FAQ Immigration

If you have a non-EU/EEA nationality, you will need to undergo an immigration procedure to study at Hanze University of Applied Sciences.

You can check which countries are members of the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA) here: Member states EU/EEA.

Immigration law and its regulations fall under the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice and Security, the Department of Immigration and Naturalisation service (IND). They are part of the aliens act. Hanze University of Applied Sciences has been officially appointed and responsible to carry out and follow their policy in relation to immigration matters for students. For Hanze it is the International Office (IO), more specifically:
Team Immigration (contact details at the bottom of the page) that handles all immigration related matters for students.

Team Immigration will point out the requirements and guide you through the rules and regulations to safeguard a correct and timely start in Groningen. The team will also remind you of the conditions to keep your residence permit valid. It is however a student's responsibility to meet the requirements for as long as a residence permit for study purpose is needed.

We strongly advise students to read about the Modern Migration Policy (MoMi).

Students who start in September

Once you have been (provisionally) admitted to a study programme at Hanze University of Applied Sciences, you will receive the immigration instructions via e-mail (no earlier than March).

When you have been fully accepted and have completed your immigration file (uploaded all documents correctly and transferred your financial guarantee), we will start to send your application to the IND (no earlier than June).

Immigration deadline: The deadline for you to complete your immigration file is the 1st of July.

Students who start in February

Once you have been (provisionally) admitted to a study programme at Hanze, you will receive the immigration instructions via e-mail (no earlier than the 15th of October).

When you have been fully accepted and have completed your immigration file (uploaded all documents correctly and transferred your financial guarantee), we will start to send your application to the IND (no earlier than the 1st of November).

Immigration deadline: The deadline to complete your immigration file is the 1st of December.

Before we can start an immigration procedure for you, you will have to meet the following requirements:

• You are fully admitted to a study programme at Hanze University of Applied Sciences.
• You will stay longer than three months in the Netherlands.
• You have sufficient financial means according to the guidelines of Hanze and the IND (read below 'Financial guarantee').
• You have filled in and uploaded the required documents in 'Hanze Apply'.
• You have fulfilled all the above mentioned requirements before the immigration deadline. 

Hanze University of Applied Sciences has to prove to the IND that you will have sufficient financial funds to live off and to study in the Netherlands. In order to prove this, we ask our incoming non-EU/EEA students to transfer both the living costs as well as the tuition fee. The sum of these costs we call the Financial Guarantee and has to be transferred to the bank account of Hanze.

For more information, a full breakdown of the total amount, and our refund policy, please see: Financial guarantee and refund policy.

All incoming non-EU/EEA students need a residence permit to study at Hanze University of Applied Sciences. Your residence permit will be valid for the entire duration of your study programme.

Depending on your nationality, you may also need a visa (MVV). The MVV/visa allows you to enter the Netherlands and is valid for 90 days.

Team Immigration will apply for your residence permit and if applicable your MVV/visa.

Throughout the process Team Immigration will keep you informed on the progress of your visa and/or residence permit application. We will send you an email during key moments such as:

• When we have sent your application to the IND.
• When we receive the approval letter from the IND (when we applied for an MVV/visa for you, you will receive instructions on how and where to pick it up).
• Prior to arrival in the Netherlands and the start of your studies.

The IND charges € 228,-  for an immigration procedure for study purpose.

Non-EU/EEA arrivals from universities all over the Netherlands can pick up their Dutch residence permit (for study purposes) at the Jaarbeurs (Beatrixgebouw) in the city of Utrecht (a little less than 2 hours by train from Groningen). The IND has scheduled three possible dates for collecting your residence permit:

• 24 August 2024
• 14 September 2024
• 5 October 2024

You will receive further information from Team Immigration, prior to or upon arrival in the Netherlands, about how you can collect your residence permit.

Team Immigration applies for a residence permit for you for the entire duration of your study programme. However, you may need more time to graduate due to a delay in your studies. Three months prior to your residence permit expiring we can start the Extension procedure.

When you graduate, you will need to deregister as a student. Your residence permit for study purpose will be cancelled. However, you can apply for a residence permit for another purpose, namely: the ‘Orientation year’ (also called ‘Zoekjaar’ or ‘Search year’).

Remember to change your AON insurance into a 'search year insurance' once you graduate. For more detailed information visit the AON website.

Please note that your residence permit will expire three months after your graduation, even when it mentions a date further in the future.

Conditions to keep your residence permit valid while studying are as follows:

• You are enrolled as a student at Hanze University of Applied Sciences and study actively.
• You have enough financial means according to the guidelines of Hanze and the IND.
• You have a healthcare insurance.
• You are still registered at a municipality in the Netherlands with the address for which you have a rental agreement. Inform Team Immigration when you have to leave the Netherlands and deregister.
• You obtain at least 50% of the nominal amount of ECTS credits per academic year. Contact your academic counsellor as soon as it's clear that you will not be able to obtain the required amount of study credits.
• You participate in- and complete the Yearly Check procedure at the end of the academic year.

Team Immigration is obliged to notify the IND within a month when it has been observed that you no longer meet one of the above listed requirements. The IND will proceed to cancel your residence permit accordingly.

Yearly Check

Team Immigration monitors your study progress throughout the academic year. At the end of the academic year (around June) you will be invited to the mandatory Yearly Check procedure. Here Team Immigration will check if you:

• Have obtained at least 50% of the nominal amount of ECTS credits during the academic year.
• Still have a valid health insurance (if not, you will be instructed to extend your current insurance).

To complete the check you will declare that you will continue meeting the above listed requirements for the upcoming academic year. The Yearly Check is approved when all requirements are met.