2016-2017
INTERNATIONAL OFFICE
Immigration Booklet
For EU Students
v
www.tilburguniversity.edu/immigration
CONTENTS
FOREWORD ................................................................................................................................................. 3
1. THE IMMIGRATION OFFICE .................................................................................................................... 4
1.1 Introduction of Immigration Officers ............................................................................................. 4
1.2 Contact details ................................................................................................................................ 4
2. IMMIGRATION PROCEDURES ................................................................................................................. 5
2.1 Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service .............................................................................. 5
2.2 Countries ........................................................................................................................................ 5
2.3 Registration at municipality............................................................................................................ 5
2.3.1
Documents required for registration...................................................................................... 6
2.3.2
What to do when you move ................................................................................................... 7
2.3.3
Deregistration at Municipality ................................................................................................ 7
2.4 Lawful stay in the Netherlands ....................................................................................................... 7
2.4.1
Verification against EU Community Law................................................................................. 7
2.4.2
How to apply for Verification against EU Community Law? ................................................... 8
3. ADDITIONAL ISSUES ON STUDYING AT TILBURG UNIVERSITY ............................................................... 9
3.1 Arrival in Tilburg ............................................................................................................................. 9
3.2 Insurance ........................................................................................................................................ 9
3.2.1
Health insurance ..................................................................................................................... 9
3.2.2
Personal liability insurance ..................................................................................................... 9
3.2.3
Other insurance ...................................................................................................................... 9
3.3 Travelling after arrival in the Netherlands ................................................................................... 10
3.4 Working and studying in the Netherlands.................................................................................... 10
4. APPENDIX 1 .......................................................................................................................................... 11
FOREWORD
Congratulations on making Tilburg University your choice for further education, either as a non-degree
seeking student or as a degree-seeking student. Tilburg University provides high quality education and
research, and is recognised as one of Europe’s best universities. In addition, we welcome more than
750 international students from more than 60 countries each year, which gives our campus and our
programs a very diverse flavour.
As nationals of the European Union member states, you have the right to free movement within the EU
and the right to live in another EU country. To reflect this agreement, EU nationals are no longer
required to apply for a Dutch residence permit and therefore it is now easier than ever for European
students to choose to study at Tilburg University.
With the simplification of the registration of European students, we, at the central International Office,
have created this booklet to explain what you need to do. More information will be given to you before
your arrival in Tilburg by the Immigration Office of the central International Office.
The central International Office includes amongst its staff a number of non-Dutch employees who have
had to go through the procedures detailed in this booklet. This combined with the wide experience we
have built up in assisting our international students, gives us an understanding and experience of both
sides of the processes.
Once every two years, our international students take part in a questionnaire, giving their views on all
aspects of student life at Tilburg University. Our students consistently rate our Immigration Office as
one of the top 1 in the Netherlands and, according to the results of our own questionnaire in August
2013, more than 85% of students are either satisfactory or highly satisfactory with our service.
Please read this booklet carefully to see what requirements apply to you and do not hesitate to contact
one of our Immigration Officers with any queries you may have as soon as you receive an e-mail from
the International Office.
We look forward to contacting you all over the coming months and welcoming you to Tilburg
University.
Roos Hogenkamp
Director International Office
of Tilburg University
1.
THE IMMIGRATION OFFICE
1.1
Introduction of Immigration Officers
Daphne Galekop
Having grown up as an Expat’s daughter in Belgium I have always had a fascination for
different languages and cultures. After having studied in the Netherlands I returned to
Belgium where I worked for an international law firm specialized in corporate
immigration. At the end of 2013, I moved “back” to the Netherlands, becoming an
expat in my own country of nationality.
I started working for Tilburg University’s Central International Office in April 2014.
Seen both my personal and professional experience I am looking forward to assisting
you in obtaining the necessary paperwork in order to study in the Netherlands and
making your stay here as pleasant as possible.
My working days are Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Coordinator Immigration Office
Hülya Koçak
I have been working as an Immigration Officer at the central International Office since
January 2009. Originally, from Turkey, I have spent the majority of my life in the
Netherlands, benefiting from the best that both cultures have to offer! I really enjoy my
work here at the Immigration Office. The best part of my job is the contact I have with
all the different nationalities we welcome to the University each semester. It is also
satisfying when we receive feedback from students, confirming how easy the visa and
residence permit applications have been for them and thanking us for our help and
support. I am very much looking forward to contacting you over the coming months and
ensuring that your applications are dealt with quickly and efficiently.
My working days are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday morning, Thursday and Friday
morning.
Marja Bluekens
I have always been fascinated by other cultures and foreign languages. This is one of the
reasons that I decided to study in Belgium. And I really had a great time there! After
that, I started working at the International Office of Tilburg University. Looking for a new
challenge, I began working as Immigration Officer in January 2012. What I like most
about my work is the contact with international students. I am always happy to answer
your questions or help you out in case you have a problem. I look forward to welcoming
you and I hope you will have the time of your life here!
My working days are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
1.2
Contact details
Telephone
E-mail
Website
Walk-in hours
Location
International Office
:
:
:
:
:
+ 31 (0)13 466 4166
immigration@tilburguniversity.edu
www.tilburguniversity.edu/immigration
Every Tuesday from 10 am to 12 am & Thursday from 2 pm to 4 pm
Academia building, Student Desk, 3rd floor
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2.
IMMIGRATION PROCEDURES
As an EU/EEA national, you are NOT required to apply for a visa to travel to the Netherlands or to apply
for a Dutch residence permit to legally stay in the Netherlands. There are however, some immigration
requirements for EU/EEA-students, which you will find in this booklet.
2.1
Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service
The Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (known as the IND) has an important government
task. The IND is responsible for implementing immigration and naturalisation policies in the
Netherlands. The IND issues decisions on applications for residency and naturalisation in accordance
with Dutch law. In order to do so, the IND has to clearly set out the rules that apply to foreign nationals
in the Netherlands. The IND applies those rules as objectively and consistently as possible.
2.2
Countries
Below are the EU/EEA countries for which this booklet applies.
Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus (Greek part)
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
2.3
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
United Kingdom
Registration at municipality
Different countries have different ways of recording their population. Some countries choose to carry
out a census every 10 years, but the Netherlands has a system whereby a live database (BRP = Basis
Registratie Personen) is maintained, recording the most important information about the population.
Dutch law therefore requires all those living in the Netherlands (both Dutch nationals and non-Dutch
nationals) to register with the municipality in the area in which they live in order to keep this database
up-to-date. Registration is free of charge.
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If you will be living in Tilburg and you are a full year student, the Immigration Office will block
appointments with the municipality for all EU students in September (first semester) and in
January/February (second semester). More information will be given to you after your arrival at Tilburg
University.
Registration at the local municipality is mandatory for:
 Degree-seeking students. If you do not register with the local municipality, you must pay the
non-EU tuition fee to Tilburg University.
For some EU/EEA nationals the regulation of tuition fee differs. Please read the information
about tuition fee rate carefully at:
http://www.tilburguniversity.edu/students/administration/tuitionfees/rates/
 Exchange students who will be enrolled for more than one semester at Tilburg University
 Students who will be studying at Tilburg University for only one semester, but who wish to
work during their time here
 Students who are going to be accompanied by their spouse irrespective of their length of study
at Tilburg University *
* Please note that if your spouse will be accompanying you to the Netherlands for your period of study,
you must bring an original marriage certificate with you. This must be in English, Dutch, French or
German (or is official translated into one of those languages) and must have the correct legalisation
stamps on both the marriage certificate and the translation. Please arrange this via your local Dutch
Embassy or Consulate BEFORE your arrival in the Netherlands. For details of your local Dutch Embassy
or Consulate, please see the following website: Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Between four and six weeks after your registration at municipality hall, you will receive confirmation of
your registration trough a letter which will be sent to your Dutch home address. You must check that
the information is correct and keep the document safe. The document also has your Citizen Service
number (in Dutch it is called: burgerservicenummer (BSN)) on it. This is a unique identifier and must be
used:
 if you have a part-time job, you must give it to your employer who will use it to ensure that you
are employed legally in the Netherlands.
 you must also use this whenever you have any dealings with e.g. banks, insurance companies,
police etc. based in the Netherlands.
 to open a Dutch bank account, if you do not choose to do it through Tilburg University.
2.3.1 Documents required for registration
Generally, the following documents are required for registration with your municipality of residence:




Passport and a copy thereof;
Signed rental agreement, confirming your address in the Netherlands and a copy thereof;
Proof of legal residence (can be obtained from the Immigration Office in case required);
Translated (into Dutch, English, French or German in case not issued in one of these languages)
and legalized ‘long form’ (i.e. mentioning the names of the parents) birth certificate not older
than 6 months. *
* In case you will be living in the municipality of Tilburg AND you register with town hall during the time
slots reserved by Tilburg University’s Immigration Office, you are in principle NOT required to submit
a birth certificate. Special arrangements between the municipality and the Immigration Office have
been made in this respect. Should you register with town hall outside the reserved time slots then you
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may be required to submit your legalized and translated birth certificate. The municipality will then
inform you accordingly.
If you will be living somewhere other than Tilburg, you must contact your local municipality yourself
to arrange for your registration. Please keep in mind that those other municipality may require also an
original certified birth certificate for your registration
After registration, degree-seeking student also have to add their Dutch address details to Studielink.
This is highly important for administrative purposes at Tilburg University.
2.3.2 What to do when you move
If you move accommodation during your period of study in the Netherlands, you must always inform:
 Tilburg University.
This can be done online via the University’s website.
Go to http://www.tilburguniversity.edu/students/ and click on ‘Change of Address’.
 The municipality where you are registered.
This should be done as soon as possible after you have moved.
For those who will be living in Tilburg, can use the form ‘Notification Change of Address’.
This can be collected from the Immigration Office.
The Municipality of Tilburg details can be found via http://www.tilburg.nl/contact/
2.3.3 Deregistration at Municipality
If you registered as a resident at the local Municipality upon your arrival in Tilburg, you must deregister
before you leave the Netherlands. If you live in Tilburg, you can download the form ‘Notification of
move abroad’ on the website of Tilburg Municipality. At the appropriate time the Student
Administration will inform you.
2.4
Lawful stay in the Netherlands
As an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen you do not need a Dutch residence permit to stay in the Netherlands.
Your passport (or ID document) of the country of which you hold the nationality, is evidence that you
are permitted to stay in the Netherlands. You are not required to register with the IND.
For nationals from Croatia the following applies:
2.4.1 Verification against EU Community Law
If you will be studying at Tilburg University and you have Croatian passport, you have the option to do
an application for Verification against EU Community Law. Though this is not compulsory, it is
nevertheless advisable. It will make a number of things easier, such as getting a telephone subscription
or rental contract.
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2.4.2 How to apply for Verification against EU Community Law?
Applications for the Verification against EU Community Law can only be submitted directly by you to
the IND. The fee for this application is 50 Euros.
This must be done AFTER you have arrived in the Netherlands and AFTER you have registered at
Municipality. Further information about these processes will be given to you after arrival at Tilburg
University by our Immigration Officers.
Below is a summary of the process:
Register with Municipality, the confirmation letter will be
sent to your Dutch home address.
The Immigration Office will check that your application form
has been completed correctly and that the correct
documents are attached.
Make an appointment with the IND on 088 043 0430 (€0.10
per minute).
Attend your appointment with the IND to hand in your
application to the IND staff.
The IND staff will take your photo and they need also your
fingerprints and signature to create a residence permit card.
After your documentation has been checked and you have
paid, IND staff will inform you further about the procedure.
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3.
ADDITIONAL ISSUES ON STUDYING AT TILBURG UNIVERSITY
3.1
Arrival in Tilburg
We would strongly recommend that all students arrive at Tilburg University on the Arrival Days and
attend the full Tilburg Orientation Program (TOP). Your School will inform you on the exact dates. TOP
is the introduction week for all Tilburg students: Dutch and foreign. In addition to providing useful
sessions introducing you to Tilburg University, Tilburg and the Netherlands, the Immigration Officers
will give a presentation about the immigration processes for Non-EU students who have just arrived in
the Netherlands.
3.2
Insurance
It is extremely important to have the correct insurance for your period of study in the Netherlands.
Below are the most important types of insurance. These types of insurance can be bought either in one
package, or in separate parts, taking into account your individual circumstances and any existing
insurance cover you may already have. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have adequate
insurance cover for every day of your stay in the Netherlands. For further information, please click here.
3.2.1 Health insurance
Your policy must cover you for the following:
 repatriation on medical grounds
 urgent medical care
 emergency hospital treatment (including admission and treatment costs for a period of stay in a
hospital or psychiatric institution)
If you have private health insurance in your own country, please check with your insurance company
before your arrival in the Netherlands to check whether or not the coverage of your insurance meets
these requirements.
3.2.2 Personal liability insurance
We also strongly recommend you to take out personal liability insurance for the duration of your
studies in the Netherlands. Personal liability insurance covers costs if you should accidentally injure
another person or accidentally cause damage to someone else’s property.
3.2.3 Other insurance
Tilburg University advises you to take out insurance to cover loss or damage to your possessions during
your period of study (household content insurance) and travel insurance to cover your belongings and
medical care when you are travelling. However, some of this insurance cover may be included in your
current insurance package, particularly packages offered to international students. Please therefore
check with your insurance company to confirm details of the cover offered.
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3.3
Travelling after arrival in the Netherlands
Tilburg University’s Immigration Officers are not able to keep updated with the travel requirements for
other countries and we would therefore strongly recommend that, if you are planning to travel to
countries outside the EU/EEA area, you check requirements with the embassy of the country to which
you wish to travel, either in your own country before you come to the Netherlands or with the
appropriate embassy in the Netherlands after your arrival to make sure that your travel plans will not
be disrupted.
3.4
Working and studying in the Netherlands
Although it is easy to survive in the Netherlands without speaking Dutch, it is difficult to get a job here,
even part-time, without some knowledge of the Dutch language. The Immigration Office has created a
fact sheet, giving you more information about the requirements you will have to fulfill and who to
contact for more information about finding a part-time job. This can be found in APPENDIX 1.
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4.
APPENDIX 1
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
AND PART-TIME JOBS
Can I work during my studies in the Netherlands?
All students studying in the Netherlands are allowed to work in their spare time. However, what
documents are required and how many hours you are allowed to work differ according to the
nationality you have. Detailed below are the requirements and what you are entitled to do, depending
on the nationality you have.
Nationality
Documents Required
Working Hours
EU/EEA + Switzerland
No Work Permit required
Unlimited
Work Permit required
maximum of 10 hours per week
OR full time in June, July and
August
Work Permit required
Possibility of working for more
than 10 hours a week, but this
will be decided on an individual
basis
(except Croatians)
Non-EU/EEA
(with a Dutch residence
permit for study purposes)
Croatians
(with Verification against EU
Community Law)
What do I have to do before I can start to look for a job?
Non-EU/EEA nationalities:
You must have applied for a residence permit and have a letter from the Immigration Service
confirming that your application has been received
PLUS
All nationalities:
You must have a social security/citizenship number, also called ‘Burger Service Nummer’ or BSN. This is
given to you when you register at Municipality. It will take a number of weeks after your appointment
to register at Municipality before you receive this number, so if you are only staying in the Netherlands
for one semester or if you want to work immediately, you must make your own appointment at
Municipality. If you live in Tilburg, please ring 14 013 to make an appointment to register. You will
then be informed about the documents you must take with you to your appointment.
How do I apply for a Work Permit?
You cannot apply for a Work Permit (in Dutch is called TWV) yourself. Your employer must do that for
you at UWV (information is only available in Dutch;
http://www.uwv.nl/werkgevers/formulieren/werkvergunning-buitenlandse-werknemer.aspx)
You will need a Work Permit for each job that you have, so when you change jobs, your new employer
will have to apply for a new Work Permit. You must first, therefore have a job!
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How do I find a part-time job?
One of Tilburg University’s student organizations, I*ESN, assists international students in looking for
part-time jobs. Please go to http://www.iesntilburg.nl/. This will give you information about the rules,
regulations and suggestions as to how to look for a part-time job.
You can also try to find a job through an employment agency (‘uitzendbureau’ in Dutch). For details of
the employment agencies in Tilburg, go to www.yellowpages.nl and search for ‘employment agency’.
Some agencies specialize in jobs for students.
You can also look on the internet. Some examples of useful websites aimed specifically at non-Dutch
applicants include: www.undutchables.nl and www.dutchisnotrequired.nl
You can also use the Student Desk at Tilburg University, located on the third floor of the Academia
building. The Student Desk has an extensive selection of useful information, including vacancy lists and
professional journals.
Please also take into account that international students who do not speak Dutch will have more
difficulty in finding a job than those who speak at least a small amount of Dutch.
What are the requirements for medical insurance when I am working?
All those working in the Netherlands, either part-time or full time, must have a basic level of medical
insurance. This is not the same as the student medical insurance policy which you already have.
Students working at Tilburg University can take advantage of the University’s discount medical
insurance policy with CZ (a Dutch medical insurance company). Please see the following website for
more information: http://www.tilburguniversity.edu/students/studentlife/insurance/ and contact Mr
Frank Regouin (013 466 3392) if you have any questions regarding this.
Please remember that, in addition to medical insurance, you must also have liability insurance. You can
find information about this on the same website.
Do I have to pay tax?
You will be required to pay tax on your earnings, if you earn above a certain limit each calendar year.
This will be deducted by your employer from your pay before you receive it. Your employer also has to
make social security contributions to the Dutch government to support the payment of disability pay
and unemployment benefits. These are deducted from your pay before you receive it and will be
detailed on your pay slip. For a detailed explanation of these deductions, please ask your employer for
an explanation of your pay slip.
Do I have to stick to the rules?
We would obviously strongly recommend that you stick to the rules described above. However, some
students work in cafes or restaurants where they are paid without having deductions made for either
tax or social security contributions. This is illegal in the Netherlands and could have a negative effect on
your right to stay in the Netherlands. Another disadvantage is that you will not be insured if you are
working illegally, and if there is an accident at work, you will not be covered by your insurance policy.
This could have serious financial implications for you.
The Office of Work Inspections has stated that a priority for 2011 was checking whether international
students work more than the hours allowed by law. Since then there is also increased cooperation
between the Immigration Service and the Office of Work Inspections students who are working illegally.
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Who should I contact if I have any questions about the above?
Subject
Residence permit
Verification against EU Community Law
Registration at the Immigration Service
Part-time jobs
Work Permit application
Burgerservicenummer (BSN)
Medical insurance
(for students working at Tilburg University only)
Medical insurance
(for students who are not working)
International Office
Contact Person
Immigration Office (immigration@tilburguniversity.edu )
Immigration Office (immigration@tilburguniversity.edu )
Immigration Office (immigration@tilburguniversity.edu )
http://www.iesntilburg.nl/
www.yellowpages.nl
www.undutchables.nl
www.dutchisnotrequired.nl
Student Service Centre – third floor, Academia building
(A301)
Your employer
Municipality in the area in which you live
(Tilburg Municipality: telephone 14 013)
Frank Regouin
(F.C.G.Regouin@tilburguniversity.edu / or 013 466 3392)
http://www.tilburguniversity.edu/students/studentlife/insura
nce/
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