Visa / legal residence

It is always wise to start your legal residence procedure as soon as you receive the email from the UM Visa Office. This email will contain the deadline that applies to your specific situation. You can also find the deadlines for most situations below. Make sure that you meet all of the requirements set out in the email and complete your file before this deadline.  

If you are admitted to the study programme after the deadline or are not able to meet all of the other enrolment requirements, then your legal residence cannot be established in time, and you cannot be enrolled in your programme at Maastricht University. In that case, please withdraw your application from Studielink and re-apply for the next possible admissions date. 

For general information about how to provide proof of legal residence and whether or not you may need a visa and/or residence permit, please select your situation below. Please note that this list is not exhaustive and that your situation may not be covered. In this case, you will still receive an email from the UM Visa Office with detailed instructions regarding your specific situation.  

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

EEA countries 

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland. 

If you already have a Dutch residence permit for the purpose of studying 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 studying, 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: the required forms will be sent to you in the email from the Visa Office 

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. 

Deadline 

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

• 1 July when starting in September 
• 1 December when starting in February 
• 1 September when starting the Foundation Programme 

If you have a Dutch residence permit for a purpose other than studying, the following information applies. If you have a Dutch residence permit for the purpose of studying and wish to transfer to Maastricht University, please see the information in the previous section. 

Application requirements 

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

• a copy of your valid residence permit 
• completed forms: the required forms will be sent to you in the email from the Visa Office 

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 weeks before the first date of enrolment, which is: 

• 15 August when starting in September 
• 15 January when starting in February 
• 15 October when starting the Foundation Programme 

If you are a legal resident of Belgium, Germany (Nordrhein-Westfalen, Niedersachsen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland) or Luxemburg 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 

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 weeks before the first date of enrolment, which is: 

• 15 August when starting in September 
• 15 January when starting in February 
• 15 October when starting the Foundation Programme 

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 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 €228 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:   

• If you come from Australia, Canada, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, South Korea, United Kingdom, the United States or Vatican City and are going to study at Maastricht University (UM) for more than 90 days, then you need to apply for residence permit but do NOT need to apply for a visa. 
• If you come from another country and are you going to study at Maastricht University for more than 90 days AND 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 do NOT need to apply for a visa. 

*There are 27 Schengen countries: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. 

• If you come from a country other than one of those in the first bullet above and 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 visa.   

Tuition payment in one lump sum 

Please note that one of the requirements for a residence permit for the purpose of studying is that you pay the full tuition fees or enrolment fee in one lump sum before we can submit your residence permit and/or visa application to the IND.  

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 enrolment fee as communicated by the programme concerned. 

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 insurances. 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: The forms you need to complete will be sent to you by the UM Visa Office after you are admitted to your study programme. 
• Proof of payment of the legal fees (€228). 

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

Deadline 

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

• 1 July when starting in September 
• 1 December when starting in February 
• 1 September when starting the Foundation Programme 

Once you have a Dutch residence permit for the purpose of studying, 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. 

The UM Visa Office can only submit your visa and/or residence application to the IND after you have paid the full amount of the applicable tuition fees or enrolment fee for the first year of your studies by bank transfer to Maastricht University. 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 enrolment fee as communicated by the programme concerned. 

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

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 the purpose of studying, the UM Visa Office will automatically email you information about how to register with the municipality. 

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 re-apply 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 re-apply 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 re-apply 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 re-apply 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 (€228) 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 the purpose of studying. You can also keep checking the appointment schedule; new time slots can be added or open up due to cancellations. 

Can I still change the embassy where I will collect my visa? 
Yes, as long as your application has not yet been sent to the IND. After that, it can no longer be changed. 

Can I fly to an airport other than Amsterdam Schiphol? 
We strongly advise you to travel to Amsterdam Schiphol directly and not to fly into Germany or Belgium. The decision letter we provide you with is in Dutch and may not be understood by customs officials in neighbouring countries. 

I wish to travel home, but my (extended) 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 MVV 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 entering the Netherlands at Schiphol airport. If you have not received the letter yet, please email visa@maastrichtuniversity.nl. 

I am a national of Canada, 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 to make an appointment at the IND in Maastricht to collect my (extended) residence card. Can I still do that? 
Yes, you can make an appointment with IND in Maastricht by using the following appointment link: https://afspraak.mic.maastricht.nl/services 

I have opened a bank account. How can I get my deposit back? 
Please 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 to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_9362 for more information) 
• the account number 
• your full name and date of birth if different from the account holder