How to Get a Student Visa for the Netherlands

If you are from the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you need no visa and no residence permit to study in the Netherlands — your passport or ID card is enough. If you are from outside the EU, you need a study residence permit, and most students also need an MVV entry visa; the two are applied for together. The part that catches people off guard: you cannot apply yourself. Your university or college must be an IND recognised sponsor and files the application on your behalf. Budget the €254 IND fee (2026) and be ready to show €13,569.24 in living funds for the year.

Do you need a student visa? (EU vs non-EU)

It comes down to your nationality, not your course.

• EU, EEA or Swiss nationals: no entry visa and no residence permit. You can move to the Netherlands and enrol on the strength of your passport or national ID card, which serves as your proof of lawful residence. Your main administrative task after arriving is to register with your municipality and get a BSN.
• Non-EU nationals: you need a study residence permit (verblijfsvergunning, or VVR). Most students also need an MVV — an entry visa in the form of a sticker in your passport — to travel to the Netherlands in the first place. These are normally handled together (see below).

If you are unsure which group you fall into, the deciding factor is the passport you hold, not where you have been living.

How the application works — your university applies

This is the single most important thing to understand about the Dutch student permit: the student does not apply — the school does.

Every institution that can enrol international students on a study permit must be an IND recognised sponsor (erkend referent). By law, only that recognised sponsor can submit the residence-permit application, and it does so on your behalf. You cannot walk into the IND or an embassy and file it yourself.

In practice this means:

1. You get admitted to a study programme at a recognised institution.
2. The school's international office collects your documents (passport, proof of admission, proof of funds, and so on).
3. The school submits the combined application to the IND under a procedure called TEV (Toegang en Verblijf — "Entry and Residence"), which bundles the MVV and the residence permit into one request.
4. You wait for the decision, collect your MVV at the embassy if you need one, travel, and then collect your residence card in the Netherlands.

So your job is to choose a recognised programme, respond quickly to your international office, and get your paperwork in order early. The immigration filing itself is theirs.

MVV vs residence permit — and who is exempt

Two documents, two stages:

• The MVV is your entry visa: a sticker your Dutch embassy or consulate abroad puts in your passport so you can travel to the Netherlands.
• The residence permit (VVR) is your residence card: the plastic card you collect in the Netherlands after arrival, which authorises you to stay and study.

Most non-EU students need both, applied for together via TEV. But nationals of some countries are MVV-exempt — they still need the residence permit, they just skip the embassy MVV step and travel on their passport, then collect the residence card once here.

MVV-exempt nationalities include: EU/EEA, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vatican City. If your nationality is on this list, the process is shorter — no embassy visa appointment — but you still go through your recognised sponsor for the residence permit. You can confirm the current list on the IND's MVV exemptions page.

What it costs

The IND fee in 2026 is €254.00. That single fee covers the combined study application, and it is the same figure for a first application (MVV plus residence permit), a change of purpose, or an extension. IND fees rose 4.4% on 1 January 2026, and they are reviewed every year, so always check the live figure before you budget.

A few things to keep in mind:

• The €254 is the immigration fee only. It does not include tuition — for that, see our guide to the cost of studying in the Netherlands.
• Some nationalities pay a reduced fee under association agreements between their country and the EU. If that might apply to you, check the IND fees and costs page rather than assuming the standard amount.

Proving you have enough money

To get the permit, you must show you can support yourself. For 2026 the required living-cost amount is €1,130.77 per month, which works out to €13,569.24 for a full year.

This figure is tied to the Dutch student-finance norm (WSF) and changes every 1 January, so use the current year's number. Two details worth flagging:

• It covers living costs only — tuition is on top of this.
• You usually prove it with a bank statement in your name, or with an official scholarship or sponsor declaration if someone else is funding you.

The current amount is published on the IND required amounts page.

How long it takes

The IND's legal decision period is up to 60 days. Because your university is a recognised sponsor, decisions often come faster in practice — but no shorter time is officially guaranteed, so plan around the 60-day maximum.

Start early. If you also need an MVV, factor in the time to book and attend an appointment at your Dutch embassy or consulate to collect the sticker before you travel. The realistic timeline is: admission first, then your school files with the IND, then (if applicable) the embassy step, then travel and collect your residence card. Leaving several months between your offer and the start of term is sensible.

Once you arrive and register with your municipality, your next practical step is getting your BSN — you need it to open a bank account, take a part-time job, and arrange the essentials of daily life.