Residence permit procedure

Residence permit procedure Contents page 02 page 03 page 04 page 05 page 06 page 07 page 08 page 13 page 14 page 15 page 16 page 17 page 18 page 19 page 21 page 22 Do I need a residence permit? What is a residence permit? Who issues the residence permit? What are the conditions for a residence permit? What is the deadline for sending in your application? What happens if I do not meet the deadline? How do you apply for a residence permit? Step 1. Pay the invoice before the deadline Step 2. Fill out the Utrecht University Statement Step 3. Fill out the form Antecedents Certificate & TB test Declaration Step 4. Prove you have the financial means to study in the Netherlands Step 5. Obtain adequate health insurance Step 6. Make a copy of your passport Step 7. Scan your documents and send these by email Step 8. Send in your original documents to the Utrecht University International Office Step 9. After your arrival in the Netherlands visit the IND office to submit your biometric data Appendix 1: Utrecht University Statement Appendix 2: Antecedents Certificate Appendix 3: Declaration of intent to undergo a TB test Appendix 4: Scholarship Certificate Appendix 5: Financial Statement Sponsor Form

Residence permit procedure Introduction This fact sheet is meant as a How To: Apply for a residence permit. If you have any questions after reading it, please feel free to contact the International Office. Do I need a residence permit? Follow these steps: 02

What is a residence permit? (Vergunning Verblijf Regulier or VVR for short) A residence permit is a permit that allows you to legally reside in the Netherlands. It is issued for a specific purpose, in your case: study. Once your application is approved you receive a residence permit card. This is an official government document that proves you legally reside in the Netherlands. Who issues the residence permit? Residence permits are issued by the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND). However, in case of a student, only the university can apply for the permit. This means your only point of contact will be the International Office of Utrecht University and never directly the IND. What are the conditions for a residence permit? The requirements for submitting an application are: 1. You must be unconditionally accepted at Utrecht University. The only exception is a conditional acceptance based on graduation from your current studies. 2. You need to send the complete residence permit application to the UU International Office, before December 1st. 3. All documents that are not in Dutch, English, French or German must be translated by a certified translator. 4. Pay the residence permit fee before December 1st to the university. 5. You must prove you have sufficient financial means to fund your studies. 03

What is the deadline for sending in your application? The entire procedure may take up to 2 months after the IND has received your application. We need to have your completed forms and copies and payment of the residence permit fee by December 1st. What happens if I do not meet the deadline? If you send in the documents before the deadline, the University makes sure your residence permit card is ready when you arrive in Utrecht at the beginning of your studies. If you do not send the documents in on time, you can still travel to the Netherlands, but there will be a significant delay in the processing of your residence permit application. This in turn can cause problems with opening a bank account, registering with the city, enrolment at the University, using the library, and it may also limit your travel options. We therefore strongly recommend that you apply for the permit in time as it will make your life upon arrival a lot easier!! 04

How do you apply for a residence permit (VVR)? Checklist: Step 1. Pay the invoice before the deadline Step 2. Fill out the Utrecht University Statement Step 3. Fill out the form Antecedents Certificate & TB test Declaration In order to apply for a residence permit (VVR) you need to complete several steps. All of these steps will be described on the following pages. Please read these instructions carefully so that we can process your residence permit application as quickly as possible. Step 8. Step 4. Prove you have the financial means to study in the Netherlands Send in your original documents to the Utrecht University International Office before the deadline Step 5. Step 9. Obtain adequate health insurance Step 6. Make a copy of your passport After your arrival in the Netherlands visit the IND office to submit your biometric data Step 7. Scan your documents and send these by email for a final check 05

Step 1. Pay the invoice before the deadline Invoice You will receive the invoice for both the tuition fee and residence permit fee by email. The invoice will be sent to the email address entered in your Studielink account. The residence permit fee is 304. Payment information is included in the invoice. Please note that the exact amount must be received by the University, as the University in turn transfers the entire amount to the IND. Therefore, any cost associated with the transfer of the funds must be covered by you. Payment of the invoice is the starting point of your residence permit application. Without the payment we cannot submit your application to the Immigration and Naturalisation Department. Scholarship Students who have been awarded a scholarship can forward the invoice to their scholarship provider. There are a few exceptions: > If you have been awarded a scholarship that does not cover all your expenses, such as an Utrecht Excellence Scholarship, a scholarship from the faculty, or from another external scholarship organisation, you may need to pay (part of) the tuition fee and residence permit fee. Please contact the International Office as soon as possible. 06

Step 2. Fill out the Utrecht University Statement Print out and complete the Utrecht University Statement (see appendix). This form provides the International Office with the information we need to apply for your residence permit. Furthermore it contains an important statement you need to sign. Without this signed statement we cannot send out residence permit application. Note: 1. By a sponsor we mean person or company, for instance your parent or employer, who will financially assist your study. 2. The IND requires proof that you can financially support yourself during your stay in the Netherlands. Information about this can be found in step 4. Step 3. Fill out the form Antecedents Certificate & TB test Declaration Print out and complete the Antecedents Certificate & TB test Declaration. These pages list declarations you need to state and sign for (see appendix). 07

Step 4. Prove you have the financial means to study in the Netherlands The IND requires proof that you can financially support yourself during your stay in the Netherlands. Taking into account average housing costs and living expenses in the Netherlands the IND sets a minimum amount a student will need every month of his/her stay. Minimum amount: 850 per month. Please note that the IND is very strict with regards to proof of financial means. It is very, very important that all requirements for the proof of financial means are met in the documents that you send us, otherwise they will not issue your residence permit. How can I prove my financial means? There are three ways to prove you will have enough funds to support yourself during your stay: A. Scholarship B. You have your own financial means C. You have a sponsor who does not live in the Netherlands > Note: Someone living in the Netherlands cannot act as your sponsor. It is possible to combine funds in categories A, B and C. 08

A. Scholarship You have been awarded a scholarship in order to fund your stay in the Netherlands. The IND has set criteria for the information needed regarding the scholarship. This information is combined in our Scholarship Certificate (see appendix). Please ask your scholarship provider to use this form to make sure you meet the IND criteria. If for some reason the scholarship provider cannot use the standard form, they must issue an award letter that contains all of the following information: > Name and address of the organisation awarding the scholarship > Your name > Your date of birth > The exact study period (dd/mm/yyyy) to which the scholarship applies (e.g. from 01-02-2015 until 31-08-2015) > The exact amount of money that has been allocated > The letter has to be signed and certified with a stamp of the organisation awarding the scholarship > The letter has to be dated B. You have your own financial means In order to prove that you have sufficient financial means of your own to fund your stay in the Netherlands you must send in: > A recent bank statement of an account in your name (a copy or the original) Or > An original recent declaration from the bank Or > A recent internet print-out of your bank account signed and certified with a stamp of the bank The two account types generally accepted are current accounts and saving accounts. In case of a shared account you must submit written approval of the second accountholder that you can dispose of the amount mentioned. 09

The bank documents stated above must (absolutely must) meet all of the criteria listed below in order to meet IND requirements. 1. The bank document(s) must contain all of the following information: > Name and address of the bank > Name of the account holder > Complete Account number > Currency > Balance > Date 2. The document(s) must: > be less than 2 months old > contain no indication that there is a hold on the funds (e.g. no share portfolio) > show a balance that meets the minimum criteria IMPORTANT: We cannot emphasize enough that the IND is very strict when it comes to these criteria, and that if any of the above information is missing, they will not issue your residence permit. Frequent problems that arise concern: Incomplete account number The IND will not accept bank statements/declarations if the complete bank account number is not given. Please make sure yours does, especially if this is not common practice in your country. Not enough money in the account Please make sure there is enough money in your account to finance the first twelve months of your stay. You will need to prove you have enough funds for this period, in advance, in order to receive a residence permit. Example: You are staying from February 1 until June 1; a period of 4 months. You need to prove that you have 4 X 850 = 3400. A bank statement with 3000 and an email telling us you will get the other 400 in November is not accepted by the IND, the full amount must be in your bank account. 10

C. You have a sponsor who does not live in the Netherlands Someone sponsors your stay in the Netherlands, for example your parents. In order to prove this you must send in: > A recent bank statement of an account in your sponsor s name (a copy or the original). Or > An original recent declaration from the bank in your sponsor s name. AND > A copy of the passport of your sponsor. > The Financial statement sponsor form (see appendix), filled out by your sponsor. If you do not use this form, your sponsor must provide a letter that includes the same information as the financial statement form. In case of a shared account the second account holder must co-sign the Financial statement sponsor form and add a copy of his/her passport. The two account types generally accepted are current accounts and saving accounts. Please note, the bank documents stated above must (absolutely must) meet all of the criteria listed below in order to meet IND requirements. 1. The bank document(s) must contain all of the following information: > Name and address of the bank > Name of the account holder > Complete Account number > Currency > Balance > Date 2. The document(s) must: > be less than 2 months old > contain no indication that there is a hold on the funds (e.g. no share portfolio) > show a balance that meets the minimum criteria 11

IMPORTANT: We cannot emphasize enough that the IND is very strict when it comes to these criteria, and that if any of the above information is missing, they will not issue your residence permit. Frequent problems that arise concern: > Incomplete account number. The IND will not accept bank statements/declarations if the complete bank account number is not given. Please make sure your sponsor s does, especially if this is not common practice in your country. > Not enough money in the account. Please make sure there is enough money in your account to finance the first twelve months of your stay. You will need to prove you have enough funds for this period, in advance, in order to receive a residence permit. Example You are staying from February 1 until June 1; a period of 4 months. Your sponsor needs to prove to have 4 X 850 = 3400. A bank statement with 3000 and an email telling us your sponsor will get the other 400 in November is not accepted by the IND, the full amount must be in the bank account. 12

Step 5. Obtain adequate health insurance Dutch law requires that everyone living in the Netherlands has adequate health insurance, therefore you must provide proof thereof for your residence permit. Medical costs in the Netherlands are high. Your health insurance must therefore cover medical expenses at cost. That means there can be no limit to the amount that will be covered for e.g. a doctor s visit or hospitalisation. Dutch insurance packages The university recommends the following Dutch provider of student insurance packages for students, as the coverage meets all legal requirements in the Netherlands: > AON: www.students-insurance.eu This insurance package covers medical expenses, extraordinary costs, legal aid, accidents, mental health, liability and baggage cover and household goods. The premium is approximately 39 per month. You will find more information about the conditions on their websites. Does my insurance meet the criteria? You can visit the website mentioned above to compare your current health insurance with theirs to check whether your current health insurance is sufficient. If your current insurance is not equal to AON ICS Complete, your insurance will be insufficient and not accepted! In that case we recommend that you take out the above-mentioned package. Send in a copy of your insurance For your residence permit application you need to send in a copy of your health insurance card and policy. In the case of AON you can e-mail us a copy of the policy. Make sure you are covered for your entire stay in the Netherlands. 13

Step 6. Make a copy of your passport The final document you need to send in is a copy of your passport. Please make sure the copy includes: > All your personal data > Your signature > The passport number > Date of issue and expiration > All other pages containing information (such as stamps, renewals, etc.) Step 7. Scan your documents and send these by email for a final check Due to the importance of the documents needed for the application and the strict IND regulations we request that you send in scans by email before sending in the documents by regular mail. Using these scans we will be able to detect mistakes and/or ask for more information if necessary. Please make sure your scans are legible! E-mail all scans and forms to the documents mailbox of Admissions Office: admissiondocuments@uu.nl In all mail correspondence enter your student number and RESIDENCE PERMIT in the Subject line. We only accept documents in one of the following file formats:*.pdf, *.jpg or *.doc. Name each scan as follows. Start with your Utrecht University student number, then, after a dot, enter the type of document. For example: 1234567.passport.jpg 14

How to resize your documents In general, a scan should not be larger than 2 Mb. Refer to your scanner s software documentation for ways to reduce file size and see the suggestions below. > Lower the resolution when initially scanning your document. The lower the resolution, the smaller the file size. > Remove unnecessary colors to reduce file size. Whenever possible, save the picture in black and white. > Reduce the height and the width of the image. > Save the image in a high compression picture format such as jpeg. You can do this by choosing Save As and selecting the.jpg extension as the file type. > Image editing programs such as MS Paint and IrfanView can further reduce the overall size of your images. Step 8. Send in your original documents to the Utrecht University International Office before the deadline Please use page 5 as a checklist to make sure you don t forget anything. The completed forms and copies need to be sent to: By regular mail to: Utrecht University International Office P.O. Box 80125 3508 TC Utrecht the Netherlands By courier or express mail to: Utrecht University International Office Heidelberglaan 8 3584 CS Utrecht the Netherlands 15

Step 9. After your arrival in the Netherlands visit the IND office to submit your biometric data In order to make a residence permit card, the IND needs your so-called biometric data: your facial photograph, signature and fingerprints. After your arrival in the Netherlands, you must visit the IND office to enrol your biometric data. The International Office will arrange an appointment for you with the IND office for this purpose. During this appointment, the IND will photograph your face, record your signature and take your fingerprints. A few weeks after the appointment, you will then receive your residence permit card, provided that your application is approved. We will inform you about the exact dates of the IND appointment at the Orientation Day in February. Appendices: see next pages. Please print these pages one sided! 16

UTRECHT UNIVERSITY STATEMENT Personal information (to be filled out by the student): Surname Given names Married yes / no Date of birth City and country of birth Nationality male/female Student number Home address Postal code City Country Email Telephone number I have: My own financial means Financial assistance by means of a scholarship Financial assistance by means of other sponsor Name scholarship Name sponsor Total amount available in Euro per month per month Do you have a criminal record? yes / no Statement I hereby apply for the residence permit and I agree with the terms and conditions of the Visa Department of the International Office of Utrecht University. I agree to the payment of the tuition fee and the fee for the residence permit. I hereby give permission to Utrecht University to notify the IND if I am no longer registered as a student or no longer meet the requirements for Satisfactory Academic Progress. I understand that my application may be delayed or cancelled if I submit inaccurate or incomplete information. Date Signature student To be completed by the Utrecht University faculty co-ordinator (not by the student!): Name Faculty/Department/Institute Phone Fax E-mail I agree with the terms and conditions of the Visa Department of the International Office. Date Signature co-ordinator

Appendix Antecedents Certificate This certificate only needs to be completed if the foreign national is 12 years of age or older. 1 Certificate > Please tick the applicable situation I certify that: I have never been sentenced to imprisonment or a custodial measure for committing a crime; I have never been sentenced to perform community service for committing a crime; I have never been imposed an unconditional fine for committing a crime; I have never accepted an out-of-court settlement for committing a crime; I have never been imposed a penalty order by a public prosecutor for committing a crime; I am currently not subject to prosecution for committing a crime; I have never been responsible for one of the following categories of acts as referred to in Article 1F of the 1951 Refugee Convention: a crime against peace, a war crime, a crime against humanity, a serious non-political crime (for example murder or terrorism), or acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations (for example terrorist acts); and I am aware of the fact that a sentence for committing a crime may result in a refusal or termination of the right of residence. I have not submitted any incorrect data during earlier residence procedures; I did not reside in the Netherlands illegally in the past; I am not subject to any entry ban. I am unable to certify the above for the following reasons: 2 Signing I have completed this form truthfully. 2.1 Name 2.2 Place and date Place Day Month Year 2.3 Signature Please note! If this antecedents certificate has not been completed truthfully, this will have consequences for your right of residence.

Appendix Declaration of intent to undergo a TB test In order to obtain a residence permit, you (or the person you represent) must be prepared to undergo a tuberculosis (TB) test and - if necessary - treatment. If you submit the completed declaration of intent to undergo a TB test to the IND together with your application (and also meet all other conditions), the IND will grant you a residence permit as soon as possible. You are granted this permit under the express condition that you will actually undergo a TB test within three months. Should it become clear after the issue of a residence permit that - despite signing the declaration of intent - you failed to undergo a TB test within the period of three months, this may result in a cancellation of the permit that was granted. Enclose the completed and signed declaration of intent with your application before you make an appointment with the Municipal Health Service. In doing so, you declare that you are prepared to undergo a TB test and, if necessary, TB treatment. For the appointment with the Municipal Health Service, you must complete the referral form as much as possible (part 1) and take it with you. The obligation to undergo the test does not apply if you are a national of one of the following countries: one of the Member States of the EU or the EEA, Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, Suriname, United States of America and Switzerland (including Liechtenstein). Nor does the obligation to undergo the test apply if you have an EU residence permit for long-term residents issued by another EU country or are his/her family member and were already admitted to another EU country as a family member of the long-term resident. 1 Details of foreign national to be tested (the applicant) 1.1 Application for a permit for the purpose of work, wealthy foreign national, learning while working or study? 1.2 V-number (leave blank) 1.3 Name Surname as stated in the border-crossing document First names 1.4 Sex and Date of birth > Please tick the applicable situation Day Month Year Male Female 1.5 Place of birth 1.6 Country of birth 1.7 Nationality 1.8 Home address Street Number Yes No Postal code Town 1.9 Civil status > Please tick the applicable situation unmarried married registered partnership divorced widow/widower 1.10 Details border-crossing Number Country document Valid from (date) Valid till (date) 1.11.1 Do you have a spouse or (registered) partner? No > Go to 2 'Signing' Spouse > Please complete the requested details below (Registered) partner > Please complete the requested details below

1.11.2 Name Surname as stated in the border-crossing document First names 1.11.3 Sex > Please tick the applicable situation Male Female 1.11.4 Home address Street Number Postal code Town 1.11.5 Nationality 2 Signing I hereby declare that I am prepared to cooperate in a tuberculosis test and any treatment. I am aware of the fact that I must undergo a TB test within three months after the application for a residence permit has been submitted. If I fail to do so, this will have consequences for my right of residence in the Netherlands. 2.1 Name of foreign national 2.2 Place and date 2.3 Signature of foreign national 2.4 Name in case of legal representative 2.5 Place and date 2.6 Signature of legal representative Place Place Day Month Year Day Month Year

SCHOLARSHIP CERTIFICATE On behalf of the Board of Governors of: Name educational institute: Place: Undersigned declares hereby that: Surname student: Given names student: Nationality: Date of birth: will receive during the period: Starting date / / End date : / / a monthly scholarship of: The scholarship is funded by: Name institute or company: In the frame of: Scholarship programme: Date: Place: Name: Signature: Name Institute or Company funding the student Stamp educational institute: Address: Postal code + city: Telephone number:

FINANCIAL STATEMENT SPONSOR FORM I, the undersigned, Name: First name: Born on: Day / Month / Year Place of Birth: Nationality: Passport number or number of identity card (please send copy of passport or identity card with this statement) Tel.: Address: Zip code: Place: Country: hereby declare that I will financially support the following student: Name: First name: Born on: Day / Month / Year Place of Birth: Nationality: Passport nr during his/her studies in the Netherlands. I hereby guarantee that I will transfer a minimum allowance of per month from (Start date): Day /Month / Year until (End date): Day /Month / Year I hereby enclose a recent bank statement (not older than three months) proving that I have enough funds to transfer the amount in the period mentioned. Date: Day / Month / Year Place: Signature: