Student Visa for the Netherlands: MVV, Residence Permit and Proof of Funds

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

In the Netherlands you do not apply for a student visa yourself. Your university or university of applied sciences applies to the immigration service, the IND, on your behalf. This guide reflects the rules in October 2026; amounts change every January.

Who needs what

• EU, EEA and Swiss citizens need no visa and no residence permit. If you stay longer than four months, you register with the municipality.
• Citizens of Australia, Canada, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vatican City need a residence permit but no entry visa (MVV).
• Everyone else needs both: an MVV, a provisional residence permit that lets you enter, and the residence permit for study itself (VVR). Both come in one procedure.

Your institution applies for you

Only the institution that admits you can apply for the permit, and it must be a sponsor recognised by the IND. The steps:

1. You are admitted to a full-time accredited programme.
2. The institution asks you for documents, including proof of funds and a signed statement (the "foreign national's own statement"), which you complete again each study year.
3. The institution submits the application and pays the IND fee of €254, which you pay through it.
4. The IND must decide within 60 days, a period it can extend.

Institutions set their own, earlier deadline for applicants who need a permit. Leiden University, for example, sets 1 April for bachelor's applicants who need a visa or residence permit.

Proof of funds

You must show you have enough money to live on for 12 months. For students at a university or university of applied sciences, the IND requires €1,130.77 a month in 2026, valid from 1 January to 31 December 2026. Tuition fees are not included in that amount.

The IND accepts several ways to prove it:

• money in a bank account in your own name
• a deposit to your institution's bank account
• a scholarship
• funds from a company, a person abroad, or someone in the Netherlands

You show your funds again at the start of every study year.

Health insurance

If you only study, you are not allowed to take out Dutch public health insurance. EU students can usually rely on the European Health Insurance Card; non-EU students take out private insurance. Once you take a paid job, Dutch basic health insurance becomes compulsory. See health insurance for students in Europe.

Collecting the MVV and travelling

After a positive decision, make an appointment at the Dutch embassy or consulate within 3 months to have the MVV put in your passport. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 more months. The MVV is valid for 90 days, so you must travel within that time.

After arrival

1. Collect your residence permit. The IND tells your institution when the card is ready, and you book an appointment to pick it up.
2. Register with the municipality in the Personal Records Database (BRP) if you stay longer than four months. The government asks you to do this within 5 days of arrival. Registration is free and gives you a citizen service number (BSN), which you need for a bank account, a job and health insurance.
3. Take a tuberculosis test if your institution says you need one, within 3 months of receiving your permit.

Working while you study

With a student permit you may work as an employee either up to 16 hours a week or full-time in June, July and August, not both. Your employer must get a work permit (TWV) for you. Internships that are part of your programme do not need one. EU students can work without limits. See working while studying in Europe.

Length of the permit and after graduation

The permit lasts as long as your programme plus three months, for at most five years. You must earn at least 50% of the credits in each study year.

Graduates of an accredited Dutch bachelor's programme can apply for an orientation year permit within three years of graduating. It lasts one year, lets you work without a TWV and also costs €254.

Where to look next

• How to get into a university in the Netherlands
• How much it costs to study in the Netherlands
• Credential evaluation for the Netherlands
• Student housing in the Netherlands

Official sources

• IND: residence permit for study
• IND: required amounts and income requirements for study
• IND: who needs an MVV
• Government.nl: what to arrange when moving to the Netherlands
• Study in NL: health insurance

Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.