Holding a valid residence permit is your responsibility. The first section of this webpage provides information on extending your permit. Further down, you will find other important visa details to keep in mind as a student at VU Amsterdam.
Holding a valid residence permit is your own responsibility. This means that you are responsible for ensuring that your residence permit is extended on time. Will your residence permit expire within 3 months? Then you can already submit your request for extension. Please note that IND does not accept extension requests if your permit is still valid for more than 3 months.
If you do not know whether you need to extend your permit, please contact your programme coordinator. They will know whether you are expected to finish your studies by the end of the current academic year. We will apply for an extension in the following situations:
Note: you can only apply for an extension of your residence permit when you have obtained at least 50% of the required ECTS credits per academic year (see for more information 'Satisfactory Academic Progress').
Please be aware that extending your studies means that you will pay more tuition fees than you had perhaps initially prepared for. You will have to make sure that you can cover these fees for the extended period of your studies.
If your residence permit expires on 30th of November or 1st of December, we will contact you in September with instructions on how to start your extension request, provided you meet the conditions for a study residence permit. Should you not receive any email from us by the end of September, then please reach out to us proactively. If your residence permit expires on 30th April or 1st of May, you can start your extension request in February.
You will need to submit your extension request through our online visa application platform called VisaCare. Please make sure that before you start your application your details in VisaCare, and especially the end date of your programme, are indicated correctly.
You will have to upload:
In most cases you will be able to pay the visa fee through the online payment tool in VU Dashboard. The payment tool will be available within 3 working days of us informing you that you can start your extension request. The extension fee is currently €275 (subject to change). Should you not be able to use the online payment tool, then you can transfer the fee to our bank account:
Account holder: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Student Affairs
Name of bank: Deutsche Bank Nederland NV
Address of bank: De Entree 99-197, 1101 HE Amsterdam
IBAN: NL49DEUT0488004470
BIC: DEUTNL2A
Do not forget to state “S” + your student number (e.g. S2533077) and keep in mind that you are responsible for the payment of any foreign bank charges associated with the transaction(s). Hence please ensure that the bank charges are added to the amount to be transferred.
We will inform you when the extension has been approved by the IND. Please note that in order for the IND to issue a new residence permit card for you, you will need to submit your biometric details to the IND. For this you will need to make an appointment at the IND Desk.
After you have received confirmation from VU Amsterdam that your new residence permit is ready, you can go to the IND office to collect the new residence permit. You do need to make an appointment with the IND online.
You are responsible for ensuring that your residence permit is extended on time. If you do not know whether you might need to extend your permit, please contact your programme coordinator. He or she will know whether you are expected to finish your studies by the end of the current academic year.
Please be aware that extending your studies means that you will pay more tuition fees than you had perhaps initially prepared for. You will have to make sure that you can cover these fees for the extended period of your studies.
If necessary, the IND is authorized to request proof of financial means. In this case, you will need to demonstrate that you have sufficient funds at your disposal (€1,400 per month + tuition fees).
The IND will send all correspondence to the address at which you are registered with your local municipality (in Dutch: "Basisregistratie Personen" or, BRP). Always make sure that you inform the municipality of any change in your address. If you are not properly registered with a municipality, the IND will not process your application and may even decline it.
If you plan to go abroad but your new permit has not yet been issued, make sure you return before your current permit expires. If this is not possible, you will need to request a return visa before leaving the Netherlands.
If you plan to stay in the Netherlands after graduation, you have the possibility to apply for an Orientation Year residence permit.
The Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) requires students who have a residence permit for study purposes to make satisfactory academic progress for each academic year in which they are enrolled.
AIl students with a residence permit for study purposes need to obtain at least 50% of their yearly ECTS in order to keep the right of their residence permit for the next academic year. This is also known as the MOMI requirement. A normal study load is 60 ECTS per year, which means you have to obtain at least 30 ECTS per year. If you started your programme in February, then you need to obtain 15 ECTS, unless you started a pre-master programme in February, in which case you need to obtain 100% of your credits.
In a nutshell, the minimum academic progress requirement boils down to the following:
You may encounter certain personal circumstances that could prevent you from being able to obtain the minimum required number of credits before 23 August. In this case, you might be eligible to request for an exemption from the progress requirement. The following circumstances, which are listed in the Higher Education and Research Act, count as an excusable reason:
If this is applicable to you, you may request an exemption from the academic progress requirement. However, we always advise you to consult an academic advisor first to discuss your situation.
Please be aware that it's not allowed to use the same excusable reason more than once.
To apply for an exemption of the progress requirement, please follow these steps:
The links to the online forms will become available from Spring 2025.
| Faculty of Sciences | Please use this online form to submit your request. We recommend to contact your academic advisor before submitting your request. |
| Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences | momi.fgb@vu.nl |
| School of Business and Economics | Please use this online form to submit your request. We recommend to contact your academic advisor before submitting your request. |
| Faculty of Humanities | Please use this online form to submit your request. We recommend to contact your academic advisor before submitting your request. |
| Faculty of Law | Please use this online form to submit your request. We recommend to contact your academic advisor before submitting your request. |
| Faculty of Religion and Theology | Please use this online form to submit your request. We recommend to contact your academic advisor before submitting your request. |
| Faculty of Social Sciences | Please use this online form to submit your request. We recommend to contact your academic advisor before submitting your request. |
| VUmc School of Medical Sciences | momi.gnk@amsterdamumc.nl |
Your request will be evaluated by the MOMI committee. The student immigration team will inform you about the outcome before 1 August.
The Dutch “Modern Migration Policy Act” allows Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam to apply for your visa and/or residence permit. With this right also come certain responsibilities such as the Satisfactory Academic Progress check and the annual proof of financial means check.
VU Amsterdam is obliged to check annually whether you still have sufficient funds to cover your stay in the Netherlands. This check only entails that you certify that you still have sufficient funds by completing this Income Statement. We will not request any supporting documents. You will be informed by email when the check is due.
This information does not apply to Exchange and Semester in Amsterdam students
In case you hold a non-EU nationality, you need a work permit to be able to work in the Netherlands.
As a non-EU/EEA student with a residence permit for study purposes you are allowed to work only if you have an additional work permit. Your employer has to apply for a work permit (tewerkstellingsvergunning, TWV) for you via the Employee Insurance Agency (Uitvoeringsinstituut Werknemersverzekeringen, UWV) before hiring you. The process takes time; this means your employer should apply for the permit in advance, and the approval must be obtained before the start of your contract. Do not start working before you received your work permit; doing so could lead to a fine and a loss of the residence permit.
Even with a work permit there are still restrictions applicable to working hours. As a student, you are allowed to work a maximum of 16 hours a week, or full-time in the months of June, July and August. Please visit this website for more information about the specific rules and regulations.
Please be aware that having a paid work will mean you need to have a Dutch public health insurance. More guidelines about Dutch health insurance can be found here. You employer will inform you about the income tax and social security contributions you will need to pay.
As a non-EU/EEA student you are also able to work as a self-employed person in the Netherlands. You do not require a work permit for this, but you need to register at the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce (KvK). For further information please see here and also this page. There is no limit to the amount of hours you can work as an entrepreneur or freelancer, however you still need to meet the conditions for your study residence permit, and this also includes satisfactory academic progress.
In addition, you might be able to do a volunteer work, but there may be restrictions depending on the type of residence permit you have. It is important that the organisation with which you volunteer has a valid volunteer declaration (Vrijwilligersverklaring). On this page you can find volunteer opportunities in the Amsterdam area.
After you have successfully completed your degree programme in the Netherlands, you can apply for the Orientation Year permit at the IND. In this useful document IND provides answers to the most common questions about this type of permit. To submit your application please visit the IND website. In case you have not received your diploma yet, please have the Statement of Completion signed by the Student Desk.
If you are an EU national, you are free to participate in an internship in any Schengen country. It is not so simple if you are a non-EU/EEA national. With a residence permit for a purpose of study you can do an internship, provided the internship is part of your study programme at VU Amsterdam. This means that you first need to confirm with your faculty that you can follow an internship. Please note that the International Office cannot confirm if you are allowed to do an internship because we are not able to asses whether your internship is relevant to your study programme.
It is important that before starting your internship, you complete a tri-party internship agreement (you can use the template available here) and send it to studentimmigration@vu.nl with a copy of your residence permit. The agreement needs to be signed by you, the internship organization and your faculty representative. Also keep a copy of the agreement at your internship placement.
Please also be aware that if you do a paid internship, then this may have implications for your social security status, tax liability and obligation to take out a Dutch health insurance. You can find additional guidelines on this website.
When you are no longer a student at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, we are obligated to deregister you with the IND. As a result, your residence permit will be revoked. We will deregister you with the IND in the following cases:
When we have deregistered you with the IND due to you having graduated, the IND won't revoke your student permit immediately. They allow these students three months from the date of graduation for the purpose of wrapping up any administrative tasks that come with graduating and/or leaving the country. If the expiry date of your residence permit is sooner than three months, you will have to leave the country, or apply for another type of residence permit, before this date.
If we have deregistered you with the IND due to you having quit your studies at the VU or not meeting the Satisfactory Academic Progress requirement, you will need to leave the Netherlands within 4 weeks from the date of deregistration. (Or, if there is not too long of a gap between the end of your studies and the start of the next academic year, you can apply with another (applied) university.) You will then receive a letter from the IND in which they inform you about the end date of your student residence permit. In this IND document you can find guidelines on how long your residence permit may remain valid (see Question 12). If you wish to know the exact end date of your student residence permit, then we recommend that you wait for the IND letter or contact the IND directly.
The residence permit card you received remains property of the Dutch government. Therefore, you need to hand it in before your final departure. You can find more information on how to return your residence permit on the website of the IND. Please also check that page for other things you need to arrange if you have a residence permit and have to leave the Netherlands.
If you discontinue your studies, your registration as a student at VU Amsterdam will be terminated. If you plan to go back to your home country immediately, this will not cause any problems. However, if you wish to stay in the Netherlands for a while longer, you should take note of the following. VU Amsterdam is obliged to inform the immigration authorities (IND) about any foreign students who discontinue their studies at our university. Since the declared purpose of your stay (studying at VU Amsterdam) no longer applies, your residence permit will be invalidated. You would therefore need to contact the IND to change the purpose of your stay in order to remain in the Netherlands legally.
If you do qualify for another type of residence permit (like the orientation year permit for graduates), please make sure to apply to change the purpose of your stay first, before canceling your enrolment at VU Amsterdam. The IND needs to receive your application while your original residence permit (with the old purpose of stay) is still valid. Once they have received your application, you can await their decision in the Netherlands. For more specific information, please check www.ind.nl or call 088-043 04 30. If you have already paid the tuition fees for the whole year, you can get a refund for the months that you will not be registered, if you submit a deregistration request via Studielink.
Should the unfortunate occasion occur that you lose your residence permit or it gets stolen, you need to report this to the police and apply for a new residence permit card with the IND as soon as possible. More information about the procedure can be found on the website of the IND. It is also advisable to make a copy of both your passport and residence permit (both sides) and to store it online using services such as Dropbox or Google Drive.
This section is relevant for non-EU students with a student permit who plan to do part of their studies in another EU member state.
If you are intending to study in another EU member state for a period between 90 and 360 days, please inform us 45 days ahead of the day you are intending to start your studies abroad.
Provided the respective EU member state is part of the "intra-EU mobility network” there is no need to apply for a new residence permit in that particular country. However you may still need to submit an application or complete immigration procedure in another EU member state. The receiving university in another EU member state can advise you of the exact procedure and further requirements. The countries belonging to the network are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
In such instance, however, we will need to notify the Immigration- and Naturalization Service (IND) of your intention to study abroad. The EU member state where you would like to study will have a period of 30 days from having received the complete notification to object to your intent to study on its territory.
Also please note that when starting your studies abroad, your passport will need to be valid for the entire period you'll be staying in the other member state.
Provided we have informed the IND about your outbound mobility, you are able to temporarily deregister from the municipality. It is important that you re-register with a municipality after you return to the Netherlands.
Be aware that the information provided only applies to countries within the intra-EU mobility network. If you are intending to study outside of the network, other rules apply.
This information does not apply to Exchange and Semester in Amsterdam students.
After you have successfully completed your degree programme in the Netherlands, you are able to request an Orientation Year permit. You will need to submit your application to the IND and it is possible to do this online.
You can collect the permit either at an IND desk or at IN Amsterdam. You can find more information about this and the services of IN Amsterdam on their website.
If you have not received your diploma yet, then you can ask the Student Desk to sign the Completion Statement for you.
For further guidelines we refer you to the following IND resources:
Feel free to reach out to us
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