Upon arrival in Amsterdam
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.
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 the zorgverzekeringslijn, an organisation specialising in health insurance for international students.
To assist you with all possible health insurance related questions, the zorgverzekeringslijn hosts a webinar for international students. This is a great start to tackling this important to-do on your checklist.
Webinar Zorgverzekeringslijn for all International students
4 July 2024, 15:00 CEST.
Register for this webinar
To provide more information about their Student Insurance in particular, Aon hosts webinars for both EEA students and non-EEA students.
Upcoming webinars:
Previous webinars:
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, our housing partners will personally welcome you to your new home.
Rental contracts start on Friday, 16 August 2024. From this day on, you can collect your key and move in. Some partners offer a room check-in service directly at your new address, while other providers hand out the room keys near the location of your new address or at their office.
Your housing provider will inform you about the details in due time. You can also check the details here:
Please note:
No housing yet? Check out our tips and tricks.
As an international student, it is mandatory to register as a resident in the town where you are going to live if you plan to stay in the Netherlands for longer than four months.
Important for Non-EU students in possession of a residence permit on the basis of study:
If you do not register with the municipality, you risk losing your residence permit (see step 8: Collect 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.
To register at the municipality of Amsterdam, we have organised specific registration days for our international students for easy and fast registration. This way, students will receive their BSN (citizen service number) immediately. Do not make a regular appointment with the municipality, as this process will be slow and inefficient and you will receive your BSN many weeks later.
You must pre-register online before registering with the municipality of Amsterdam. The registration process consists of the following steps:
No confirmation received? Check your spam folder!
Please note:
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 summer 2024 registration days?
Registration on the specific registration days is strongly recommended, as the process is much easier and faster. If for some reason, you are still arriving late in September, 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.
If you are going to live in the municipality of Diemen, a neighbouring town of Amsterdam, you will have to register there instead of Amsterdam. In UvA Housing this is the case at Rode Kruislaan (housing provider Lieven De Key) or at Dalsteindreef (housing provider OurCampus).
You can already make an appointment for a date on or after 16 August 2024 at the municipality of Diemen.
Please prepare the following printed documents carefully before your appointment. Without printed documents, you cannot be registered:
Visiting address (only with confirmed appointment):
D.J. Den Hartoglaan 1
1111 ZB Diemen
Check location in Google Maps
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 have to register at the municipality where you are going to live. Examples of surrounding towns are Amstelveen, Duivendrecht, Haarlem, Haarlemmermeer, Zaandam, Purmerend, Almere.
Check the website of the specific municipality on how to register and what documents you 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:
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.
Updated 27 November 2024:
Instructions for students starting their programme in February or students returning after a gap/study break:
The IND requires a passport photo, fingerprints, and a signature to produce your residence permit card. If you have submitted a VVR application 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 when submitting your biometrics that 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.
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 time slot 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, though, 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 of the location in the Netherlands with a bookable time slot but you will only be able to collect your permit card at the IND office in Amsterdam.
Instructions for all non-EU students that applied for a residence permit for the purpose of study (including extension applications):
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 three 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 three weeks after having provided your biometrics. It is important to be aware of your applications status.
Check the status of your residence permit card using the MyIND portal:
If you are registered with the municipality and you have a BSN number, you can check the status of your residence permit yourself by checking your MyIND account:
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).
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