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Visa and permits

To study in the Netherlands non-EU (European Union)/ non-EEA (European Economic Area) students need a visa. Depending on your country of origin you either need a residence permit (vvr) or an entry visa (mvv) + residence permit. Below you will find more information about the visa procedure and requirements.

Project Winterlab at ArtEZ in Zwolle
Project Winterlab at ArtEZ in Zwolle

For whom

A residence permit is mandatory for nationals from a non-EU/ non-EEA country that have been accepted at ArtEZ and will reside in the Netherlands for the duration of their (exchange) studies at ArtEZ. Besides this permit, students from most non-EEA countries need an entry visa (mvv) as well. This visa allows you to travel into the Netherlands, where you can collect your residence permit.
Please check the website www.netherlandsandyou.nl to find out if you need a long-stay visa to travel to the Netherlands.

Important! If you are admitted into one of our full-time Bachelor, Master and exchange courses it is not possible to apply for the visa and residence permit yourself. Are you admitted into one of our preparatory courses or other part-time courses? Than you have to arrange your own visa (work visa, stay with partner or family member i.e.)!

The ArtEZ Student Affairs Department will apply for your visa and permit as soon as we have received all necessary documents and your financial guarantee (including the tuition fee and the income requirement as set by the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND)). More information about the income requirement below.

Below we describe the visa and permit procedure.

More information

Start of the procedure

All non-EU students, who have been accepted at ArtEZ, in need of a residence permit have to pay their financial guarantee and upload the following documents to ArtEZ Student Affairs no later than 31 May:

Visa procedures take time. The overall procedure (from sending your documents to picking up the residence permit after arrival in the Netherlands) can take up to three months. We urge you to start preparing your documents as soon as you are accepted. Please send us all your documentsno later than 31 May.

Completion of the procedure

For students needing an entry visa AND residence permit: once you have handed in all the documents, we will let you know that you can make an appointment with the embassy/consulate in your home country to have your fingerprints and photo taken. Bring these documents to your appointment:

  • passport (valid for at least 6 months)
  • MVV form (download from the website of the Dutch embassy / consulate)
  • passport photo (which meets the requirements of the Dutch immigration law. Go to Government.nl for more information.

Your embassy / consulate will let you know when your entry visa is ready to be collected. This roughly takes another two weeks.

Students that only need a residence permit

You are free to travel to the Netherlands as long as you do not exceed the 90-day validity of your tourist visa. After arriving in the Netherlands you must go to an IND Desk as soon as possible to have a passport photo made, your fingerprints taken and to record your signature.

Visa fees

The visa fee for 2024 is € 228,-. This amount must be transferred directly to ArtEZ. Payment procedure and banking details are mentioned in this brochure.

IND Income requirement

In order to issue a visa the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) requires proof that non-EEA students can support themselves financially in the Netherlands.
To this end students must proof a minimum of € 1,218 per month or € 14,615.52 for 2024. This income requirement is not a fee, so ArtEZ will transfer the money back to your newly created Dutch bank account once the visa procedure is completed.

Non-EU/non-EEA exchange students that join ArtEZ for a shorter stay will have to prove the income requirement for as many months as they will be in the Netherlands. For example € 1,218 x 6 months (for one semester for example).

Annual check for degree students (MoMi)

A residence permit for study is valid for the duration of your study programme. This means that you will not have to renew your residence permit on a yearly basis. In return ArtEZ has to check the following:

  • Study progress: ArtEZ is obliged to inform the Dutch Immigration and Naturalization Service about your study progress every year. You will have to obtain at least 30 ECTS every academic year before August 31. If you obtained less than 30 ECTS (study credits) this will be reported to the IND and your residence permit will be cancelled.
  • Only in case of exceptional circumstances will we not have to report to the IND. You will have to inform the student counsellor about these circumstances as soon as possible. Exceptional circumstances are for example illness, pregnancy, family matters etc. Any exceptional circumstance can be taken into consideration only once.
  • Income requirement: after the first year students are no longer obliged to literally prove their financial means. Every year however they have to sign a statement saying that they continue to dispose of sufficient funds to support themselves financially in the Netherlands.

After graduation

The Student Affairs Department will inform the Dutch Immigration Service (IND) which students with a residence permit for study purposes have recently graduated. Non-EU students who have graduated in the Netherlands get the opportunity to stay in the Netherlands with a regulation called the Orientation year highly educated person. The objective of this regulation is to give recent graduates an opportunity to look for a job or start a company in the Netherlands. You have to apply for the orientation year at the IND before your residence permit for study expires.

More information

Leaving the Netherlands

Before you leave the Netherlands, there are a couple of practical matters that you need to take care of:

  • Cancel your registration at city hall
  • Submit your residence permit at an IND office (if applicable)