Dutch law requires all international students to have appropriate health insurance for their entire stay in the Netherlands. Allow enough time to do research on this topic, especially when you have pre-existing conditions.

Before coming to the Netherlands

• Check whether your current insurance will cover your total stay and what type of coverage it consists of.
• Make sure you have health insurance coverage from the moment you arrive in the Netherlands.

Note: The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) available for EU-students may not cover all you need.

More information
You'll find more information about EHIC and the pros and cons of different insurance options on the page about health insurance for international students.

If you have questions about your health insurance and whether it offers enough coverage, check out these frequently asked questions from SKGZ, an organisation specialising in health insurance for international students.

Webinar SKGZ

To assist you with all possible health insurance related questions, SKGZ hosts a webinar for international students. This is a great start to tackling this important to-do on your checklist.

Upcoming webinar:

• Webinar SKGZ: Get to know all about health insurance in the Netherlands
  Summer 2026, date and time T.B.A.
  (Registration link will appear here early Summer 2026)

Webinar Aon Student Insurance

To provide more information about their Student Insurance in particular, Aon hosts webinars for both EEA students and non-EEA students.

Upcoming webinars:

• Webinar Aon Student Insurance for EEA students
  August 2026, date and time T.B.A.
  (Registration link will appear here early Summer 2026)
• Webinar Aon Student Insurance for non-EEA students
  August 2026, date and time T.B.A.
  (Registration link will appear here early Summer 2026)

Previous webinars:

• Webinar Aon Student Insurance for EU/EEA students
  9 December 2025, 11.00-12.00 CEST.
  Watch the recording on YouTube
• Webinar Aon Student Insurance for non-EU/non-EEA students
  9 December 2025, 14.00-15.00 CEST.
  Watch the recording on YouTube

Amsterdam has an extensive public transport system, including trams, busses, trains, metros and ferries. The GVB operates most public transport in Amsterdam, and the NS operates most of the trains in the Netherlands.

OVpay
As of 2023, the public transport companies of the Netherlands have introduced a new way for commuters to check in and out while travelling. You can now check in and check out of public transport the way you prefer with your contactless debit card, credit card or mobile phone (including Apple Pay or Google Wallet). You choose what suits you best. You can find out how this works on the OVpay website.

OV chipcards
The GVB in Amsterdam and the Dutch National Railways (NS) are not the same operators. If you do not wish to use the OVpay function, you can buy single tickets, but travelling using an OV chip card is easier. With this card you can travel by train, bus, tram and metro - one card covers all possibilities!

An OV chip card is a smart card which you load with travel credit. You can buy one at the ticket office of major train stations or at the yellow ticket machines. These ticket machines accept payment by debit and credit cards (V-Pay, Maestro, Mastercard, Visa and American Express) using a PIN or contactless. The machines do not accept banknotes.

To travel by train, your OV-chip card needs a minimum credit of €20. For other public transport, no minimum amount is required.

Student mobility
Student Mobility is an independent organisation (not related to the UvA) offering a customised public transport card (+ an ISIC Student-ID) with special discounts to international students! You can use this card for all forms of public transport in the Netherlands: train, tram, metro and bus. Furthermore, upon arrival in the Netherlands, Student Mobility offers you a train ticket at a reduced rate. And finally, they also have a programme to rent or buy a bike.

Plan your route
Need some help planning your route? Visit https://9292.nl/en to see what route is best! This website covers all modes of transport. The Google Maps and Apple Maps apps have also integrated Dutch public transport timetables if you wish to use those.

If you have arranged housing through the UvA, make sure to check the arrival procedure with your housing provider.

All rental contracts of UvA housing will start between late July and mid-August. You can move in from the start date of your contract onwards. The check-in will be directly at your new address or at the housing provider's office, depending on the location and type of keys: traditional keys or digital (keyless). Your housing provider will inform you about this towards the start of your lease.

If your contract start date is early in the summer and you are applying for a residence permit for study, please make sure to submit your immigration application as soon as possible, once you are invited, to ensure that you will be able to travel to the Netherlands in a timely manner.

Traditional keys

• You must collect your room key in person, either at your housing providers’ office or from a resident assistant. This cannot be done by someone else. Bring your passport and tenancy contract. 
• Traditional key pick-up is only possible during specific hours. You might need to stay in a hostel or hotel at your own expenses if you arrive outside of these hours (e.g. at night or during the weekend).

Digital keys

• Most housing providers nowadays offer keyless/digital room access via an app on your mobile phone.
• Check-in at a keyless room is usually possible from 15:00 CEST onwards on the start date of your rental contract.
• Make sure to activate your digital key before your arrival: You will need your tenancy number and internet access to connect to the keyless app!
• Never give your digital key code to other people!

Your housing provider will inform you about the details in due time. You can also check the details here:

• Lieven De Key
• DUWO
• StuNest Spartaan
• Student Experience (location NDSM)
• The Social Hub Amsterdam West
• Hubstudios (location Harbour)

Please note:

• Announce your arrival date and time at your housing provider (find contact info via the links above).
• Changed travel plans or delays? Inform your housing provider (find contact info via the links above).
• Most buildings offer Resident Assistants or an active (online) community. Check with the housing provider for details.
• Familiarise yourself with official rules for waste collection in the Netherlands. Check this waste guide made by students.

No housing yet? Go to Housing - How and where to search for a room.

As an international student, it is mandatory to register as a resident in the town or city where you are going to live if you plan to stay in the Netherlands for longer than 4 months.

Please note that even if you expect you will be residing in the Netherlands for less than 4 months, it will be the expiry date on your residence permit card that will be leading for the municipality and the IND. As this always is a period longer than 4 months, it will be mandatory for you to register.

Important for Non-EU students in possession of a residence permit on the basis of study:
Please note that if you fail to register at a Dutch municipality within 3 months of your arrival, you will run the risk of losing your residence permit.

Citizen service number (BSN)
Once you've registered, you'll be given a citizen service number (burgerservicenummer, BSN). A BSN is required for many things in the Netherlands, including opening a bank account, visiting a doctor or getting hospital treatment.

Registration arriving students – September 2026

It is important to keep an eye on this website to be aware of the registration process updates throughout the summer that will apply to all students starting in the September semester.

Municipality of Amsterdam

To register at the municipality of Amsterdam, we will be organizing special registration days for our international students for easy and fast registration. This way, students will receive their BSN (citizen service number) immediately. Please do not make a regular appointment with the municipality, as those appointments are not meant for students and will result in you receiving your BSN many weeks/months later.

Fall semester 2026 pre-registration and registration days

You must pre-register as a student online before registering with the municipality. The dates between which you can do so have not yet been made public by the municipality. Once we have been informed, we will update this page with the link for you to pre-register.

Once your pre-registration has been submitted and approved, you will have to complete the registration in person. You will receive an email to make an appointment for the special student registration days in September in Amsterdam. After registering in person, you will get your Dutch Citizen Service Number (BSN).

Please note:

• Without online pre-registration and without a confirmed time slot for one of the registration days, it will not be possible to register.
• Only register in Amsterdam if your address is in this municipality.

Location Registration days (only with confirmed time slot):

Bos en Lommerplein 176
1055 RW Amsterdam
Check location in Google Maps
Public transport: Bus 15 or tram 7, get off at bus/tram stop ‘Bos en Lommerplein’.
In addition, you can consult our route description and map in pdf.

Arriving after the Fall semester 2026 registration days?

Registration on the specific registration days is strongly recommended, as this process will make it much easier and faster for you to register. If for some reason you will still be arriving late in September, please schedule a regular appointment by calling +31 20 624 1111 (find more information on the website of the municipality). Please note that it can take up to several weeks before you will have a regular appointment and another few weeks before you will receive your BSN.

Municipality of Diemen

If your future address is within the municipality of Diemen, a neighbouring town of Amsterdam, you will have to register there (and not in Amsterdam). In AUAS Housing this is the case at Rode Kruislaan (housing provider Lieven De Key) or at Dalsteindreef (housing provider OurCampus).

You will have to make an appointment with the municipality of Diemen and visit them physically to register at this municipality. Please visit the Gemeente Diemen website for more information and find the address below.

Visiting address (only with confirmed appointment):

D.J. Den Hartoglaan 1
1111 ZB Diemen
Check location in Google Maps

Other municipalities

If you are not going to live in Amsterdam or Diemen but at a different municipality or town, you cannot register in Amsterdam or Diemen! You must always register at the municipality you will be residing in. Examples of surrounding towns are Amstelveen, Duivendrecht, Haarlem, Haarlemmermeer, Zaandam, Purmerend, Almere.

Please visit the website of your specific municipality to know how to register and what documents you will need to bring. You might be required to bring a birth certificate as well.

Once in the Netherlands, it’s helpful to open a Dutch bank account. There are several reasons to do so:

• International money transfers are usually costly and take several days to process.
• Credit cards are not widely accepted. The debit card you receive when opening a Dutch bank account is easy and free of charge to pay at supermarkets, cafes, and restaurants.
• A Dutch bank account offers the option to pay through the iDeal payment method, used in Dutch webshops and to pay energy bills, payment requests etc.

Read more about which banks to choose from, and how to open an account

How to apply for your student card
First, upload a picture of your student card. When your student card is ready for pick-up, you will receive an email where to collect it. You need to bring valid proof of identity (ID card or passport) when collecting your card.

Go to the Student ID card page for more information about your student card.

Instructions for non-EU/EEA first-year students or non-EU/EEA students returning after a gap/study break starting in September:
The IND requires a passport photo, fingerprints, and a signature to produce your residence permit card. If you have submitted a VVR application that has been approved and have not provided your biometrics yet or you have received a notification from the Immigration office that you need to provide them again, you can make an appointment on the IND’s website. Students that have submitted an MVV application will provide their biometrics at the embassy when collecting their MVV/entry visa.

Please note that when submitting your biometrics it is very important to submit an ID-photo that fulfills all the IND's strict requirements, which can be found here. Failing to do so will delay the process of collecting your permit as you will most likely need to submit your biometrics to the IND again. The IND has specifically asked us to remind students to submit a proper ID-photo as this is the most common cause of delays in the residence permit collection process.

The IND will be organising centralised collection days in Utrecht this year. To join one of these days to collect your permit, you must first have provided your biometrics at one of the IND-desk in the Netherlands so that the IND can produce your residence permit card. The Immigration Office will invite you to make timeslot bookings for the collection days only if the IND informs us that they received your biometrics and that your residence permit card has been made.

You can check if the IND still needs your biometrics to make your card by logging into your MyIND portal with your DigiD and checking the status of your permit there once the Immigration office has informed you that your application has been approved. You may provide your biometrics at any of the location in the Netherlands with a bookable timeslot, but you will only be able to collect your permit card at the IND office in Amsterdam.

Instructions for students that submitted an extension application:
Often, the IND can use the same biometrics which you provided to them the first time you applied for a permit. In some cases, however, the IND will require for you to provide your biometrics again for them to be able to produce your extended permit.

You can check if the IND needs your biometrics again by logging into your MyIND portal with your DigiD and checking the status of your extended permit there once the Immigration office has informed you that your extension application has been approved. If needed, please make an appointment to provide your biometrics again. You may provide your biometrics at any location in the Netherlands with a bookable timeslot, but you will only be able to collect your permit card at the IND office in Amsterdam.

Instructions for all incoming non-EU/EEA students starting in September 2026 that will apply/have applied for a residence permit for the purpose of study:

The Immigration and Naturalisation Service of the Netherlands (IND) will be organising centralised collection days for students who will begin their studies in September 2026. These collection days will take place at the Jaarbeurs (Beatrixgebouw) in Utrecht. The address is Jaarbeursplein 6, 3521 AL Utrecht. The collection days will take place on the following days:

• Saturday, 29 August 2026
• Saturday, 19 September 2026

The IND will request for students to book a time slot during these collection days once their residence permit application has been approved this summer. As soon as we receive more information from the IND about how they will be organising these days, we will inform students here (as well as directly by e-mail) to ensure students will be able to reserve a time slot on time.

Instructions for all enrolled non-EU/EEA students that applied for a residence permit for the purpose of study (including Extension applications) before 1 May 2026:

The Immigration Office will not send you a separate notification to inform you when your residence permit is ready to be collected. As a general rule, your residence permit should be ready for collection about 3 weeks after submitting your biometrics to the IND, either at the embassy (MVV students) or at the IND Office in Amsterdam (VVR students). Therefore, you will have to make an appointment at the IND office in Amsterdam to collect your permit approximately 3 weeks after having provided your biometrics. Please make sure to be aware of your application status.

Check the status of your residence permit card using the MyIND portal:

If you are registered at the municipality and you have a BSN number, you can check the status of your residence permit yourself by checking your MyIND account:

1. To access your MyIND, you need a DigiD account
2. To obtain a DigiD account, you need your BSN number (which is your Dutch citizen service number; check Step 3 of this checklist for more information)
3. Go to digid.nl/en to apply for your DigiD account with your BSN number
4. Once your Digid account is activated, you can login to MyIND
5. Check the status of your permit
6. Either provide your biometrics (again) of required or make an appointment to collect your residence permit in Amsterdam

Please note that you have legal residence in the Netherlands even if you have yet to collect your residence permit (and your MVV has expired).