If you are from a country in groups II, III or IV* and planning to stay in the Netherlands for more than 3 months, you will need an MVV visa (type D - temporary residence permit) to study in the Netherlands. If you are from a country in group IA*, you do not need a visa or residence permit, but if necessary, you can apply for a 'certificate of lawful residence'. If your stay is less than 3 months, you will need a short stay visa.
The college/university in question will request an MVV or Visa Short Stay, you cannot do this yourself. If your stay is longer than 3 months and you are present in the Netherlands, you will require a residence permit. This is also handled by the college/university. A residence permit is valid for the duration of the study plus an extra 3 months. Each year, students must earn at least 50% of their credits, otherwise the residence permit will expire.
The application for a visa can take several weeks, so put in a request to the college/university on time. Should the reason or duration of your stay change, please have this amended via the college/university. The application request for your visa/residence permit by the college/university is free of charge, however, the costs of the visa/residence permit will be charged to you.
*Countries group I: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom
Group II: Australia, Canada, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, South Korea, United States, Vatican City State
Group IA: Croatia
Group III: Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bosnia, Brazil, Brunei, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, San Marino, Serbia, Singapore, Taiwan, Uruguay, Venezue
