(For information on the Working Holiday Program please follow this link: workingholidayprogram.doc (23 Kb)

Be sure to allow plenty of time for preparations. You will need to start planning your stay at least a year in advance. And if you also have to apply for a visa and a scholarship, you should start even earlier than that! Remember, the academic year in the Netherlands runs from the end of August to the middle of June.

Checklist: The first steps you need to take:

1. Examine the available study programmes and choose the one that interests you most. To avoid disappointment, make some second choices as well. You might find our website useful: www.studyin.nl.

2. Contact the Dutch embassy or the student dean or international relations office of your own institution to find out about scholarship and exchange opportunities.

3. Contact the institution in the Netherlands that offers the programme you have chosen, and ask for more information about admission requirements, etc.

4. If the programme is suitable and you meet the requirements, follow the institution’s procedure for gaining admission.

5. At the same time, check which immigration regulations apply to you. You will probably need a visa, for example. You will find this information on our special website: www.nuffic.nl/immigration.

6. Gather together all the documents which the Dutch immigration authorities require in your case: for example, a provisional statement of admission from the host institution, a legalized birth certificate, and evidence of your financial situation. If you need an entry visa (‘MVV’), ask your host institution if they can arrange it on your behalf.

7. Ask the host institution about arranging a place for you to live.

8. Check whether your current health insurance provides sufficient coverage for you while you are in the Netherlands.

9. Once all of your papers are in order, you can then start making your travel plans.

Visas, residence permits and work permits

To enter the Netherlands for study purposes, people from most countries need a visa. This is stamped into your passport at the Dutch embassy or consulate in your own country, but it must be applied for well in advance. For a stay of less than three months, you might need a ‘short stay visa’ (Visum Kort Verblijf ), depending on your nationality. Check the website www.ind.nl {www.ind.nl} or ask your local Dutch embassy or consulate for advice.

If you will be staying for longer than three months, you might need an ‘authorization for temporary stay’ (Machtiging tot Voorlopig Verblijf, or MVV). This requirement does not apply to citizens of EU/EEA member states, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Switzerland or Monaco. The regular application procedure for an MVV may take three to six months, sometimes even longer. The Dutch host institution can apply for an MVV on your behalf using a fast-track procedure. But to do this, the institution must give the authorities a guarantee, which they sign on your behalf. Institutions will not

always agree to do this, but even if they do, they will specify certain conditions. It is worth asking the institution about the fast-track procedure, however, because if they say yes, you will save both time and trouble.

Within three days of arriving in the Netherlands, all foreign nationals must register with the local authorities. Those intending to stay for longer than three months also need to obtain a residence permit (verblijfsvergunning). You may need this even if you did not require a visa to enter the country. The administration fee is rather high and currently stands at €430 (April 2004). Nationals of EU member states are not strictly required to have a residence permit, but it is advisable for them to obtain a ‘residence document’ to avoid hassles when dealing with certain authorities and companies. For EU nationa ls,

the residence document costs only EUR 28.

In order to follow an internship or work placement in the Netherlands, students from outside the EU or EEA need a work permit (Tewerkstellingsvergunning ) in addition to their entry visa. Your employer must apply for this permit for you. You also need a work permit if you want to take paid work alongside your

studies. This is allowed on either a part-time or a seasonal basis: either less than ten hours a week yearround, or full-time during the months of June, July and August. For more information about all of these procedures, please visit our website: www.nuffic.nl/immigration {www.nuffic.nl/immigration}.

Insurance

Dutch law requires that everyone living in the Netherlands be covered by health insurance. But this insurance is not automatic in the Netherlands. Students must themselves make sure that they have adequate coverage. If the insurance you have in your own country provides full cover for medical costs and legal liability while you are in the Netherlands, you should bring with you a statement (in English) detailing the insurance cover. If you do not have adequate coverage, you will have to take out a policy. The student dean at your host institution or Nuffic can provide you with more information.

Money

Experience shows that to live in the Netherlands for one year costs a foreign student between 700 and 900 euros a month. This is needed to cover daily expenses and to pay the registration and tuition fees. You cannot rely on finding a source of additional income after you arrive. The institutions do not have funds for supporting students. And unless you are from an EU member state, your opportunities for finding work are restricted. But even if you could get a job, you would probably find that you need all your time for your studies. If you are from an EU member state, however, you are fortunate because you may be entitled to a regular student grant or to a refund of the tuition fee. For specific information, contact the Informatie Beheer Groep by telephone on +31 (0)50 599 77 55 or via the Internet: www.ib-groep.nl.

Although differences between incomes are small in the Netherlands, most students live towards the bottom of the economic ladder. If you have an average student income –from a scholarship, for example — you will find that one-third of it will go towards housing, and food will cost you another third.

Fortunately, most higher education institutions offer hot meals at reasonable prices. Many cities have pubs (called eetcafé’s) where you can eat cheaply and well. But the cheapest and most pleasant way to eat is to do your own cooking, perhaps together with housemates. Dutch supermarkets carry a large and

international variety of products. The remaining third of your money will go towards books, transportation, and other expenses.

Housing

If you are taking part in an exchange programme or are enrolled in an international course, it is quite possible that a room will be arranged for you. Accept it immediately, or you will regret it later! Finding a place to live in a country as crowded as the Netherlands is not easy. It is very common for Dutch students to find their own rented rooms on the private market. These are generally unfurnished, and kitchens and bathrooms are often shar ed with others. If you wish, you can always try to find your own rented room once you have been here for a few months.

So before you leave your own country, ask your host institution whether or not housing will be arranged for you in advance. If you are in the Netherlands and still looking for a place, ask for advice from the international relations office or the student dean. And let your fellow students know you need a room. It will be up to you to take the initiative.

Transport

In the Netherlands, you do not really need a car to get around. Public transport will take you almost anywhere. Although train and bus fares are not particularly cheap, it costs much more to operate a car. Particularly in the western part of the country, the cities are easily accessible by train, even at night.

The bicycle is the cheapest and easiest way to get around, especially if you live in a city. Most Dutch people, regardless of their profession or status, own a bicycle. Buy a second-hand one rather than a new one. This will save you money, but be sure to buy a strong lock. Sometimes a lock costs more than the bicycle itself!

Student life

The higher education institutions are scattered throughout the country and very few of them have campuses. The buildings of a single university might even be scattered throughout a city. Nevertheless, there is certainly a student culture. Around each institution a network of associations brings students together for study-related activities, sports and recreation. These associations are run by students and some are internationally oriented. Students also have their favourite pubs, restaurants and other meeting places. The Dutch higher education community seeks to be part of society, and not isolated from it.