Universiteit Maastricht

Information entry visa


This information is intended for international students coming to Maastricht University to study for more than 3 months and who hold passports issued by the following countries:


Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua & Bermuda, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo Brazzaville, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Northern Mariana Islands, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome & Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.


Please note that if your registration is going to be less than 3 months, you should apply for a tourist visa directly at your local Dutch embassy. Please check the IND webiste for more information and indicate “holiday” as the reason for your stay.


NB As this information changes frequently, please visit these web pages regularly.


Visa

International students coming to study at Maastricht University for more than 3 months are required to apply for a visa and residence permit BEFORE arriving in the Netherlands.


How to apply
International students are not allowed to apply for a study visa themselves. That is why your visa application has to go through the Maastricht University Visa Office.


The application process
Once you have been admitted to a program at Maastricht University, your name and registration period will be forwarded to the Visa Office. The Visa Office will then send you an e-mail with all information and requirements for the visa procedure. You will first be asked to submit scanned documents digitally by e-mail, so that the Visa Office can check whether they meet the requirements. Once they do, you will be informed on this and, if necessary, asked to send originals of certain documents by courier.


You will also have to pay the legal fee for the visa and the residence permit (which is € 600), unless you have been awarded a scholarship from Maastricht University.


Requirements


A. Copy of your passport

Your passport must be valid until at least one month after the end of your registration period at Maastricht University. If you have already travelled to the Netherlands before you must send us a copy of all pages of your passport. This will avoid delays to your application. If you have already had a visa or Residence Permit application refused for any reason, it will also be helpful to send us copies of any letters you have received at that time, indicating the reason for refusal. Again, this will help to avoid delays.


B. Proof of sufficient financial means
The Dutch Immigration Service also requires proof that you are able to support yourself financially in the Netherlands during your registration period.


This amount is considered a minimum to pay for your rent, food, insurance and other general expenses during your period of study, but not any tuition fees. Your options to prove sufficient financial means depend on whether you are a degree seeking (bachelor or master) or an exchange student.


If you are a degree seeking student, you are required to prove the availability of € 820 for each month you are registered (or € 28 for each day). Your options to prove this are:

  • OPTION 1 Deposit the required amount into the account of the Visa Office. The legal fees will be deducted from this amount and the remainder will be refunded to you upon request after arrival in the Netherlands.
  • OPTION 2 Proof of a scholarship, covering the required amount.


    These options are the easiest and fastest ones. You can also combine them.

If you are an exchange student, you are required to prove the availability of € 820 for each month you are registered (or € 28 for each day). Your options to prove this are:

  • OPTION 1 Deposit the required amount into the account of the Visa Office. The legal fees will be deducted from this amount and the remainder will be refunded to you upon request after arrival in the Netherlands.
  • OPTION 2 Proof of a scholarship, covering the required amount.
  • OPTION 3 Proof of enough money in your own bank account.
  • OPTION 4 Proof of financial support by a company or a private person, either in the Netherlands or abroad.


    You may combine these options, but from experience, the Visa Office recommends option 1 or 2, because these are the easiest and fastest.

The Visa Office will e-mail you personally regarding these options and the documentation required to ensure that the documents you supply meet the requirements of the Dutch Immigration Service. Please do NOT send any documents to the Visa Office regarding finances until you have been asked to do so.


C. Completed consent form

In the e-mail you will receive with all information and requirements for the visa procedure, there is also a consent form you have to complete. On this form you provide additional information and by signing the form you authorize the Visa Office to act on your behalf concerning residence issues.

D. Fees

Maastricht University does not charge students for the services of the Visa Office. However, Dutch Immigration does charge for the processing of applications.
These so-called legal fees are: Visa €300 + Residence Permit (VVR) €300 = TOTAL €600


The legal fees must be transferred to the Visa Office bank account in advance, unless:

  • you have a scholarship from Maastricht University that covers your legal fees.
  • you prove sufficient financial means by depositing the required amount of money in the Visa Office bank account (in that case the legal fees will be deducted from your deposit)
  • your study program has offered to pay the legal fees for you and you were informed if on this.

E. NUFFIC-certificate

Chinese students must submit a NUFFIC-certificate for their visa application.


How long will the process take?

After submission of a your application it will take approximately five weeks for your application to be dealt with by Dutch Immigration. The Visa Office will be notified of the approval and will inform you (usually on the same day) that your visa can be collected from your local Dutch Embassy or Consulate. Please take into account that there will be a processing time at your Embassy as well, which may vary from a few days to a few weeks.


Collection of your visa

The Visa Office will receive approval of your application from Dutch Immigration. You will receive an e-mail from the Visa Office informing you of the approval of your application and what you have to do after that.

You will then make an appointment to go to your local Dutch embassy to collect your visa.


Travel arrangements
We strongly recommend that you do not book your travel to the Netherlands until you have received approval of your visa and have contacted your local Embassy to make an appointment to collect it. Maastricht University cannot guarantee the processing time of Dutch Immigration and therefore cannot guarantee the date by which your application will be approved.


Validity of your visa
Your visa will be valid for six months from the date of travel and cannot be extended. In the first 3 months of this period, you can freely travel in and out of the Netherlands and the Schengen-area. After these 3 months you need a residence permit to do so. However, because your residence permit will be ready on arrival in the Netherlands, your visa will become void  as soon as you receive your actual residence permit. With your residence permit you can travel to all Schengen countries for as long as your residence permit is valid. The date that you will be able to pick up your residence permit will be mentioned in the information set you will receive from us. Dutch Immigration will come to Maastricht University on this date to hand out your residence card.



Validity of your Residence Permit
Your Residence Permit will be valid for your registration period, but never longer than one year.


Students who will be studying at Maastricht University for more than one year, including those following a Bachelor’s or 2 year Master’s program or those who are following a preparatory year, such as a language course or a pre-Master’s program before joining either a Bachelor’s or Master’s program, will need to extend their Residence Permit each year.


An application for an extension to your Residence Permit must be sent to Dutch Immigration two months before your Permit expires and while you are still in the Netherlands.


Again, the Visa Office will guide and support you through the process. More information will be given to you at the appropriate time.


Additional requirements


Tuberculosis screening

International students from the following countries are required to be screened for tuberculosis:

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua & Bermuda, Argentina Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo Brazzaville, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Northern Mariana Islands, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, , Russian Federation, Rwanda, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome & Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.


This can only be done after your arrival in the Netherlands and only by the Dutch Municipal Health Authority (GGD). You will be extensively informed on this subject during the meeting for the completion of the Residence Permit.


Registration at City Hall
Different countries have different ways of recording their population – some countries choose to carry out a census every 10 years, but the Netherlands has a system whereby a so-called Municipal Records Database (GBA) is maintained on a daily basis, recording the most important information about the population. Dutch law therefore requires all those living in the Netherlands (both Dutch and non-Dutch nationals) to register in the GBA at City Hall in the area in which they live in order to keep this database up-to-date.


If you will be living somewhere other than Maastricht, you must contact your local City Hall yourself to arrange for your registration. However, if you will be living in Maastricht, you can take care of your GBA-registration when picking up your residence permit. City hall representatives will be available on this day to take care of your GBA registration. For that, you need to take the following to the meeting:

  • your original passport
  • your full address in Maastricht (street, house number, room number and postal code)
  • a legalised birth certificate (only in case you are staying longer than one year). Please contact your local Dutch embassy on the exact requirements the certificate should meet.

Your GBA-registration will be finalized after the meeting and within 4 weeks time you will receive an overview of your registered data and a Citizen Service Number. (BSN number)



Additional issues


Work

Although it is easy to survive in the Netherlands without speaking Dutch, it is difficult to get a job here, even part time, without some knowledge of the Dutch language.


If you want to work alongside your studies, you will also have to ask your employer to apply for a Work Permit on your behalf. Please visit our webpage for more information on this subject. 


Important

The process of applying for both your visa and your Residence Permit (VVR) is a joint effort between you and the Visa Office. We need your help and cooperation to ensure your application is dealt with quickly, efficiently and successfully.


Please mind the following:

  • Check your e-mail regularly. The Visa Office will contact you via e-mail about your application. In order to avoid delay, we need you to respond quickly if we have any additional requests or questions.
  • Follow the instructions given to you by the Visa Office. Our expertise will ensure that, if you follow the instructions given, there should be no problems with your application.
  • Contact the Visa Office if you do not understand the instructions given to you.
    We are more than happy to explain what is required via e-mail because it is important that you understand what is required.
  • Bring an originally legalized birth certificate with you for your registration at City Hall if you are planning to be registered longer than one year. The certificate should not be older than six months and should be translated if the original language is not Dutch, English, German or French. Do not forget to find out from your local Dutch embassy whether additional stamps and/or a translation of the document is required.