Indian students do not apply for a Dutch student visa on their own. Your Dutch university, as a recognised sponsor, applies to the immigration service (IND) for both your entry visa and your residence permit in one go. Your part is to provide documents, show the money, collect the visa sticker in India and pick up the permit after you land. This guide walks through every step using the IND, Netherlands Worldwide and government.nl pages as published at the time of writing.
- The IND currently lists a fee of 254 euros for a study residence permit and asks university and HBO students to show 1,130.77 euros a month
- Both amounts are valid for one calendar year and are updated every 1 January
- The IND decision period is 60 days.
What Is the Netherlands Student Visa for Indian Students?
For a course longer than 90 days, Indian students need two documents: a provisional residence permit, called an MVV, which is a visa sticker for entering the Netherlands, and a residence permit for study. Your university applies for both together, which the IND calls the entry and residence (TEV) procedure.
The MVV is valid for 90 days and is only for travel and entry. The residence permit is the card that lets you live and study in the Netherlands. The IND says it lasts three months longer than your study programme, up to a maximum of five years. Courses of 90 days or less use a short-stay Schengen visa instead.
Who Applies for the Dutch Student Residence Permit?
Only your educational institution can apply. The IND says the university or university of applied sciences must be a recognised sponsor, which means it has signed the Code of Conduct for international students. You cannot submit the application yourself. Check that your institution appears on the IND public register of recognised sponsors before you accept an offer.
Once you accept your place, the university's international office sends you a list of documents and asks you to pay the IND fee and, often, the funds it needs to see. It then submits everything to the IND online. The IND tells the university its decision, and the university tells you.
What Are the Steps for the Netherlands Student Visa?
Accept your offer, send the university your documents and the fee, and let it apply to the IND. After a positive decision, book an appointment at the Dutch embassy or a consulate in India within three months to get the MVV sticker. Travel within the MVV's 90 days, then collect your residence permit in the Netherlands.
- Accept your offer and complete the university's visa request form
- Upload your passport, proof of funds and any other documents it asks for
- Pay the IND fee through the university
- Wait for the IND decision; the university passes it on with your V number
- Book an MVV appointment in New Delhi, Mumbai or Bengaluru within three months
- Hand in your passport; it can take up to 10 working days to get it back with the sticker
- Travel to the Netherlands and collect your residence permit at the IND desk named in your letter
How Much Money Do You Need to Show for a Dutch Student Visa?
For a university or HBO programme, the IND currently asks for 1,130.77 euros a month. For a twelve-month year that comes to about 13,569 euros, by our own calculation. This is on top of tuition. Your university decides how you prove it, often by transferring the amount to the university or showing a bank statement or scholarship letter.
The IND sets these amounts for one calendar year, from 1 January to 31 December, so the figure may change if your application goes in after the new year. Scholarships and sponsor declarations can cover all or part of the amount. Older guides still quote figures such as 900 to 1,000 euros a month; use the IND page, not those.
Scholarships in the Netherlands for Indian studentsRead →What Is the Fee for a Netherlands Student Residence Permit?
The IND fee for a residence permit for study is currently 254 euros, and it covers the MVV and the residence permit together. You pay it through your university, which pays the IND. Some institutions add their own handling charge. If you want your passport couriered back after the MVV appointment, Netherlands Worldwide lists a separate 850 rupee DTDC charge.
How Long Does the Netherlands Student Visa Take?
The IND has 60 days to decide once the university submits a complete application, and it can extend this, for example if documents are missing. Many decisions come sooner. After that, you have three months to book your MVV appointment, and getting your passport back can take up to 10 working days. Start as soon as you accept.
A realistic plan is to send your documents to the university three to four months before the course starts. Dutch universities set their own internal deadlines for visa requests, often earlier for non-EU students, so check yours.
Where Do Indian Students Collect the MVV Visa Sticker?
Your IND letter names one office: the Dutch embassy in New Delhi or the consulate general in Mumbai or Bengaluru. Netherlands Worldwide says you may use a different Indian location without asking permission. Book online, bring your passport with six months' validity and two blank pages, a copy of the photo page, a Dutch-standard photo and your V number.
Students do not need the IND decision letter itself; the university's email showing your V number is enough. Check the name and dates on the sticker as soon as you get it, and report any mistake straight away. Guides say biometrics such as fingerprints are taken at this appointment for your residence permit; follow the instructions in your IND letter.
Do Indian Students Need a TB Test for the Netherlands?
Yes, in most cases. India is not on the IND list of countries whose nationals are exempt from the tuberculosis test. If your university says a test applies, you must book it with the municipal health service (GGD) within three months of receiving your residence permit, and bring the IND TB test referral form.
Can You Work on a Netherlands Student Residence Permit?
Yes. The IND allows up to 16 hours a week of paid work, or full-time work in June, July and August, but your employer needs a work permit (TWV) for you. Internships that are part of your programme do not need a TWV, and self-employed work is also exempt from it.
What Must You Do After Arriving in the Netherlands?
Collect your residence permit at the IND desk named in your letter while your MVV is still valid. If you will stay more than four months, register with your municipality within five days of arriving, which gives you your citizen service number (BSN). Then arrange health insurance, a bank account and, if required, the TB test.
- Make an appointment to collect your residence permit once the university tells you it is ready
- Register at your town hall in person; government.nl says municipalities can fine late registration
- Use your BSN for your bank account, health insurance, payroll and healthcare
- Take private student health insurance, or Dutch basic insurance if you start working
- Register with the Embassy of India in The Hague, which advises students to arrange housing before arrival
How Do You Keep Your Dutch Student Residence Permit Valid?
Stay enrolled full time and earn at least 50 percent of the credits for each study year. If you fall behind without a good reason, your university must report it to the IND, which can withdraw the permit. Tell your study adviser early about illness or other problems, because these can count as good reasons.
Keep your address registration up to date and keep meeting the funds rule. When you finish, you can apply for the orientation year (zoekjaar), which lets you stay and work while you look for a job.
Netherlands orientation year (zoekjaar) after your master'sRead →Why Are Dutch Student Visa Applications Delayed or Refused?
Most problems come from missing or late documents, funds below the IND amount, a passport that expires too soon, or an institution that is not a recognised sponsor. Delays also happen when students miss the three-month window for the MVV appointment. Because your university applies for you, answer its document requests quickly and keep copies of everything.