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Checklist

Passport

Validity

For the visa/residence permit application, your passport must be valid until at least 6 months after your study programme starts. If your passport expires before that date, you must renew it before the visa/residence permit deadline.

Passport scan

You must upload a legible scan of your passport when completing your digital application in OSIRIS. Make sure the passport scan includes:

• All your personal data
• Your signature
• The passport number
• Date of issue and expiration
• All other pages with relevant information (visas, stamps, renewals, etc.)

Important: if you currently hold a valid residence permit for another EU (European Union) country, upload a clearly legible scan of this document as well!

Proof of payment tuition fee + living expenses (Chinese Bachelor and Master students)

Please note this only applies to students from mainland China! This excludes Taiwan and Hong Kong.

After you have paid your invoice, you should obtain proof of payment. This document needs to be uploaded in Osiris. It must include the following details:

• Account number of the account the invoice was paid from
• Name of the account holder
• Name of the bank
• Payment date
• Amount transferred + currency
• Account number of the recipient (UU)
• Payment reference

Proof of financial means – Chinese exchange students

Please note this only applies to students from mainland China! This excludes Taiwan and Hong Kong.

For Chinese students, the IND does not accept Certificates of Deposit as proof of financial means. You will have to transfer the financial means for the official duration of your exchange period at Utrecht University to us in advance. For an exchange period of five months, this would mean an amount of 5 x €1225 = €6125. You can prove that you have sufficient financial means by transferring this amount.

NOTE: Per January 2024, the IND has significantly raised the minimum monthly living expenses. More information can be found on the IND’s website. We rounded the amount up to €1225, considering error margin and possible changes in exchange rate. Keep this in mind when applying for a scholarship or student loan.

The money will be kept in your name until you arrive in the Netherlands. Once you have arrived, you will need to open a Dutch bank account so we can refund your financial means.

The payment can only be made by bank transfer. We must receive the exact amount needed to prove your financial means. This means you must cover any costs associated with the transfer.

Information for the bank transfer:

Proof of financial means (other nationalities)

For the visa/residence permit application, you need to prove that you have sufficient financial means. The IND is extremely strict about the proof of financial means. It is important that your financial documents meet all the requirements, otherwise the IND will not grant your residence permit.

The IND needs proof that you can financially support yourself during your stay in the Netherlands. The IND has set a minimum monthly amount that students need to live. This considers average housing costs and living expenses. The minimum amount is €1225per month.

For the residence permit application, you must prove in advance that you have sufficient financial means for the first twelve months of your stay (for exchange students, this is the official period of your exchange at Utrecht University). For Utrecht University degree students, this is in addition to the money needed to pay the tuition fee. This means that you must have a minimum of 12 x €1225 = €14700 available and that you have not used this money to pay your tuition fee.

NOTE: Per January 2024, the IND has significantly raised the minimum monthly living expenses. More information can be found on the IND’s website. We rounded the amount up to €1225, considering error margin and possible changes in exchange rate. Keep this in mind when applying for a scholarship or student loan.

The full amount must be in your bank account in advance. For example, a bank statement showing a balance of €10,000 and an e-mail telling us you will get the other €4700 in July will not be accepted by the IND.

There are three ways to prove you have sufficient financial means:

1. Scholarship
2. You have your own financial means
3. You have a sponsor (a family member, for example), who does not live in the Netherlands

It is possible to combine funds from 1, 2 and 3.

Antecedents certificate

This form lists the declarations that the IND requires you to make and sign for. Read these declarations carefully and tick the applicable box.

When filling out the form, make sure that:

• you leave the field for the V-number blank
• the name you enter for 2.2 matches the name on your passport
• you fill out the place and date of signing for 2.4 (NOT your place/date of birth)
• your signature at 2.5 matches the signature in your passport

Important: the IND does NOT accept digital signatures. This means you will need to print the form, fill it out, sign it with a pen and scan it.

You can find the form here: Antecedents Certificate from the Immigration and Naturalisation service appendix (pdf).

Health insurance

Dutch law requires everyone living in the Netherlands to have adequate health insurance. This means you must provide proof that you have arranged an adequate health insurance policy for the visa/residence permit application.

If you are applying for an Utrecht University Bachelor or Master programme, your insurance must cover at least the first twelve months of your study programme. If you are an exchange student, your health insurance must cover at least your official exchange period at Utrecht University in the Netherlands.

We recommend the ICS Complete+ student insurance package from Aon, as the cover meets all the legal requirements for health insurance in the Netherlands. For more information please check: ICS Complete+ insurance. If you take out the Aon ICS Complete+ insurance policy, you must upload a copy of your Aon certificate as proof of health insurance cover. You can download this PDF file in your Aon account.

If you have another health insurance policy, you need to upload a copy of your insurance policy (in Dutch, English, French or German) and (if applicable) your health insurance card. Please note that we can only accept your insurance if it provides cover equivalent to the Aon student insurance package mentioned above. This includes cover (regardless of whether you actually need it) in the Netherlands for all of the following:

• Pre-existing medical conditions
• (Pre-existing) psychological conditions
• HIV/AIDS
• Medical costs of up to at least €500,000 (no excess)

You can read more about this subject on the health insurance page for non-EU/EEA students.

TB declaration – please check if this step applies to you

If the country of your nationality is not on the list of exemptions below, the IND requires you to complete a ‘Declaration of intent to undergo a TB test’. By completing and signing this form, you declare that you are prepared to undergo a tuberculosis (TB) test and – if necessary – treatment after your arrival in the Netherlands.

List of countries that are exempted to undergo the TB test.

If your country is not on the list, you need to fill out the following form: Declaration of intent to undergo a TB test from Immigration and Naturalisation Service appendix

When filling out the form, make sure that:

• you check the ‘yes’ box at 1.1
• you leave the V number at 1.2 blank
• your name and personal details match the details on your passport exactly
• you leave questions 2.4, 2.5 and 2.6 blank if you are 18 or older. If you are under 18, a parent or guardian must answer these questions. In this case, you also must supply a passport or ID scan of your parent/guardian's passport.

Important: the IND does not accept digital signatures. This means you will need to print the form, fill it out, sign it with a pen and scan it.

After arrival, take the TB test

If your nationality is not included in the exemption list, you will have to undergo a tuberculosis test in the Netherlands. You must take this test within three months of arriving. You will receive an e-mail with more information after the start of your studies.