Visa cost

Netherlands student visa cost — Residence permit for study (with MVV entry visa)

$295 in fees nobody can skip , up to $788 if every situational extra applies . Checked August 2026.

How much does a Netherlands student visa cost in 2026?

Applying for a student visa in the Netherlands — the Residence permit for study (with MVV entry visa) — costs $295 in fees you cannot skip: Study residence permit, including the MVV entry visa ($295). Situational extras (extending the study residence permit and replacing a lost, stolen or damaged residence permit) add up to $493 more. Tuition, living costs and proof-of-funds sit outside this total. All amounts are US dollars, last checked August 2026.

Residence permit for study (with MVV entry visa) cost breakdown

Every line the Netherlands application puts on your card, in US dollars, as of August 2026.

Line item Amount (USD) What it is
Study residence permit, including the MVV entry visa $295 EUR 254 — one fee covers both the MVV and the permit; your institution pays the IND and bills you IND — Fees: costs of an application
Mandatory total $295 What the Residence permit for study (with MVV entry visa) costs before any optional service.
Situational extras — only if they apply to you
Extending the study residence permit $295 EUR 254 — only if your studies outlast the permit, which runs for your programme plus three months IND — Fees: costs of an application
Replacing a lost, stolen or damaged residence permit $198 EUR 171 for a regular temporary residence permit IND — Fees: costs of an application
If every extra applied $788 Worst case — most applicants pay none or one of these.

Amounts are US dollars. Netherlands bills in its own currency, so the exact charge moves with the exchange rate — the native figures are in the notes column where the fee schedule publishes them.

Things to watch

  • USD figures use EUR 1 = USD 1.16 (August 2026). IND fees change every 1 January and apply for the calendar year.
  • The €254 is billed to the institution because only a recognised sponsor may file the application — most pass the cost straight through to the student.
  • Living costs are proved, not paid to the IND: university and hbo students must have €13,569.24, or 12 × the 2026 study norm of €1,130.77 a month.
  • The post-arrival TB test and document legalisation are charged by third parties (a municipal health service, and your own government or embassy), so they are not IND fees and are not costed here.
  • The orientation year permit that lets graduates stay to find work costs a further €254 and is not included above.

How much bank balance do you need for a Netherlands student visa?

For the Residence permit for study (with MVV entry visa), the Netherlands asks you to show EUR 13,569 (about $15,740). The accepted form is Twelve times the monthly study norm, held in your own name or by a financier, and it covers 12 months of living and study costs, excluding tuition fees. This is money you show, not money you pay, so it never appears in the fee table above. The figure comes from IND — Required amounts income requirements, checked August 2026.

IND — Required amounts income requirements · checked August 2026

Netherlands student visa requirements

  • A place on an accredited programme at a recognised-sponsor institution

    Only universities and hbo institutions on the IND's public register of recognised sponsors can apply for a student residence permit, and they must have signed the Code of Conduct for International Students in Higher Education. If your institution is not recognised, there is no route.

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  • Your institution applies — you cannot apply for yourself

    The university or hbo checks that you meet the requirements, then submits the combined MVV and residence permit application on your behalf. If you do not meet a requirement the process stops at the institution, before it ever reaches the IND.

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  • Twelve months of the study norm available to you

    You need 12 × the monthly study norm — €13,569.24 for university or hbo study in 2026 — in your own freely withdrawable account, deposited with your institution, covered by a scholarship, or guaranteed by a company or private financier on the IND's statement-of-support form. Documents must be under three months old.

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  • An MVV entry visa sticker

    Most nationalities need an MVV (machtiging tot voorlopig verblijf) to enter and collect the permit. Only citizens of Australia, Canada, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, South Korea, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, Vatican City and the EU/EEA are exempt — no origin market we cover is on that list.

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  • A valid passport or travel document

    This applies to every regular residence permit. The MVV sticker goes into that passport, and you use it to travel to the Netherlands and pick up your residence card.

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  • A completed Antecedents Certificate if you are over 12

    Everyone aged 12 and over fills in Appendix 7601, declaring whether they have ever committed an offence or crime, to show they pose no danger to public order or national security.

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  • A tuberculosis test after you arrive, unless your nationality is exempt

    The TB test is taken in the Netherlands after arrival, not before you travel. Nationals of the countries on IND appendix 7644 are exempt, as are applicants aged 11 or under and anyone who took a TB test in the Netherlands within the last six months.

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  • Documents in Dutch, English, German or French

    Anything in another language must be officially translated, and foreign documents generally need legalisation — an apostille or full consular legalisation, depending on the issuing country. The IND does not legalise or translate documents for you.

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  • At least 50% of your credits every year

    The permit is granted for the length of your programme plus three months, to a maximum of five years, and only lasts while you keep meeting the requirements — including earning at least half your credits each academic year.

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How to apply for a Netherlands student visa

  1. Get admitted by a recognised-sponsor institution

    Apply to a Dutch university or hbo that appears on the IND's public register of recognised sponsors. Admission and the immigration route are the same conversation here: the institution is your sponsor, and it decides whether your application goes forward.

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  2. Prove your income to the institution

    Supply bank statements, a deposit to the institution's own account, a scholarship declaration, or a signed statement of financial support from a company or private financier, together with their bank evidence. You also sign IND appendix 7613, the foreign national's own statement of income, for each study year.

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  3. The institution files the combined MVV and permit application

    Your recognised sponsor submits the application and pays the €254 fee, which it normally passes on to you. Because a recognised sponsor vouches for the documents, the IND usually decides within about two weeks rather than the full statutory period.

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  4. Collect your MVV sticker at a Dutch embassy or consulate

    Once the IND approves the application it tells you where to collect the MVV. The sticker is a Type D visa placed in your passport, valid across the Schengen Area and usable for more than one entry until you pick up your residence card.

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  5. Travel, collect your residence permit and take the TB test

    Since 2022 the IND has run central award days where thousands of students collect their residence documents at one location before the academic year starts. You need that card to arrange health insurance or open a bank account, and unless your nationality is exempt you take the TB test after arrival.

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Netherlands student visa work rights, dependants and processing time

Work rights

Students on a study residence permit may work either a maximum of 16 hours a week year-round or full-time during June, July and August — not both. Your employer must hold a work permit (TWV) from the UWV before you start; the Dutch Labour Inspectorate checks this and reports breaches to the IND, and the employer is fined.

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Dependants

A partner or minor child needs their own residence permit to live with you, and the sponsor must show independent, sustainable and sufficient income. From 1 July 2026 that is a gross social-security salary of €2,337.00 a month without holiday allowance, or €2,523.96 with it — a threshold a student working 16 hours a week will not normally reach.

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Processing time

Because a recognised-sponsor institution files the application and vouches for the documents, the IND usually decides within about two weeks whether a student may come to the Netherlands. Applications peak over the summer, which is why the IND schedules central award days before the academic year begins.

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After graduation

The orientation year (zoekjaar) residence permit lets graduates stay to look for work or start a business, and costs €254. You can apply within three years of graduating, obtaining a doctorate, or your research permit expiring — and while you hold it, or for three years afterwards, a reduced highly skilled migrant salary threshold of €3,122 a month applies instead of the standard €5,942.

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Netherlands student visa requirements for Chinese students

You are exempt from the tuberculosis test

China, including Hong Kong and Macau, is on IND appendix 7644, the list of nationalities that do not have to undergo a TB test after arriving in the Netherlands. That removes one appointment and one fee from the arrival checklist.

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Netherlands student visa requirements for Sri Lankan students

You are exempt from the tuberculosis test

Sri Lanka appears on IND appendix 7644, so Sri Lankan nationals do not have to take the post-arrival TB test that most non-exempt applicants must complete in the Netherlands.

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Netherlands student visa requirements for Pakistani students

The Netherlands does not accept Pakistani apostilles

Pakistan is party to the Apostille Convention, but the Netherlands does not recognise apostilles issued there. Your birth certificate, diplomas and other civil documents need the separate legalisation route the Dutch government publishes for Pakistan, which takes longer than an apostille.

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Netherlands student visa requirements for Bangladeshi students

The Netherlands does not accept Bangladeshi apostilles

Although Bangladesh has joined the Apostille Convention, the Netherlands does not recognise apostilles issued by it. Documents from Bangladesh must go through the country-specific legalisation chain the Dutch government sets out instead — start it early, because it is slower than an apostille.

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Netherlands student visa requirements for Indian students

An apostille from the Ministry of External Affairs is enough

Indian documents are legalised for Dutch use with an apostille from India's Ministry of External Affairs — no consular legalisation chain on top. India is now the growth market in Dutch higher education even as total international enrolment has started to fall.

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United States
From $535 all-in
United Kingdom
From $1,760 all-in
Canada
From $175 all-in
Australia
From $2,250 all-in
Germany
From $190 all-in
France
From $183 all-in

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How much is the Netherlands student visa fee?
The Residence permit for study (with MVV entry visa) application charge is $295 (Study residence permit, including the MVV entry visa). That is also the all-in mandatory total. Optional extras add up to $493 on top.
How much bank balance is required for a Netherlands student visa?
EUR 13,569 (about $15,740), held as Twelve times the monthly study norm, held in your own name or by a financier, covering 12 months of living and study costs, excluding tuition fees. It is money you show rather than money you pay, so it is separate from the visa fees. The 2026 study norm is €1,130.77 a month for university and higher professional education (hbo), so 12 × €1,130.77 = €13,569.24 for a year. Senior secondary vocational (mbo) students show €928.58 a month. USD figure at EUR 1 = USD 1.16, August 2026. Source: IND — Required amounts income requirements (August 2026).
Can you work on a Netherlands student visa?
Students on a study residence permit may work either a maximum of 16 hours a week year-round or full-time during June, July and August — not both. Your employer must hold a work permit (TWV) from the UWV before you start; the Dutch Labour Inspectorate checks this and reports breaches to the IND, and the employer is fined. Source: IND — Employing a foreign national (August 2026).
How long does a Netherlands student visa take?
Because a recognised-sponsor institution files the application and vouches for the documents, the IND usually decides within about two weeks whether a student may come to the Netherlands. Applications peak over the summer, which is why the IND schedules central award days before the academic year begins. Source: IND — International students and the IND (August 2026).
Can you bring your family on a Netherlands student visa?
A partner or minor child needs their own residence permit to live with you, and the sponsor must show independent, sustainable and sufficient income. From 1 July 2026 that is a gross social-security salary of €2,337.00 a month without holiday allowance, or €2,523.96 with it — a threshold a student working 16 hours a week will not normally reach. Source: IND — Required amounts income requirements (August 2026).
What's not included in the Residence permit for study (with MVV entry visa) fee?
Tuition, living costs and the money you have to show in your account are separate from the fees on this page. Use our cost-of-study calculator at /tools/cost-calculator for a complete budget.
When are these fees due?
Application and biometric fees are paid before submission. Health surcharges (UK IHS, Australian OSHC) are paid as part of the visa application. Some fees (Anmeldung in Germany, OFII in France) are paid after arrival.

Official sources

Last verified August 2026.