Visa / legal residence

Are you a non-EEA student coming to Maastricht University (UM) for your studies? Then you need to provide proof of legal residence in the Netherlands as part of the enrolment requirements. The procedure you need to follow, and whether you need a visa (MVV) and/or residence permit (VVR), depends on your nationality and where you live.

Understanding the role of the UM Visa Office

Under Dutch law, students are not permitted to apply for a study residence permit on their own. The Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) is responsible for implementing the Netherlands’ foreign national policy.

Maastricht University is a recognised sponsor with the IND. In this role, the university has specific responsibilities: we review and submit all residence permit applications on behalf of our students. The IND then assesses whether the student meets all legal requirements and makes the final decision.

Student immigration and admission processes

Once you have been offered conditional admission to your study programme, the UM Visa Office will contact you via your private email address. This communication will be sent according to the start date of your programme:

Start in September: from early April
Start in February: from early October

If you are admitted to your study programme after these periods, you will receive an email from the UM Visa Office shortly after you have been offered a place.

The email will clearly explain the next steps you need to take and specify which documents are required to demonstrate your legal residence. Submitting your immigration documents on time - before the deadline - is essential to complete your enrolment. If your documents and/or payment(s) are not received by the deadline, your enrolment will be considered incomplete and cannot be processed.

To ensure that you receive this important message, we strongly recommend adding visa@maastrichtuniversity.nl to your safe sender's list and checking your spam folder regularly.

Click here for:

Information for current UM students about visa / legal residence

What is next?

Note that a visa (MVV) is not the same as a residence permit (VVR). Therefore, let's figure out together what best fits your situation in the options listed below.

Note that this overview is not exhaustive, and your specific situation may not be listed. Regardless, you will always receive an email from the UM Visa Office with detailed, personalised instructions.

EU/EEA or Swiss nationals: no immigration process required

If you hold a valid passport from the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, you do not need a visa or a residence permit to live in the Netherlands. You will therefore not receive an email from the UM Visa Office. Your valid passport (or ID card) serves as proof that your stay in the Netherlands is legal, and you do not need to register with the IND.

Holders of a valid Dutch residence permit for study, transferring to Maastricht University

If you already have a Dutch residence permit for study and wish to transfer to Maastricht University, UM has to take over the responsibility from your previous institution. If you have a Dutch residence permit for a purpose other than study, please see the information in the following section.

Application requirements

You will need to provide the following to the UM Visa Office: 

A copy of your valid residence permit
Proof of sufficient financial means of € 1,250 for each month you will be enrolled. You have several options for submitting proof: By a deposit, scholarship, personal bank account or sponsorship
Completed forms: You will find the required forms in the Legal Residence Manual you can download at the end of a flowchart with which you determine the applicable procedure. The link to this flowchart will be sent to you in our first communication.

Once the UM Visa Office has received all of the required documents, we will apply for your residence permit to be transferred. Establishing your legal residence will take another five weeks on average.

Study progress requirement

Once you have a Dutch residence permit for study, you are required by law to meet a study progress requirement. To keep your residence permit, you are required to obtain at least 50% of the possible ECTS education credits per year for your study programme. You need to meet this requirement each year that you study at Maastricht University. This rule does not apply if you participate in an exchange programme.

Deadline

The deadline for completing your file with the UM Visa Office is two months before the first date of enrolment, which is:

Start in September: 30 June 23:59:59 CET
Start in February: 30 November 23:59:59 CET

Holders of a valid Dutch residence permit for a purpose other than study

If you have a Dutch residence permit for a purpose other than study, the following information applies.

Application requirements

You will need to provide the following to the UM Visa Office:

A copy of your valid residence permit
Completed forms: You will find the required forms in the Legal Residence Manual you can download at the end of a flowchart with which you determine the applicable procedure. The link to this flowchart will be sent to you in our first communication.

Once the UM Visa Office has received all required documents, your legal residence can be established immediately.

Deadline

The deadline for completing your file with the UM Visa Office is two months before the first date of enrolment, which is:

Start in September: 30 June 23:59:59 CET
Start in February: 30 November 23:59:59 CET

Commuters from Belgium, Germany or Luxembourg

If you are a legal resident of Belgium, Germany (living in Nordrhein-Westfalen, Niedersachsen, Rheinland-Pfalz, or Saarland) or Luxembourg and wish to continue living there and commute to Maastricht University during your studies, the following information applies.

Application requirements

You will need to provide the following to the UM Visa Office:

A copy of your valid residence permit
A recent copy of your municipal registration
A completed statement that you will not be living in the Netherlands during your studies. You will find the required statement in the Legal Residence Manual you can download at the end of a flowchart with which you determine the applicable procedure. The link to this flowchart will be sent to you in our first communication.

Once the UM Visa Office has received all required documents, your legal residence can be established immediately.

Deadline

The deadline for completing your file with the UM Visa Office is two months before the first date of enrolment, which is:

Start in September: 30 June 23:59:59 CET
Start in February: 30 November 23:59:59 CET

International applicant, but none of the above

If you are an international applicant who does not belong to one of the above categories and you wish to live in the Netherlands to study at Maastricht University for more than 90 days, you need to apply for a Dutch residence permit (VVR), and you may need to apply for a visa (MVV).

The UM Visa Office will help you through every step of the application process. Their service is free of charge. However, you must pay the legal fees of € 254,00 for the Dutch residence permit application. The fees stay the same if you also have to apply for a visa. The residence permit (and visa, if applicable) will be valid for the duration of your study programme.

Do you need a visa?

Please see the situations below to find out if you will need to apply for a visa in addition to a residence permit:

In case you are a national of Australia, Canada, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom, the United States, or Vatican City, and you are going to study at Maastricht University for more than 90 days, then you need to apply for a residence permit, but you do not need to apply for a visa.
In case you come from another country and are going to study at Maastricht University for more than 90 days, and you have a residence permit for one of the Schengen countries that is valid beyond your first day of enrolment, then you need to apply for a residence permit, but you do not need to apply for a visa.
In case you come from a country other than one of those in the first bullet above and you are going to study at Maastricht University for more than 90 days, then you need to apply for both a residence permit and a visa.

The legal fees, the general application requirements and the deadlines are the same if you need to apply for only a residence permit or for both a residence permit and a visa.

Application requirements

To apply for a Dutch residence permit (and a visa, if applicable), you will need to provide the following to the UM Visa Office:

Copy of your passport: The passport should bear your signature and be valid until at least six months after your programme starts
Evidence of sufficient financial resources: You must be able to prove that you have enough funds to cover at least € 1,250 per month for rent, food and insurance. The UM Visa Office will inform you about how you can show this proof, but note that regular degree students can only do this by:
- depositing the funds in the Maastricht University account, and/or
- showing verifiable proof of an institutional or educational scholarship
Completed forms: You will find the required forms in the Legal Residence Manual you can download at the end of a flowchart with which you determine the applicable procedure. The link to this flowchart will be sent to you in our first communication.
Proof of payment of the legal fees (€ 254,00)

Once your file with the UM Visa Office is complete, we will submit the residence permit application (and visa application, if relevant) to the IND. This must be sent at least two months before the start date of your study programme.

Do not travel to the Netherlands until after you have received a positive decision regarding your residence permit application.

Tuition payment in one lump sum

Please note that one of the requirements for a residence permit for study is that you pay the full tuition fees, or study fees, in one lump sum before the deadline. Only then can we submit your residence permit and/or visa application to the IND. This means that payment in instalments or by debit authorisation is not possible because, in both cases, the payment will arrive past the deadline for the visa and/or residence permit application.

For a degree programme (bachelor’s, master’s or PhD training programme), you pay tuition fees.
For all other programmes, except for regulated exchange programmes like Erasmus, you will have to pay the study fees as communicated by the programme concerned.

Study progress requirement

Deadline

The deadline for completing your file with the UM Visa Office is two months before the first date of enrolment, which is:

Start in September: 30 June 23:59:59 CET
Start in February: 30 November 23:59:59 CET

Choose your individual situation:

Deadlines

We strongly recommend starting your legal residence procedure as soon as you receive the email from the UM Visa Office. This message will clearly state the deadline that applies to your specific situation. For many situations, the relevant deadlines are also listed in the above options.

Start in September: 30 June 23:59:59 CET
Start in February: 30 November 23:59:59 CET

Please ensure that you meet all requirements outlined in the email and that your file is fully completed before the deadline. If you are admitted to a study programme after the deadline, or if you are unable to meet the enrolment requirements (as communicated by the relevant admissions office) in time, your legal residence cannot be arranged before the start of your studies. As a result, you will not be able to enrol in your programme at Maastricht University. In such cases, you must withdraw your application in Studielink and submit a new application for the next available admission period.

Additional important information

Below you will find additional information you need to take into account when living and studying in the Netherlands.

Health insurance

As a non-Dutch student, you are required to have health insurance when you live and study in the Netherlands.

Municipal registration

As soon as you have an address in the Netherlands, you must register as a resident in the respective municipality. As your residence permit is linked to your municipal registration, it is your own responsibility to keep your registration up to date and to consider the consequences of moving and travelling abroad. If you require a visa and/or residence permit for study, the UM Visa Office will automatically email you information about how to register with the municipality.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I start my legal residence procedure if I have not yet met all other requirements for enrolment?

Yes, provided that you have received an email from the UM Visa Office and that you will meet all other requirements for enrolment before the file completion deadline. If not, your legal residence cannot be established in time, and you cannot be enrolled. In that case, please withdraw your application from Studielink and reapply for the next possible admissions date.

Should I start my legal residence procedure if I have a pending scholarship application?

Yes, provided that you have received an email from the UM Visa Office, that the decision on the scholarship will be made before the file completion deadline, and that you meet all other requirements for enrolment. If not, your legal residence cannot be established in time, and you cannot be enrolled. In that case, please withdraw your application from Studielink and reapply for the next possible admissions date.

Should I start my legal residence procedure if I have not yet graduated from my previous education programme?

Yes, provided that you have received an email from the UM Visa Office, that you will graduate before the file completion deadline, and that you meet all other requirements for enrolment. If not, your legal residence cannot be established in time, and you cannot be enrolled. In that case, please withdraw your application from Studielink and reapply for the next possible admissions date.

What if I am admitted after the file completion deadline?

Then your legal residence cannot be established in time, and you cannot be enrolled. In that case, please withdraw your application from Studielink and reapply for the next possible admissions date.

Do I get all my money back when I cannot or do not complete my enrolment?

When you cannot or do not enrol in a study programme, your tuition fees and/or deposit for financial means will be refunded upon request. The legal fees (€254) will only be refunded when your visa/residence permit application has not yet been sent to the IND.

My visa was approved, but my appointment at the embassy takes too long. What can I do?

When booking an appointment online, first check whether you selected the correct appointment, which is for a long stay visa (MVV) for study. You can also keep checking the appointment schedule; new time slots can be added or opened up due to cancellations.

Can I change the embassy where I will collect my visa?

Yes, as long as the UM Visa Office has not yet sent your application to the IND. After that, it can no longer be changed.

Can I fly to an airport other than Amsterdam Schiphol?

Yes, as long as you bring the official approval letter from the IND with you and, if applicable, have the valid visa (MVV) in your passport. However, we strongly advise travelling directly to Amsterdam Schiphol, as the IND approval letter is in Dutch and may not be understood by customs in neighbouring countries.

I wish to travel home, but my residence card is not ready yet. What do I do?

If your application has been submitted but your residence card is not ready yet, you can only travel with a return visa sticker that has to be placed in your passport by the IND. Make an appointment with the IND online or call them at +31 88 0430 430 for more information.

I received news that my visa is approved, and the embassy informed me that I have to bring the decision letter with me. How do I get this letter?

The decision letter will be sent to you via email. Your embassy may request it, but it is also important that you have the letter with you when travelling to the Netherlands. If you have not received the letter yet, please email visa@maastrichtuniversity.nl

I am a national of Canada, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Monaco or Vatican City. Can I travel to the Netherlands without the decision letter of the IND?

No, the decision letter has been provided to all students whose applications were approved and has to be brought with you when travelling to the Netherlands. If you have not received the letter yet, please email visa@maastrichtuniversity.nl

I have opened a bank account. How can I get my deposit back?

Only after your first day of enrolment, you must send an email to visa@maastrichtuniversity.nl with your full International Bank Account Number (IBAN), your name as it appears on the bank card, and your UM student ID number. We will then transfer the deposit within five working days.

If you want to have your deposit transferred to a non-Dutch bank account, it takes approximately 15 working days. In that case, we need the following details:

name (exactly as it appears on the bank card) and full address of the account holder
name and full address of the bank
the BIC and/or SWIFT code of the bank
the IBAN code of the account, if any (please refer here for more information)(please refer here for more information)
the account number
your full name and date of birth if different from the account holder