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Pathway

Netherlands Student Residence Permit

Netherlands Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

If you are not an EU, EEA, or Swiss citizen and enroll full time at a Dutch university or university of applied sciences, you may qualify for a student permit. Your school must be approved by the immigration service, IND, and must submit the application for you.

Admission
An approved institution must accept you for qualifying full-time higher education or its preparatory period
Study progress
Normally earn at least half the credits for each study year; accepted personal circumstances can excuse lower progress
Funds required
€1,130.77 per month for living costs in 2026, normally shown for 12 months

Summary

Students can seek Dutch residence to attend qualifying full-time education. The approved institution normally submits the application as a recognized sponsor. The student must support the full-time course with the required living funds and maintain adequate study progress. Admission and the school's sponsorship do not remove these continuing student obligations.

The recognized school submits the residence application
  1. Confirm the school and full-time accredited program Use the IND educational-sponsor register and obtain admission or registration evidence.
  2. Provide the school’s immigration documents Prepare the required living funds separately from tuition and other costs.
  3. School files the IND and applicable MVV application Follow the school’s timetable and the resulting arrival instructions.

The applicant cannot substitute an unrecognized institution for a recognized sponsor. Student employment has separate restrictions.

Could this pathway work for you?

Eligibility

EEA means the EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.

The core requirements are:

After arrival, you must make sufficient academic progress. The usual standard is at least 50% of the credits for each study year. The school first considers whether a recognized personal circumstance explains lower progress. Without a sufficient reason, it must report inadequate progress to the IND, which can affect the permit.

A preparatory period can be included where the school requires extra courses, a language test, or a pre-master before final admission. The IND says this period usually lasts one year. The school must deregister a student who does not meet the admission conditions after that period.

More about this route

Admission is therefore the essential first step. The program must be accredited, and the school must have issued proof of registration or temporary registration. This page covers university and HBO study; Dutch secondary and vocational study uses a different permit with different rules.

What This Route Allows

The permit allows you to live in the Netherlands for the approved full-time study and, where accepted, its preparatory period. The school remains your recognized sponsor and must report changes that affect eligibility, such as stopping study or inadequate progress.

Paid employment is limited. An employer may obtain a work permit (TWV) so that you work either:

These are alternatives, not allowances that can be combined. The employer—not the student—applies for the TWV.

The IND also permits self-employed work without a TWV, provided you continue meeting the study-permit conditions and comply with Dutch business, tax, and registration rules. A traineeship that is a required part of the program can follow separate rules, including a traineeship agreement among the student, institution, and employer.

After qualifying study, a graduate may be eligible for a separate one-year orientation-year permit or another work or business route. Switching requires a new application; it is not automatic.

What This Route Is Not

Next Steps

  1. Confirm that the course is full-time and accredited and that the institution appears in the IND recognized-sponsor register.
  2. Apply to the school and obtain registration or temporary registration. Ask its international office for its immigration timeline and document checklist.
  3. Budget separately for tuition, the required 12 months of living funds, application costs, insurance, travel, and housing deposits. Recheck the official study norm for the calendar year of filing.
  4. Provide the school with the identity, funds, and other documents it needs to submit the IND application and, where necessary, the MVV application.
  5. Begin the housing search before travel. Do not assume admission or a permit includes housing.
  6. After arrival, keep the school informed, maintain full-time enrollment and academic progress, and ask before changing program or institution.
  7. If taking employee work, confirm the TWV and choose one permitted schedule. If working for yourself, register and report the activity correctly while keeping study as the main purpose.
  8. Several months before graduation, check the orientation year and other next-status requirements and deadlines.

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Sources