Validity residence permit during your studies

Unless Radboud University has taken over your residence permit from another educational institution, your permit is valid for the nominal duration of your studies. If you are doing a pre-Master’s programme, your residence permit is valid for the duration of your pre-Master’s and Master’s together. To retain your residence permit you must have your main residency in the Netherlands. This means that you live in the Netherlands and spend most of your time here. Your educational progress must also be adequate to retain your residence permit.

Study progress requirements
Main residence
Residence permit extension

Study progress requirements

As a Bachelor's or (pre-)Master's student, your study progress must be adequate to retain your residence permit.

Study progress requirement for Bachelor's and Master's students

In order to retain your residence permit, your educational progress must be adequate. As a degree Bachelor’s or Master’s student, you must obtain at least 50% of the nominal study workload each academic year. In most cases this means a minimum of 30 EC.

Example: you are following a 2-year Master’s programme of 120 EC total. The nominal study workload is 60 EC for one year. You have to obtain at least 30 EC each year (50% of nominal study workload).

The Visa Team of Student Admissions checks your study progress at the end of every academic year (or after 12 months) and will also ask you for a signed statement concerning sufficient financial means and valid insurance for the next academic year. This procedure is called: yearly residence permit check. If your progress is insufficient the Visa Team of Student Admissions is obliged to notify the IND (the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service). The IND will start the procedure for withdrawal of the residence permit.

If you undertake temporary study stays abroad (inside or outside the EU) during your study period at Radboud University, this study progress requirement remains applicable.

If you are facing issues with your study progress please contact Student Support. You can get support from student advisors, student psychologists, student counsellors, study trainers, study and career counsellors, career officers and confidential advisors. Also make sure to update the Visa Team of Student Admissions if you’re experiencing delays in your studies.

Study progress requirement for pre-Master's students

The IND applies specific rules for Pre-Master’s students: a Pre-Master’s is considered by the IND to be a preparatory programme and has to be completed within 12 months. If the Pre-Master’s is not completed within one year and followed by a Master’s programme, the Visa Team of Student Admissions is obliged to notify the IND. The IND will start the procedure for withdrawal of the residence permit.

Main residency

If you have a Dutch residence permit, your main residency

must be in the Netherlands. This means that you live in the Netherlands and spend most of your time here. Moving your main residency can end your right of residence.

More information

Staying outside of the Netherlands for study purposes

You may stay outside the Netherlands for a maximum of 1 continuous year. This is allowed if you are temporarily going abroad for education as part of your studies in the Netherlands. Your residence permit must be valid during the entire period abroad.

Intra-EU mobility student (Directive (EU) 2016/801)

With a Dutch residence permit for study you can study temporarily in a different EU country for a maximum of 360 days in total. The IND adds up all separate periods. Radboud University has to notify the IND of your mobility using the intra-EU mobility procedure. You will be contacted by the Visa Team of Student Admissions if you have been selected for a study abroad in a EU country. In case you have not been contacted two months prior to the exchange, please contact the Visa Team at studentvisa [at] ru.nl (studentvisa[at]ru[dot]nl).

Deregister with municipality

If you leave the Netherlands for more than 8 months or permanently, you have to deregister with the municipality. Contact the municipality you live in for more information.

Assess your insurance

Please carefully read the conditions of your insurance in case you are leaving the Netherlands. Aon (private student insurance), for instance, has set conditions for the maximum number of days you are allowed to stay outside your main country of study.

Residence permit extension

It is not always possible to complete your programme within the nominal duration. If you have not finished your programme yet but your residence permit is about to expire, the Visa Team of Student Admissions will contact you with the option of extending the residence permit.

The application for an extension of the residence permit will not be processed by the IND any earlier than 3 months before the expiry date of the residence permit. Therefore the Visa Team will also not start the procedure for the extension any earlier than three months prior to the expiry date of the residence permit.

To start an application for an extension of the residence permit, sufficient study progress is required. The extension period is either one semester or a full academic year, depending on the amount of EC left to be obtained. In case of a Master’s programme following a Bachelor’s programme, the extension period is for the full duration of the Master’s programme.

The costs of the application for an extension are 254 euro (subject to change).

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I work with my residence permit for study? How much can I work?

If you have a Dutch residence permit for study, you are allowed to work a maximum of 16 hours per week or full-time during the months June, July and August. Your employer will need to request an additional permit for you as soon as you start working, the so-called TWV. This is not something that you can do yourself. Please note that, as soon as you start working in the Netherlands, you are obliged to take out Dutch healthcare insurance.

If you are an EU/EEA national, you can work without restrictions or extra permit. You will still have to take out Dutch healthcare insurance.

What should I do if my residence permit card is lost or stolen?

If your residence permit card is lost or stolen, always report the theft to the local police. You need the police report to apply for a replacement. You will have to apply for this replacement with the IND yourself and you will have to pay a fee.

If you lose your card when you are not in the Netherlands, you may need a visa for your return trip to the Netherlands. You can find out what to do on the immigration office website.

Is it possible to switch programmes?

The IND requires all students who are here on a study permit to pass at least 50% of the nominal study workload for (the relevant part of) the academic year. This means, in standard cases, that the student needs to obtain at least 30 EC each academic year to keep their residence permit. Therefore, it is not always possible to change to a different programme halfway the year.

If you are unhappy with your chosen programme, please always contact your study advisor for help.

What will happen if I temporarily pause my studies?

As soon as you cancel your enrollment as a student from Radboud University without having graduated, we are obliged to inform the IND of this and they will start the procedure for withdrawal of your residence permit. We will notify you if this is the case. It is under no circumstances possible to keep your residence permit while you are not enrolled at Radboud University. This includes only taking a break from your studies.

What happens if I fail my current year of study?

If you fail your current year of study and you are here on a residence permit sponsored by Radboud University, this may influence the validity of your residence permit. If you do not obtain at least 50% of your nominal study workload and there are no extenuating circumstances (e.g. illness, special family reasons, pregnancy) that have affected your study progress in a negative way, we will have to notify the IND and they will withdraw your residence permit. Therefore, it is very important to inform your study advisor or one of the student counselors in time should you face any problems to meet the requirement. Please also update the visa team.

Contact information

Student Admissions can assist you in the application process and help you with practical issues concerning your stay. If you have any questions concerning your visa application, please contact the visa team of Student Admissions.

studentvisa [at] ru.nl +31 24 361 23 45