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After arrival

Registration at the City Hall

Within a few days after signing your rental contract you must register yourself as a new resident of the town where you are living. This is done at city hall. After registration, you receive a tax- and social security number (in Dutch: BSN = burgerservicenummer). To arrange your registration, you must go to the municipality of the place you will be residing in. Check the municipality website to make an appointment. There you will find which documents you need to hand in.

Important note: In most cities you need to take a valid passport, your rental contract and your birth certificate (translated in English, German, French or Dutch) with you to city hall. Also take your residence permit or the IND letter stating that you are in the process of getting a residence permit with you.

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Dutch bank account

You must open a Dutch bank account. ArtEZ will return the remainder of your financial guarantee to your Dutch account. And it also makes it easier to pay for things such as food, transport, living, utilities, rent, phone, Internet etc. To open a Dutch bank account you need a BSN number. It is up to you to choose your own bank to open a bank account, but if you don’t have a BSN yet, you can open a bank account with the ABN AMRO. Read also this factsheet for more information. However, you must provide your BSN within 120 days after opening your account. 

If you already have a bank account in a country that is a member of SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area), it is not strictly necessary to open a Dutch bank account. You are advised to contact your own bank for more information. Usually the required documents are a proof of enrolment at ArtEZ, a proof of residence and a social security number. We advise you to check the exact requirements on the bank’s website. You should provide the Student Affairs Department with a copy of your bank card (front and back) as soon as you have it.

Collect your residence permit

Students with entry visa
If you have arrived in the Netherlands with an entry visa, Student Affairs will keep you informed about where and when you can pick up your residence permit. We will inform you when you can pick up your residence permit.

Students without entry visa
If you have come to the Netherlands without an entry visa but do need a residence permit, you must go to an IND desk within 2 weeks after arriving in the Netherlands to provide your biometric information. You will need to make an appointment for this on the IND website (see below). You need a second appointment to pick up your residence permit (about two weeks later).

Go to www.ind.nl (English version available) to make an appointment at the IND for giving your biometrics. Don't forget to bring your passport, the IND letter you receive from Student Affairs and the confirmation letter with appointment code to the appointment at the IND.

Take a Tuberculosis test (if applicable)

In order to obtain a residence permit, you might have to undergo a tuberculosis (TB) test and - if necessary - treatment. International students need to undergo a tuberculosis test unless they have one of the nationalities listed in the ‘Appendix Exemption from the obligation to undergo a TB test’ published on the IND website.

Should it become clear after the issue of a residence permit that - despite signing the declaration of intent - you failed to undergo a TB test within the period of three months, this may result in a cancellation of the permit that was granted!

You can take the test at the GGD (public health department) in the city of your choice. You can find more information about this in the information brochures below. You'll also receive these after acceptance at ArtEZ.

Working in the Netherlands

As an international student in the Netherlands, you may want to work alongside your studies. If you want to work in the Netherlands, it changes your insurance situation! You are legally obliged to take out Dutch basic health insurance. If you do not meet this requirement, you risk a huge fine! You are advised to take this into consideration before starting a job, because Dutch public healthcare insurance may be more expensive than the insurance you otherwise use.

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