Visa information for current students

Extension of residence permit for study

• General information

  The holding and maintenance of the residence permit is the student’s own responsibility. This means that the student is responsible for ensuring that the residence permit is extended on time.

  The student immigration team will also inform students when it is possible to apply for an extension. Please be aware that the IND will not accept extension requests if a residence permit is valid for more than 3 months. We always extend the permit with one year, unless students are starting a new programme that takes longer.

  If students are graduating soon but the final grade is taking longer than expected and the expiration date of their permit is nearing, we recommend that students do extend their permit. However, please keep in mind the price of the extension (€275) and that the student immigration team will have to deregister the permit once students graduate.

  As it concerns the extension of a student residence permit, please be aware that having an active enrolment as a student is a requirement.

  Applications for extensions will be made in the following situations:

  1. Continuing from a Bachelor’s to a Master’s degree at VU Amsterdam;
  2. There is an expectation that there will be a study delay at VU Amsterdam, whether that be a few months or a whole year.

  Note: an application for an extension can only be done if students have made sufficient academic progress: meaning a minimum of 50% of total available credits for the academic year have been obtained. More information about this can be found in the relevant section below.

  Please be aware that extending your studies also means paying more tuition fees, perhaps more than initially prepared for. Students will need to ensure that these fees can be covered before extending their studies. For questions regarding tuition fees, please contact the Student Desk. 

• How to apply

  If the residence permit is due to expire on 30 November or 1 December, the student immigration team will contact students in September with specific instructions on how to start the extension procedure. If students do not receive this email by the end of September, please reach out as soon as possible, so as not to delay the procedure.

  If the residence permit is due to expire on 30 April or 1 May, the student immigration team will contact students in February with specific instructions on how to start the extension procedure. If students do not receive this email by the end of February, please reach out as soon as possible, so as not to delay the procedure.

  This 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 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.

• Approval of extension

  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 receipt of confirmation by VU Amsterdam that the new residence permit is ready, collection can be organised with the IND. The permit should be collected at the IND desk location selected during the application process.

• Holding a valid residence permit is your own responsibility

  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. 

• The IND may request proof of financial means

  The IND is authorised to request proof of financial means. Students must prove that there are sufficient funds to pay for their tuition and living expenses (€1200 per month as of 1-1-25, subject to change).  

• Inform the municipality of any address changes

  The IND will send all correspondence to the address that the student is registered at with the local municipality (in Dutch: “Basisregistratie Personen” or BRP). It is crucial to always inform the municipality of any change in address: without proper registration, the IND will not process the application and may even decline it.

• You cannot re-enter the Netherlands with an expired residence permit

  If students have plans to travel abroad before the new permit has been issued, it is imperative to return before the current permit expires. If this is not possible, a request for a return visa must be made. Please keep in mind that, when going on exchange abroad, you would have to return to the Netherlands to provide your biometrics and collect your residence permit.

  It is not possible to extend the residence permit purely to attend the graduation ceremony, if this occurs after the residence permit has expired. In this case, VU Amsterdam recommends returning to the Netherlands on a short stay/tourist visa.

• Extending your stay after graduation

  If you plan to stay in the Netherlands after graduation, you have the possibility to apply for an Orientation Year residence permit.

Other important visa information during your studies

• Satisfactory academic progress

  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: 

  • Satisfactory academic progress entails that you need to complete 30 ECTS in each academic year. The deadline for obtaining these credits is 23 August. The student immigration team will perform several checks throughout the year to update you on your progress.
  • If you do not obtain a minimum of 30 ECTS by 23 August, you are only allowed to continue your studies at VU Amsterdam when you have an excusable reason. Below you will find what is defined as an excusable reason. 
  • If you don't meet the minimum credit requirement and don't have a excusable reason, you will not be able to switch to another programme at VU either (you can switch to another Dutch university if desired). 
  • When you do not meet the minimum requirement for academic progress and you do not have an excusable reason, VU Amsterdam must report this to the IND. The IND will subsequently proceed to revoke your residence permit. You will receive an email from us once we've sent the deregistration notice to the IND, and from this point you will have four weeks to depart the Netherlands.

  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:

  • illness
  • physical or sensory impairment or other functional disorder
  • pregnancy
  • exceptional family circumstances
  • board duties
  • the inability to study.

  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:

  • Send a motivation letter explaining your personal circumstances. (max. 1 A4)
  • Please include additional proof (e.g., medical note, statement from a course/internship coordinator) if applicable.
  • Submit the motivation letter and additional proof to the MOMI email address of your faculty, or fill in their form (please refer to the contact information below).
  • The deadline for submitting your request is 1 July 2025.

  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.
  School 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 fill in this document and send it together with the additional proof to: momi.rechten@vu.nl. We recommend to contact your academic advisor before submitting your request.
  School of Religion and Theology	Please use this online form to submit your request. We recommend to contact your academic advisor before submitting your request.
  School 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.

• Annual proof of financial means

  VU Amsterdam is obligated annually to confirm whether students still have sufficient funds to cover the duration of the study period in Netherlands. This involves completing an income statement, and there are no supporting documents required. The student immigration team will send out an email when the check is due.

• Work and internships

  Paid work

  As a non-EU/EEA student with a residence permit for study purposes (VVR), students are only allowed to work with an additional work permit. The employer must apply for a work permit (tewerkstellingsvergunning, TWV) via the Employee Insurance Agency (Uitvoeringsinstituut Werknemersverzekering, UMV) before hiring. This process takes time: the employer should apply for the permit in advance, and the approval must be obtained before the start of the work contract. Starting to work before the work permit has been received can lead to a fine, a revocation of the residence permit, and subsequently having to leaving the country and no longer having access to the study programme.

  With the work permit, there are restrictions applicable to working hours. These are 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 specific rules and regulations.

  Please be aware that undertaking paid work means that students must have Dutch public health insurance. Further information and guidelines about Dutch health insurance can be found here. The employer should give information about income tax and social security contributions which will need to be paid.

  Self-employment

  As a non-EU/EEA student, it is also possible to work as a self-employed person in the Netherlands. A work permit is not required, but it is required to register at the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KvK). For further information, please see here and here. There is no limit to the number of hours one can work as an entrepreneur or freelancer. However, it is still imperative to meet the conditions for your study residence permit, including satisfactory academic progress.

  Volunteer work

  Additionally, there may be the option to carry out volunteer work, but there may be restrictions dependent on the type of residence permit held. It is important that the organisation where volunteering is taking place has a valid volunteer declaration (Vrijwilligersverklaring). On this page volunteering opportunities in Amsterdam are listed.   

  Internships

  This information is not applicable for exchange and Semester in Amsterdam students, as interning during these programmes is not possible.

  Holders of a residence permit for the purpose of study can do internships, provided that the internship is part of the study programme at VU Amsterdam. This means that the faculty must confirm that the student is allowed to follow an internship. The student immigration team cannot confirm whether an internship is allowed, as the faculty must assess whether the internship is relevant to the study programme.

  Before starting the internship, the tri-party agreement must be completed and sent to studentimmigration@vu.nl along with a copy of the valid residence permit. The agreement needs to be signed by the student, the internship organisation and the faculty representative (i.e. internship supervisor). A copy of the agreement must also be kept at the internship placement.

  Please be aware that if the internship is paid, this may have implications for social security status, tax liability and create an obligation to take out Dutch health insurance. Further guidelines can be found on this website.  

  • If the internship is not approved by the faculty, then the internship will be considered as paid work, and a work permit as described above will be required. Students will also be restricted to the maximum in work hours associated with the residence permit for study.
  • If the internship is to be carried out in another country, then it is important to check with the relevant immigration authorities of that country to check whether a work permit is needed to carry out the internship.

• Deregistration, graduation and leaving the Netherlands

  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:

  • You have graduated
  • You stop your studies
  • You did not meet the satisfactory academic progress requirement.

  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. 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.

  Changing purpose of stay

  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.

• Residence permit lost or stolen

  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.

• Outbound intra-EU mobility

  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. 

• Orientation year permit

  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:

  • IND Orientation Year FAQ 
  • IND page: conditions and application procedure

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