Visa and residence permits
Feb 11, 2010
Visas and residence permit
International students who wish to study or do an internship in the Netherlands need to go through a number of Dutch immigration procedures. Depending on your nationality and the period you want to stay, you might need:
––a short-stay visa (Visum Kort Verblijf, VKV) for a stay of up to three months; or
––
a provisional residence permit (Machtiging tot Voorlopig Verblijf, MVV)
and/or a residence permit (Verblijfsvergunning Regulier voor bepaalde
tijd, VVR) for a stay longer than three months.
To enter Holland for study purposes, Thai students, like inhabitants from most countries, if you will be staying for longer than three months, you will need an MVV, an entry visa.
The provisional residence permit (MVV) is a sticker placed in your passport at the Dutch Embassy or Consulate in your home country (or in a third country where you are legally residing) which allows you to enter the Netherlands. Once in the Netherlands you will need to apply for a residence permit for the same purpose as stated on your MVV, e.g. if you have an MVV to study you must apply for a permit for the purpose of studying and not for the purpose of working.
A residence permit is a card which proves that you are residing
legally in the Netherlands. All students who are not citizens of an
EU/EEA country or Switzerland and who would like to stay in the
Netherlands for more than three months are obliged to apply for a
residency permit. The permit will generally be issued for a period of
one year but may be valid for a longer or shorter period of time,
depending on the purpose of your stay. The new rule introduced by the immigration office in 2009 states that from now on the residence permit will be valid as long as the length of your study programme.
So there are two factors that determine which procedures apply to you:
–– your nationality
–– the length of your stay
Depending on the purpose of your stay you might need a work permit as well as a short or long-term visa.
Application procedure for a provisional residence permit and/or residence permit
As a student you can apply for an MVV through the Dutch Embassy or Consulate in your country or the country where you legally reside. The regular procedure may take three to six months, sometimes even longer. Alternatively, your Dutch host institution can apply for an MVV on your behalf using a fast-track procedure, but only if it has signed a special agreement with the Dutch Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND). It is definitely advisable and worth asking the institution about the fast-track procedure, because it will save you both time and money. The administration fee for an MVV is 433 Euros if you apply for it yourself and 250 Euros if the Dutch host institution does so on your behalf.
Please note that immigration procedures can change at short notice. In 2008 the fast-track procedure will probably be the only way to get an MVV. The regular procedure, in which you apply yourself, will then no longer be an option.
Once you are in the Netherlands, you should go to your institution as soon as possible in order to jointly apply for your residence permit (except for students from the EU/EEA and Switzerland, who do not need a residence permit but can register with the IND free of charge. Bulgarians and Romanians can still apply for a residence permit though). All foreign students also have to register with the local municipality.
The administration fee for a residence permit currently stands
at 433 Euros if you do not need an MVV, and 188 Euros if you do. For
Bulgarians and Romanians the fee is 30 Euros if they apply for a
‘special’ European residence permit.
Work permits
International students who are not from an EU/EEA country or from Switzerland and who are doing an internship or practical training as part of their studies in the Netherlands do not need a work permit anymore. However, there must be an internship agreement between the employer, the intern and the host institution.A standardized agreement can be found on the Nuffic website.
If you have followed a programme of study in your home country
and you come to the Netherlands solely for an internship or practical
training, you will need a work permit if you are not from an EU/EEA
country or from Switzerland. Your employer must apply for this permit
on your behalf. The permit is valid for up to one year and cannot be
extended.
If you want to work alongside your studies there are two options:
–– you work either less than ten hours a week year-round or
––full-time during the months of June, July and August only.
Your employer must apply for a work permit on your behalf. You
must also apply for a Dutchn your behalf. You must also apply for a
Dutch health insurance asiszorgverzekering) once you start working.
Finance
A student in the Netherlands will spend an average of 700 Euros to 1, 000 Euros a month. This is the amount needed to cover daily expenses, to pay the rent, and for registration and tuition fees. You cannot rely on finding a source of additional income after you arrive.