Our International Office will apply for your visa and/or residence permit.
If you are officially admitted (or admitted under condition) for a study at Saxion, it is time to look at your immigration procedures. We will handle all immigration-related matters for you, but we understand you would like to know the process and what you need to do to successfully start your study in the Netherlands. (We strongly recommend no travel plans are made or costs are incurred until a decision regarding your visa application is made and the visa has been issued by the Dutch embassy)
Take the following steps so that we can apply for your visa or residence permit:
- Besides the documents mentioned under ‘categories’, we also require students to upload a copy of their passport including copies of all stamped pages.
- You can upload the documents via sis.saxion.nl with the following names:
- Immigration Application form
- Antecedents form
- Copy passport
- Please make sure of the following:
- Your passport contains a signature, which is equal to the signature on the immigration application form and antecedents form.
- Your passport should be valid for at least 3 more months after collecting your MVV entry visa/ travelling to the Netherlands.
- The documents you have uploaded cannot have a date which is 3 months prio.
After you have completed steps 1 and 2, and are unconditionally admitted, Saxion will apply for your visa and/or residence permit around June or July. We cannot give the exact date of application for your visa / residence permit.
Saxion University of Applied Sciences is only allowed to submit visa/residence permit applications to the IND 3 months prior to start of the study programme. For the September intake, the start date is 1 September. Saxion is only able to start with the visa/residence permit applications if a student is unconditionally admitted to the study programme. Please be aware that Saxion is not able to prioritise certain applications and cannot accelerate the application process for the visa and or residence permit.
From the moment we applied for the visa / residence permit it will approximately take 3 weeks before you will receive the approval e-mail from Saxion.
Students who need an entry visa: The official letter you need for your appointment at the Dutch Embassy will arrive within 2 weeks after your received the approval. This letter will be sent by the IND via postal to Saxion which takes some more time.
The IND will organize central residence permit pick-up days in Utrecht city, where international students must collect their residence permits. As soon as your residence permit is ready, you will receive an email from Saxion with more detailed information about the pick-up day.
Please note: you cannot make a pick-up appointment via the regular IND website, if you do so the IND will cancel this appointment and refer you to Saxion, because you can only collect your residence permit during the pick-up days. Saxion will inform you about around mid-August.
You do not have to worry about residing in the Netherlands without a physical residence permit card. Based on your approval letter/entry visa, you are legally in the Netherlands, waiting for your residence permit card to be ready. Nevertheless, it is mandatory to attend one of the central pick-up days.
Disclaimer:
- Saxion University of Applied Sciences retains the right to refuse to apply for a student visa/residence permit if there are significant concerns about the applicant's intended purpose of stay in the Netherlands.
- Saxion International Office acts as an intermediary and has no influence whatsoever on the outcome or duration of the visa application process
Start of application process
Saxion University of Applied Sciences is only allowed to submit visa/residence permit applications to the IND 3 months prior to start of the study programme. For the September intake, the start date is 1 September. Saxion is only able to start with the visa/residence permit applications if a student is unconditionally admitted to the study programme. Please be aware that Saxion is not able to prioritise certain applications and cannot accelerate the application process for the visa and or residence permit.
Insurance
Non-EU students for whom Saxion has applied for an AON insurance, please be aware of the start date of 15 August. If you enter the Netherlands before this date, you may not be insured and must arrange this yourself.
Proof of financial means:
For the visa and/or residence permit application, the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Services (IND) requires proof that you have sufficient financial means to support yourself during your study period in the Netherlands. The IND has set a minimum monthly amount that students need to live in the Netherlands. The payment of the tuition fee is not sufficient to prove your financial means.
How much do you need to prove?
You will find your exact proof of financial means amount on your invoice. The proof of financial means amount on the invoice may differ from what is mentioned above. This is only the case if Saxion will arrange insurance and accommodation for you, because these living costs (insurance and rental fee) are mentioned separately in the invoice and are therefore deducted from the proof of financial means amount mentioned in this document.
Studying longer than one year?
Please keep in mind that you need to demonstrate your proof of financial means for living expenses every academic year via a yearly "Authorisation IND re-enrolment" statement.
Payment financial means
The proof of financial means is part of the package fee invoice. You can find the payment deadline and bank details on the invoice. Please mention your student number and date of birth on the transfer.
The money will be kept in your name until you arrive in the Netherlands. Once you have arrived, you will need to open a Dutch bank account (or Revolut/Bunq account) so we can refund the financial means to your new personal (Dutch) bank account. Please be aware that opening a Dutch bank account, as well as the refund procedure, can take several weeks so we strongly advise students to bring enough money to sustain yourself in the first 2 months after arrival.
September 2025 intake (2025-2026)
The proof of financial means for one semester: €6.600*
The proof of financial means for one academic year/ 2 semesters: €13.200*
What category applies to you?
Categories overview
Nationals of EU/EEA states are not required by law to apply for a residence permit. Nor are they required to register with the Dutch immigration authorities. However, there may be some benefits to applying for a residence permit for the purpose of studying. For example, banks, employers or government institutions may require a valid residence document in certain circumstances (for example: to claim (housing) benefits).
The study term determines the residence document you would be eligible for. You are required to apply for the residence permit yourself at the IND. You can find more information on this website.
To be able to study in the Netherlands for a period over three (3) months, you need a residence permit (VVR) for the purpose of study. Saxion will process your application after receiving payment of your total package fee and the required documents.
Files to download
You need an entry visa (MVV) and a residence permit (VVR) for the purpose of study. Saxion will process your visa application after receiving payment of your total package fee and the required visa documents.
Files to download:
Prospective students with a NON-European Union nationality already living in the Netherlands with a valid residence permit for the purpose of:
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Privileged card from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
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Au-pair;
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Study.
As a new student Saxion University of Applied Sciences has the obligation to inform the Dutch Immigration Service (IND) about your study at Saxion. If applicable we will also apply for the extension of your residence permit.