Documents to bring

Ask your local Dutch embassy which papers you must have with you in order to obtain your residence permit and to register at the Dienst Persoonsgegevens (Amsterdam Municipal Registry Office).

If you need a MVV to enter the Netherlands and you are planning to travel to other countries during your stay in the Netherlands (and already know the dates), we strongly advise you to apply for a D+C visa that will enable you to travel within the Schengen countries. You can apply for this visa at the Dutch Embassy.

You need to bring the following documents:

• passport (please note that your passport must be valid for at least one month after your planned departure from the Netherlands),
• birth certificate (original legalized by the Dutch Embassy),
• if you are married, your marriage certificate (original legalized by the Dutch Embassy),
• proof of health insurance,
• proof of income or scholarship (original bank statements or proof of scholarship),
• the required minimum of € 741 per month, or € 616 for Socrates exchange students (however, actual living expenses are approximately € 850-€ 1,300 per month),
• a return ticket, or proof that you can pay for your return to your home country, if you arrived on a one-way ticket.

Please contact your local Dutch embassy if you have any doubts about which papers you need to bring, or which items are legal or illegal to import into the Netherlands.

Please check the information stated here with the Dutch embassy in your own country. Details of the procedures outlined in this section may have changed by the time you read this guide.

Marriage certificate

If you are married, you must bring a certified copy of your marriage certificate, whether or not you are bringing your spouse. If you plan to bring your spouse and/or children, or if these family members will be joining you later, you must also provide official certified copies (in English or Dutch) of their birth certificates. All official documents should be legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Ministry of Justice. 

In addition, students of some countries need to have their papers legalized by the Dutch embassy.

The Immigratiekantoor (Immigration Office) will ask for proof of your ability to support any family members who will be joining you. They may also request to see either a return ticket for you and all your family members, or a sum of money equal to the cost of a return ticket home.

Money

You should bring money, traveller’s cheques and/or a credit card. In the Netherlands you can only pay with the common European currency, which is the Euro. Money can be changed 24 hours a day, seven days a week at Amsterdam Central Station and at Schiphol Airport. Also, it is possible to directly withdraw Euros from cash dispensers using many foreign bank cards.