Do I need a visa to enter the Netherlands?

If you are a citizen of a country outside the European Union (with the exception of Australia, Canada, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, South Korea, the United States of America and Vatican City State) and you want to reside in the Netherlands for a period exceeding three months, you must hold a visa prior to your departure to the Netherlands. This visa is an authorisation for temporary stay and is called an MVV (Machtiging tot Voorlopig Verblijf). The MVV is a sticker placed in your passport by the Dutch Embassy or Consulate in your country.

If you are planning to stay in the Netherlands for less than three months, you still need to complete a number of formalities.

Check the Nuffic website for more information.

Applying for a visa
The International Office at Avans University of Applied Sciences takes care of the MVV application procedure on your behalf. In order to start this procedure you need to

  • Fill out the Visa Application Form
  • Send a digital copy of your passport to our International Office at internationaloffice@avans.nl
  • You need to submit evidence that you have sufficient funds and transfer money so Avans can start your Visa Application Procedure.
  • A passport size photo up to the Dutch standards
  • Chinese students must apply for a NESO certificate at Nuffic in the Netherlands (www.nuffic.nl). Nuffic will subsequently send this certificate to Avans on your behalf.

After receiving the Visa Application Form and the above documents and once you have transferred the money, we will start the application procedure on your behalf. Within 3 or 4 weeks after the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) has received the application from us, you will automatically receive a message from the Dutch embassy/consulate in your country to collect this MVV.

Deadline
Make sure you fill out the Visa Application Form, send the documents and transfer the money before the deadline, otherwise we cannot guarantee you will receive your visa in time.

More information