When you arrive

Practical arrangements

• Step 1: Collect your room key
  • If you rent an accommodation via VU Amsterdam, the housing providers will inform you via e-mail how and where you will receive the key to your room.
  • If you rent an accommodation on the private market, you will have to make arrangements with your landlord yourself.

  To be able to pick up your keys, you need to have signed your tenancy agreement and paid the amount due.

• Step 2: Register with the municipality

  If you will stay in the Netherlands for more than four months, then you need to register with the local authorities, also called the municipality. If you are going to live at student campus Uilenstede, you need to register at the municipality of Amstelveen.
  
  More information about registering with the municipality can be found here.

• Step 3: Set up a bank account (if necessary)

  You will need to have an IBAN bank account in order to arrange your day-to-day activities in the Netherlands. As an EU/EEA student, you do not need a Dutch bank account. If you are a non-EU/EEA student, you need to make an appointment at a bank office in order to get a student account.
  
  More information about setting up a bank account can be found here.

• Step 4: Pick the right insurance

  It is important that you are properly insured during your time in the Netherlands. To simplify the business of arranging suitable insurance during your time in the Netherlands, it is advisable to consult your current insurance company and explain that you will be studying abroad for a semester or an entire academic year.
  
  More information about possible insurances can be found here.

• Step 5: Register with a General Practitioner (GP)

  As a student at VU Amsterdam living in Amsterdam or in the surrounding areas such as Amstelveen/Uilenstede, you will be able to register with the GP at the University General Practice (located in the VU Medical Centre on our campus) once you have a valid health insurance. More information can be found on their website. If you live outside of Amsterdam, you can look for a GP close to your home.

  More information about health care in the Netherlands can be found here.

EU travel ban due to COVID-19

• The new measures

  Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a European entry ban is in effect for some people, barring them from travelling to the European Union or the Schengen area. You will find the list of countries and areas considered very high risk in the Checklist for entering or returning to the Netherlands from abroad. Non-EU students are exempted from the travel ban if they have an entry visa (MVV) or the IND approval letter stating they will receive a residence permit in the Netherlands.
  
  Please read the conditions for entering the Netherlands as of 1 July 2021

• Consequences for students who cannot travel to the Netherlands

  Study programme

  If you live outside the Netherlands and are unable to participate in on-campus education in September due to existing strict travel restrictions, your study programme may temporarily offer online alternatives during the first month(s). Please note that a proof of not being able to enter the Netherlands may be asked. All study programmes have communicated about whether or not they will be able to offer an online alternative on their respective programme pages. Soon more details will be released. For Bachelor's programmes check here, for Master's programmes here.

  Housing

  If you have questions about accommodation, please send an email to studentaccommodation@vu.nl.

  Visa/ residence permit 

  If your Entry visa (MVV) expires, please contact the Dutch embassy in your home country for advice and support.

Other useful information

• Getting Started guide

  In our Getting Started Guide for Bachelor's and Master's students you can find contact details and general information about studying at VU Amsterdam. We invite you to take a look at it! Please note that this guide is not applicable for exchange and Semester in Amsterdam students.

  Getting Started 2021-2022
  
  Note: unfortunately we can not organise physical arrival days this year because of COVID-19, despite what was mentioned in the Getting Started Guide. All the information with regards to your arrival can be found on this webpage, and will be updated once information changes.

• Cost of living and working

  Experience shows that living and studying in the Netherlands for one year costs a student between €1,000 and €1,400 per month (not including tuition fees). Some students manage to spend less, but this of course depends on your own lifestyle.
  
  Some rules apply when you work in the Netherlands during your studies. More information about the average costs per month, rules and regulations and tax can be found here.

• Your personal dashboard & Canvas

  Your personal dashboard

  During your stay you will have access to your personal dashboard on vu.nl. You were sent your login details when you first applied to VU Amsterdam. It is important that you familiarise yourself with this dashboard, as a great deal of important information is only available via this network. Registration for courses etc is also carried out via your dashboard.

  Canvas

  Canvas is the digital learning environment from VU Amsterdam. It is a tool that supports our education and is used by both students and teachers. You can log into Canvas with your VUnet-ID, or through your personal dashboard on vu.nl. For students, there is a VU Canvas Student Guide available that shows you how to work with Canvas. You can also watch a short video about the system.

• Study books

  For your studies, you will need books. Click here to go to the book list.
  
  Which textbooks you need is published in this booklist. Textbooks are sold in our main building at the VU Bookstore or at the Students' Unions.

• International Student Services

  It’s useful to arrange all of your basic needs as soon as possible, so you can have the best start in the Netherlands. On the International Student Services platform, you can, at once, free of charge! After signing up for your services, you will get free access to the international student community where you can chat and meet fellow internationals.

  Prepare for your arrival and start connecting! Organise all of your basic needs here.

• Learning Dutch

  Would you like to learn Dutch to help you feel more at home on campus? Of course you do! Luckily, VU-NT2 offers two course modules (8 weeks per level) of the Basic Dutch on Campus course at a greatly reduced rate for international students. You will learn to introduce yourself, do some shopping, order a meal and chat with local students and teachers. Finished the course? Then you receive a ‘Basic Dutch on Campus’ certificate. Check out the website of VU-NT2 for more information.

• Contact us for practical matters

  Due to measures related to the coronavirus, our International Service Desk at VU Amsterdam's main building is closed until further notice. However, for practical matters such as your arrival in the Netherlands, you will be able to reach us via Whatsapp (+31682548367), from Monday to Friday between 1.00PM and 3.00PM.
  
  If you have a specific question about, for example, visa or housing, please contact the relevant department within the International Office directly. All contact details can be found here.

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