Financial means

You have been awarded a scholarship covering the costs of your stay in the Netherlands. The IND has set strict criteria for the required information about the scholarship. This information is combined in our Scholarship Certificate. You can view the Scholarship Certificate here (pdf). Please ask your scholarship provider to complete this form to make sure the IND criteria are met.

If the scholarship provider cannot use our Scholarship Certificate, they must issue an award letter containing all of the following information:

• Name and address of the organisation awarding the scholarship
• Your name
• Your date of birth
• The exact study period (DD/MM/YYYY) to which the scholarship applies (e.g. from 01/02/2023 to 31/01/2024)
• The exact amount of money awarded (during this study period)
• The letter must include a signature and stamp of the organisation awarding the scholarship
• The letter must be dated
• The letter must be written in Dutch, English, French or German or be accompanied by a translation by a certified translator

To prove that you have sufficient financial means of your own to fund your stay in the Netherlands, you must provide:

• A recent bank statement* for an account in your name
• OR, if you cannot provide a bank statement, a recent declaration from the bank signed and certified with a stamp of the bank

If you have a joint account, you must also submit written approval from the second account holder that you can freely dispose of the funds in the account.

*A bank statement is an official periodic (usually monthly or quarterly) statement issued by your bank, showing your account details together with the balance and any withdrawals or deposits made during the previous period. Official PDF e-statements are also accepted. Upload the downloaded e-statement itself. Screen shots cannot be accepted. The bank statement should cover a period of at least one month. You can view an example of a Financial E-statement sponsor form (pdf).

Criteria for a bank statement or bank declaration

The documents must contain the following information:

• Name and address of the bank
• Currency
• Name of the account holder(s). If you have a joint account, you must submit written approval from the second account holder that you can dispose of the amount specified.
• Balance
• Full account number
• Account type
• Date

The documents must:

• Be less than two months old. If you have already paid your invoice, the issue date of the bank document(s) must be AFTER the payment date.
• Show that the funds are freely accessible (e.g. no term/time deposits or share/stock portfolio).
• Show a balance sufficient for the first twelve months of your enrolment or the entire period of your exchange.
• Be issued in English, French, Dutch or German. If not, the document(s) must be translated by a certified translator (translations made by a lawyer or notary are not accepted).

Criteria for the bank account

The three account types that are generally accepted are current accounts, checking accounts and normal savings accounts (as long as the funds are freely accessible).

Loans, credit card accounts, investment accounts, share portfolios, equity funds, bonds, pension funds and mortgage accounts are not accepted.

Term/time deposit accounts cannot be accepted unless the bank document explicitly states that the balance is freely accessible at any time.

If you are not sure whether your bank documents will be accepted, please submit your digital application in OSIRIS as soon as possible for review. You will receive feedback on your documents by e-mail after one of our visa officers has reviewed your application. Please note that this can take some time, as we must check many applications during this period. Please be patient and await our e-mail.

Someone sponsors your stay in the Netherlands, for example your parents. To prove that you have a sponsor with sufficient financial means to fund your stay in the Netherlands, you must provide:

• A recent bank statement* for an account in your sponsor’s name.
• OR, if you cannot provide a bank statement, a recent declaration from your sponsor’s bank that is signed and certified with a stamp of the bank.
• AND a scan of your sponsor’s passport or ID card. In the case of a joint account, both account holders must sign the Financial Statement sponsor form.
• AND the Financial Statement Sponsor form (pdf), filled out and signed** by your sponsor(s).

*A bank statement is an official periodic (usually monthly or quarterly) statement issued by your bank, showing your account details together with the balance and any withdrawals or deposits made during the previous period. Official PDF e-statements are also accepted. Upload the downloaded e-statement itself. Screen shots cannot be accepted. The bank statement should cover a period of at least one month. You can view an example bank statement document here (PDF).

** The IND does NOT accept digital signatures. This means your sponsor(s) will need to print the form, fill it out, sign it with a pen and scan it.

Criteria for a bank statement or bank declaration

The documents must contain the following information:

• Name and address of the bank
• Currency
• Name of the account holder(s). If you have a joint account, you must submit written approval from the second account holder that you can dispose of the amount specified.
• Balance
• Full account number
• Account type
• Date

The documents must:

• Be less than two months old. If you have already paid your tuition fee, the issue date of the bank document(s) must be AFTER the payment date.
• Contain no indication that there is a hold on the funds (e.g. no term/time deposits or share/stock portfolio).
• Show a balance sufficient for the entire period of your stay, or at least the first.
• Be issued in English, French, Dutch or German. If not, the document(s) must be translated by a certified translator (translations made by a lawyer or notary are not accepted).

Criteria for the bank account

The three account types that are generally accepted are current accounts, checking accounts and normal savings accounts (as long as the funds are freely accessible).

Loans, credit card accounts, investment accounts, share portfolios, equity funds, bonds, pension funds and mortgage accounts are not accepted.

Term/time deposit accounts cannot be accepted unless the bank document explicitly states that the balance is freely accessible at any time.

If you are not sure whether your bank documents will be accepted, please submit your digital application in OSIRIS as soon as possible for review. You will receive feedback on your documents by e-mail after one of our visa officers has reviewed your application. Please note that this can take some time, as we must review many applications during this period. Please be patient and await our e-mail.