Required documents for a Dutch Study Residence Permit application
For your Dutch student residence permit application, the Dutch immigration service requires a few documents. Check the below checklist to prepare your application file.
Make sure to follow the checklist and collect all the required documents. We cannot proceed with your application if your file is incomplete. The Dutch immigration service is very strict, so all documents must be in order and according to the below descriptions.
Validity
For the visa and/or 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 and/or 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!
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
If you will be receiving a scholarship, please upload your scholarship award letter.
Exchange students are exempted from paying the tuition fee.
For the visa and/or 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 €1225 per 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 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:
- Scholarship
- You have your own financial means
- 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.
Criteria bank statement
The bank statement must have the following information:
- Name and address of the bank
- Currency
- Name of the account holder(s). If you have a joint account, you need to submit written approval from the second account holder that you can dispose of the amount specified.
- Balance
- Full account number
- Account type
- Date
In addition, the documents must:
- Be less than two months old. If you have already paid your tuition fee, the bank document(s) issue date must be AFTER the payment date.
- Hold no sign 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 year.
- 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).
Transfer living expenses to Utrecht University
Please note this initially only applies to students from mainland China. This excludes Taiwan and Hong Kong.
If you are from mainland China, you will receive a different invoice in which the amount for living expenses is included (separately mentioned). If you are not from mainland China, but you do wish to transfer the living expenses to Utrecht University, please contact visa@uu.nl and we will send you an updated invoice.
Exchange students from mainland China: 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.
The payment can only be made by bank transfer (details are mentioned on the invoice). We must receive the exact amount needed to prove your financial means. This means you must cover any costs associated with the transfer.
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.
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 changes in exchange rate. Keep this in mind when applying for a scholarship or student loan.
Bank details:
Please note that any additional bank charges should be covered by the payer of this invoice. Please transfer the amount before the deadline (15 June) using the payment information below:
Bank name | ABN AMRO, Amsterdam |
Bank account number | NL26ABNA0628400624 |
Swift/BIC Code | ABNANL2A |
Bank address | Gustav Mahlerlaan 10 |
In the name of | Universiteit Utrecht |
Important: Payment reference must include the name, date of birth and student number of the student.
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).
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.’
List of countries that are exempted from 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
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.
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 in, 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.