After arrival

Getting a general practitioner and (health) insurance are not the most interesting things to read up on. However, both are necessary and in most cases mandatory when you are studying in the Netherlands. We advise students to arrange the insurance before entering the Netherlands.

Webinars

You are free to choose a provider. One of the providers is currently hosting webinars to inform students about the following topics:

• Aon Student Insurance
• What is and what is not insured
• What to do in case of emergencies
• Laws and regulations EEA and Non-EEA students
• Laws and regulations for part-time jobs
• Importance of taking out insurance (care costs etc.)
• Health care system NL, we will pay extra attention to this, given the shortage of general practitioners in some student cities
• How to claim

AON organises webinars suited for EU/Non-EU students. These webinars have been in July and August. You can watch the webinar back if you wish.

As soon as your residence permit is ready, the IND will contact the ISD about this. The ISD will then inform you to collect your residence permit card.

IND day in Groningen

The IND will come to Groningen a few times per semester to issue residence permits. If your residence permit card is ready, you will receive an invitation for this day to collect it. If you have not received a status update from us yet, please do not contact us, we will update you as soon as possible.

Unable to attend IND day

If you are unable to attend this day or if your residence permit is not ready yet, you can pick up your residence permit card at the IND in Zwolle. You will have to make an appointment for this.

If you still have to leave your biometrics, you have to visit one of the IND desks as soon as possible. You will have to make an appointment for this.

It usually takes the IND 10 working days to produce your residence permit card after you have left your biometrics. You will receive an email from us when your residence permit card is ready.

As part of the immigration procedure, some nationalities have to undergo a TB examination within 3 months of your arrival in the Netherlands. This is a minor and non-invasive examination, which consists of taking an x-ray of your lungs.

Exemption

If your nationality is stated on the exemption list, you do not need to undergo the examination.

Appointment TB examination

The ISD will inform you how to make an appointment for the TB examination at the GGD (Dutch Health Services).

If you are not a member of an EU/EEA country that uses the SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area) system, the advice is to open a (Dutch) bank account (IBAN) to manage your day-to-day finances during your stay in the Netherlands. At most Dutch banks you need to have a BSN in order to open a bank account. You can choose a bank of your preference.

If you are going to live and study in the Netherlands for more than 4 months, you need to register in the Personal Records Database (BRP) of the municipality. It is not a problem if you cannot register within the first five days after your arrival, but we do advise you to do this as soon as possible.

Citizen Service number

You need to register with the BRP in order to obtain a Citizen Service number (Burgerservicenummer or BSN). You need this number to apply for different services in the Netherlands, for example for opening a Dutch bank account, arranging Dutch health insurance or for getting a DigiD. You will receive your BSN immediately at the office. If you leave the Netherlands again, you must deregister.

You should make an appointment with the municipality via their website.

What do you need to bring?

• Your passport
• A copy of the approval letter or your residence permit card. You can find the approval letter attached to our email to you with the subject: University of Groningen - ISD: Approval mvv and residence permit or University of Groningen - ISD: Approval residence permit approval

• A rental contract or a written permission form of an adult current resident when registering. If you do not have your own address but are staying with a friend or in a hotel, please bring a written permission form from a co-occupant or owner of the property or hotel. You can find the permission form and more information on the website of the municipality of Groningen.

Please note that you do not have to bring your birth certificate if you are an exchange, bachelor or master student. PhD students do need to bring their birth certificate.

If you have transferred sufficient funds to the ISD regarding your residence permit application you will receive a personal link to start the refund procedure. Depending on the starting date, you will receive an email from us in the first week of September or February.

Please keep in mind that it will take approximately two weeks for your money to be refunded to your Dutch (IBAN) bank account. Make sure that you have enough money with you for the first weeks/month in the Netherlands.

With a DigiD (Digital Identification) account you can identify yourself when you arrange matters online. Having a DigiD will give you access to many services and government websites in the Netherlands.

When having a Dutch residence permit with the purpose of study, please be informed that you can stay abroad for a maximum of 6 months. Students going abroad for an exchange or internship which is part of their study programme are exempted from this and can stay abroad for a maximum of 12 months.