread over multiple weekends for all students to collect their residence permit cards. More information about this will be sent directly to the applicable students. Please be aware that it is not allowed for students to schedule separate appointments with the IND to collect their permits in this period. The IND will cancel these appointments.

For students enrolling in February, the residence permit will have to be collected at the IND desk chosen by the student during the initial application process.

Deadline

The deadline for completing steps 1-4 above is 1 June for the fall intake, and 1 December for the spring intake. Please be aware that the application procedure takes about 6-8 weeks, so ensure documents are uploaded in time. Failure to upload documents on time will impact the immigration procedure and could lead to students not being able to start at VU Amsterdam at the desired time, and we might have to ask students to defer their enrolment.

Whilst the immigration team submits the application to the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND), it is always the responsibility of the student to complete the procedure before the deadline and to ensure that documentation provided is correct. Please note that VU Amsterdam cannot guarantee that a residence permit is granted by a certain date, or at all. The procedure cannot be expedited as the IND already prioritises student applications. 

Strict requirements of the IND

As an educational institution, VU Amsterdam needs to apply for residence permits for study purposes on behalf of all non-EU students (if they don't have a valid Dutch residence permit already). The university acts as the legal sponsor as soon as the IND has approved the residence permit application. As such, VU Amsterdam is liable and bound by the strict and specific requirements set by the IND. Not meeting these requirements means that VU Amsterdam will not submit the application.

After arrival

For further information on other matters to take care of after arrival in the Netherlands, please visit this page. 

After completion of exchange 

Once students complete their exchange period at VU Amsterdam (or cut their exchange short), we are obliged to deregister their permits with the IND. As a result, their residence permit will be revoked. Students should keep this in mind when making plans to travel within Europe after their exchange. 

Contact

Our contact information can be found at the bottom of this page.

For individuals already holding a valid residence permit for study purposes but who are transferring from another educational institution to the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, a change of sponsor application is necessary. Through this process, VU Amsterdam will take over the sponsorship of the residence permit from the previous educational institution and become the legal sponsor.

Students should not unenroll or cancel their current residence permit straight away as it is imperative that the permit remains valid until step 5 of this process has been completed.

This procedure is free of charge (unless the permit also needs to be extended).

Although VU Amsterdam will take over sponsorship, the physical residence permit card remains the same. In the case that the residence permit is expiring in the period of study at VU Amsterdam, an extension procedure will take place at a later date.

Step 1: Confirm your participation

On the VU Dashboard students can confirm their participation in the “complete application” section. Once this has been completed, the visa form will become available. Please be aware that it is only possible to complete this step once students have been admitted to the exchange programme.

Step 2: Submit the online visa form in your VU Dashboard 

Now that participation has been confirmed, the visa section will become available and an introductory visa questionnaire needs to be completed. For students who are re-enrolling, or if this visa questionnaire does not appear, please contact the student immigration team as soon as possible.

There may be an option here to pay the visa fee, but this is unnecessary (unless your permit also needs to be extended). If no email is received with VisaCare information and further steps within 5 days, please contact the student immigration team.

Step 3: Complete the application in VisaCare

After submitting the visa questionnaire, there will be information sent via email regarding access to VisaCare. Students are to log in to VisaCare, check their personal information and if there are any discrepancies, contact the student immigration team. Once the application has been started there will be a To Do page on the VisaCare website which will include more detailed information and is where documents must be uploaded.

The following documents need to be uploaded to complete the change of sponsor procedure:

• Passport: including signature and any stamped pages. There must be at least 6 months of validity on the passport from the date of application.
• A copy of the current Dutch residence permit for study (front and back side).
• Antecedents certificate signed by hand, on paper. We cannot accept digital signatures.
• Proof of financial means. In this manual, detailed information of the requirements from the IND can be found. Please be aware that the current monthly minimum for living expenses is €1400 (as of 1/1/24, subject to change).

The documents which are uploaded need to meet the strict requirements of the IND. If documents do not meet these requirements, the student immigration team will have to reject these documents, and this will slow down the immigration procedure.

Please use this checklist to check if documents are correct.

Step 4: Application sent to the IND

Once all the required documents have been uploaded, reviewed and approved by the immigration team, the application will be sent to the IND. The IND usually takes up to 6 weeks to approve this type of application. Once VU Amsterdam has received a decision on the application from the IND, we will notify the student of this by email.

At this stage unenrollment from the educational institution who are the current sponsor can take place; please contact that institution’s international office for further information regarding canceling your enrollment.

Exchange students from Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are able to apply for the Working Holiday Programme/Scheme (WHP/WHS). Please consult our information sheet for details or review the website of the IND.

Exchange students from Argentina, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Uruguay can also make use of this option, but they first have to check with the Dutch embassy in their country if it's possible.

Students should be aware that they will have to apply for the WHP themselves, VU Amsterdam cannot assist them with this. This means that, when students indicate in their VU Dashboard that they wish to apply for a WHP, the payment tool will not appear and they won't receive any further information from us regarding VisaCare. They will have to visit the IND website indicated above and apply for the permit online (Canada, Australia, New Zealand) or contact the Dutch embassy/consulate in their country (Argentina, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Uruguay).

This option is only available to incoming students who are attending another university in Europe, would like to do part of their studies at VU Amsterdam (e.g. exchange), and possess a residence permit for the purpose of study from that country (except Ireland or Denmark). In addition, the duration of the study period at VU cannot last longer than 360 days, and the EU permit for study should be valid for the entire period.

If the above is applicable, it will be possible to make use of the intra-EU mobility scheme. This allows students from outside of the EU, who are pursuing their studies in one EU country, to temporarily study in other EU countries without requiring a separate residence permit for those countries.

Please review this website of the IND for more information regarding the requirements. The VU will submit the incoming mobility notification to the IND on the student’s behalf.

If the EU permit for the purpose of study is not valid for the duration of the study period at VU, the procedure for applying for a residence permit (VVR) applies, provided that the EU permit is at least valid until the student enters the country.

1. When to extend the residence permit

Holding a valid residence permit is the student's own responsibility. They are responsible for ensuring that their residence permit is extended on time. If students intend to extend their semester of exchange to a full year, they must inform the incoming exchange team and the student immigration team of this. If this is approved by the exchange team, the student immigration team will then start an extension application for the student in VisaCare, where the student can upload the required documents. 

2. How to extend the residence permit

We will inform the applicable students about the extension procedure once we've received confirmation that their exchange semester has been extended to a full year. Please note that it is not yet possible to extend the permit if it is currently valid for more than three months.

The extension procedure will follow similar steps to the initial immigration procedure, and uses the same immigration application platform – VisaCare. Please ensure that when starting the application in VisaCare, the start and end date of the exchange programme are indicated correctly.

The following documents are required:

• A copy of the passport
• A filled in and signed antecedents certificate
• A copy of the current Dutch student residence permit (both front and back side)
• A filled in and signed income statement.

In most cases, payment of the visa fee will be possible through the online payment tool in the VU Dashboard. The payment tool will be available within 3 working days of receiving the email stating that the extension request can be started. The extension fee is currently €275 (subject to change). If it is not possible to use the online payment tool, then transfer the fee to the bank account of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam:

Account name: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Name of bank: Deutsche Bank
Address of bank: De Entree 99-197, 1101 HE Amsterdam, The Netherlands
IBAN: NL49DEUT0488004470
BIC: DEUTNL2A

When transferring this way, full name and student number (e.g S1234567) must be stated. When paying from abroad, all banking costs are paid by the applicant.

3. How to collect your new residence permit 

Students will be informed when the extension has been approved by the IND. Please note that for the IND to issue a new residence permit card, new biometric information needs to be submitted to the IND and students need to schedule an biometrics appointment for this.

After students receive confirmation from VU Amsterdam that the new residence permit is ready to be collected, collection can be organised with the IND. The permit should be collected at the IND desk location selected during the application process.

4. Other important information

The IND may request proof of financial resources 
If necessary, the IND is authorised to request documented proof of a student's financial situation. In this case, students will need to demonstrate that they have sufficient funds at their disposal (€1400 per month, as of 1/1/24, subject to change).

Inform the municipality of any address changes 
The IND will send all correspondence to the address at which students are registered with their local municipality (Basisregistratie Personen, BRP). Always make sure that the municipality is informed of any changes in address.

It is not possible to re-enter the Netherlands with an expired residence permit 
Students who plan to go abroad before their new permit has been issued must make sure to return before their current permit expires. If this is not possible, they will need to request a return visa. Please review the linked IND website for more information.

When students are no longer a student at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, we are obligated to deregister them with the IND. As a result, the residence permit will be revoked. Students should keep this in mind when making plans to travel within Europe after their exchange. 

We will deregister the residence permit for study with the IND in the following cases:

• Completion of the exchange programme
• Ending the exchange early.

When we have deregistered the permit with the IND, the student will need to leave the Netherlands within four weeks.

For more information on what to take care of when leaving the country, please review this IND page.

• Frequently asked questions