Services for Exchange students

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Services for exchange students

Going to a university in a new country is an exciting and possibly a slightly daunting prospect, particularly if it is your first time living abroad.  Education and Student affairs provides a range of services to ensure that you get here in time to start your exchange period at TU/e, with all the necessary paperwork completed.

Some practicalities of moving to Eindhoven and how TU/e will help you with these matters:

Non-EU students

Most students with a non-EU nationality who want to stay in the Netherlands for more than 90 days need an entry visa (MVV) and/or residence permit (VVR). Your nationality determines the immigration arrangements you need to take before coming to study at TU/e. To check if you need a visa and/or residence permit, you should check the Nuffic website. Please be advised that a visa and a residence permit are not the same.

You will not have to arrange your immigration matters on your own, the university will apply for your visa and/or residence permit on your behalf. This procedure takes approximately 4 weeks. If, in addition to a residence permit, you also need a visa (which needs to be collected from the Dutch embassy or consulate your home country), you will need to add another 2 weeks, depending on the availability of the Dutch representation.

The immigration department of the TU/e will contact you well in advance to inform you about the procedure in order to arrange immigration matters. You will be informed about the progress of the application procedure and eventually, you will be informed when and how to collect your visa (if applicable) in your home country. Finally, we will arrange for you to receive your Dutch residence permit card in Eindhoven.

If you will stay in the Netherlands for less than 90 days, you will not need a long-stay visa and/or residence permit. You will then need to apply for a short-stay visa yourself in your home country.

After arrival

Most arrangements are already made before you arrive in Eindhoven, but there are some steps that you need to take care of on arrival in order to make your stay more comfortable.

Housing

For more information on housing for exchange students check our housing page.

INSURANCE

Since sufficient health and liability insurance are mandatory in the Netherlands, it is important that you arrange insurance either before you leave your country or immediately after arrival in the Netherlands. The TU/e does not need a proof of your insurance, this is your own responsibility.

EU-students

Check your insurance policy in your home country to see if it covers your stay in the Netherlands for both health and liability. The Netherlands has signed treaties regarding health insurance with the following countries: all of the EU member states, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Türkiye, Morocco, most of the countries of former Yugoslavia, Tunisia, Cape Verde Islands and Australia. If you are insured under a health insurance scheme of one of these countries, your insurance company can provide you with an international declaration form called European Health Insurance Card. This card provides health insurance during your stay in the Netherlands. 

Make sure you bring this form with you to the Netherlands, and make a number of copies of it. You will need this card to be able to see a doctor in the Netherlands.

If you do not have liability insurance that covers you in the Netherlands, it’s advised that you arrange liability insurance (ICS Start insurance) via Aon. If you need partial cover for health in addition to your EHIC, you can arrange the ICS Start + insurance with Aon. If you do not have an EHIC, you can select the ICS Complete+ insurance option.

You can apply for the needed insurance yourself via the website of AON.

Non-EU students

Students from countries that are not mentioned above are advised to take out health and liability insurance (ICS Complete+ insurance) via Aon.

You can arrange the insurance online via the website of AON, www.aonstudentinsurance.com/tue. Payment of the insurance premium is done via bank transfer or credit card. Payment options are the full amount at once or yearly payment if you take out insurance for one year or longer.

If the insurance from your home country also covers you in the Netherlands, then please compare your insurance to the Aon insurance so you are sure your insurance has sufficient coverage.

Students with a (part-time) job or paid internship

If you have a (part-time) job or paid internship in the Netherlands and you earn at least the Dutch minimum wage, you are considered to be insured under the Dutch Health Insurance Act. This means you are legally required to take out Dutch basic health insurance. If the internship pay is less than this minimum wage, you are not allowed to take out a Dutch basic health insurance. In this case, you can keep your Aon student insurance or other student insurance you have arranged yourself.

For more information about minimum wage check this website. For the calculation of the minimum wage, please see the following tool (only available in Dutch).

Letter from cak

During your study period at TU/e you may receive a letter from CAK. If you receive this letter, you MUST ALWAYS respond! You will find instructions on how to respond to this letter on the pages of the Study in Holland website,

Announce yourself at your Department

After your arrival you should go to the Exchange coordinator of your Department. He or she will provide you with a short introduction to the Department and inform you of the practical arrangements that need to be made. If you are going to take part in a research project or an internship, please also inform your supervisor of your arrival.

Student card

You will receive information regarding your TU/e e-mail address and login information for OSIRIS in your personal e-mail before arrival. After receipt, you can upload a photo for your student card. This must be done before your student card can be made.

If you have registered a Dutch address in OSIRIS the student card will be mailed to this address. If you have registered a non-Dutch address in OSIRIS you will receive an email from Education and Student Affairs once your student card is ready in order to collect it at the ESA desk. You can find the ESA desk on the first floor of the MetaForum building (MF 1.214).

Questions or need help?

ESA offers many services to international students. Just go to the service desk for help. Usually you will get an immediate answer to your question or they will refer you to the right contact person or department. The opening hours of ESA are Monday – Friday: 08.30 – 09.30 hrs. / 12.00 – 14.00 hrs. / 16.00 – 17.00 hrs.

Residence permit

If TU/e has applied for a visa and/or residence permit for you, we will arrange for you to receive your Dutch residence permit card in Eindhoven.

TB test

Some students with a non-EU nationality are required to take a tuberculosis test as part of their residence permit formalities. If this applies to you, you will be asked to undergo a TBC X-ray at the Municipal Health Service (in Dutch GGD) shortly after your arrival in the Netherlands. The immigration department of the TU/e will inform you about this and will arrange an appointment for you with the GGD. You can use this list of nationalities to find out if you are required to undergo a TB test after arrival.

Registering at city hall

All international students who are staying in Eindhoven for more than four months must register at city hall. Take the following documents with you to your appointment:

passport
housing  contract
birth certificate (legalized and/or verified)
documents of your marriage or birth of child
For Non-EER students: approval letter IND* or your Dutch residence permit card (if already received)

Please make sure you do not forget to de-register from the city hall before you leave the Netherlands.

*You will receive this letter from TU/e by email when your residence permit has been approved by the IND

Why open a Dutch bank account

We advise you to open a Dutch bank account in the Netherlands for several reasons:

Not all international debit and credit cards are accepted in all shops and businesses the Netherlands. Certainly, many food shops and supermarkets, and even the shops and facilities on campus, only accept debit cards with the Maestro logo. Maestro is essentially a debit card which allows you to purchase items (both in-person and online) and withdraw cash from ATMs in the Netherlands and the rest of the world.
If you need to self-quarantine after arrival and have a Dutch bank account you can easily order your grocery shopping online and have it delivered to your new address.
Having a Dutch bank account (which includes the possibility of internet banking) enables you to manage transactions online to easily pay for your accommodation, insurance, telephone and other bills using internet banking. And in the Netherlands, the iDeal payment system allows you to easily purchase goods online and to make small payments quickly in canteens, vending machines and printing facilities (on campus and outside)
For non EEA-students the proof of living expenses can only be refunded to your Dutch bank account.
You can easily deposit and receive money from your home country.

There are a number of large, traditional banks in the Netherlands.

ABN AMRO (offers information in English)
ING
Rabobank
SNS Bank
ASN Bank
Triodos

There are also a number of online banks (also called mobile banks or neobanks) available in the Netherlands (all offering information in English):

How to open a bank account at a traditional bank in the Netherlands
To open a regular bank account in the Netherlands you can make an appointment online or simply walk into the nearest branch. You will need to fill in an application form for the account and most banks require the following documents:

A valid form of ID (passport or identity card)
BSN*
Proof of enrollment**
For Non-EER students: approval letter IND*** or your Dutch residence permit card (if already received)
Proof of address (i.e. a rental contract)

* BSN (Burger Service Nummer = Social Security Number). You will receive your BSN by post 2 weeks after you have registered at the city hall.

**Can be downloaded from OSIRIS after you have received an e-mail that your enrollment has been finalized.

*** You will receive this letter from TU/e by email when your residence permit has been approved by the IND

How to open an online bank account
You can sign up with an online bank by downloading your chosen bank’s app onto your smartphone. You will need your personal details, mobile phone number, email address, you need to be able to prove your identity, some banks require an address and you may need to deposit funds into your account to activate the account. Then, your bank account will be created and once all the details have been processed, you will have to wait a few minutes until your account is approved and your bank card is sent out to you (which may take up to 10 working days).

Some things to keep in mind when opening a bank account

Please be advised that this is not an exhaustive list and you will need to research which option is best for your personal situation.

Traditional banks:

Most traditional banks charge a yearly fee for having an account
They have physical branches with personal contact to go to if you need help or information
A bank account is available for all passport holders
You will have access to your bank account once you have submitted all the paperwork described above. Usually you will receive confirmation of your bank account within 2 weeks.

Online banks

You do not always require a BSN to open the account. This means that you can open an account before you have registered at city hall.
Check that a Meastro debit card is the card you receive from the online bank

Most online banks do not charge a fee for opening an account, but may charge a fee if you withdraw cash more than a certain number of times or more than a certain amount of money
Some online banks charge a fee for the bank card, certainly for an upgraded account
Some online banks provide you with a prepaid credit card (on which you must deposit money before you can pay with it) and it seems that not all (web)shops accept the card
Most online banks are cheaper with fewer fees for travelling and foreign currency fees
Most online banks have no physical branches and are fully controlled through your mobile phone or web app
Digital banks do not accept all passports when you try to open a bank account
Most online banks do not offer services such as saving, borrowing or taking out insurance (however, this may change in the (near) future)

Working while studying

STUDENTS FROM THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA (EEA)

If you are from the EU/EEA or Switzerland you are free to work without restrictions. You do not need a work permit and there are no restrictions regarding working hours, other than the restrictions and rules stipulated by Dutch law in the Working Hours Act (ATW).

STUDENTS FROM OUTSIDE THE EEA

If you are not from the EU/EEA or Switzerland, there are some restrictions if you want to work, do an internship or work on a self-employed basis alongside your studies.

STUDENTS FROM OUTSIDE THE EEA WITH A PART-TIME JOB              

If you are not from the EU/EEA or Switzerland, there are some restrictions if you want to work alongside your studies. Your employer has to provide you with a personal work permit (TWV). The organization that issues work permits is called the Employee Insurance Agency (UWV)

There are some important things to take into consideration:

You can only work if you have this specific work permit
Your Dutch visa and residence permit will be granted on the basis of your study and limits the amount of hours you are permitted to work; you can either work for a maximum of 16 hours a week during the year OR fulltime during the months of June, July and August.
Your employer has to apply for your TWV at least 5 weeks prior to the start of your employment
You cannot apply for the TWV yourself (the application is free of charge), but you can ask your employer for a copy.
The TWV is issued exclusively for the type of work and the employer mentioned on the document itself
If your employer was not issued a work permit for you or if you work for more hours than allowed, then you are working illegally
The Inspectorate SZW carries out inspections to check whether work permits were issued. If the permit was not issued, this may result in severe fines for your employer
In case of an infringement, the Inspectorate SZW contacts the IND to check regarding your Dutch residence permit.
If you work, you must register with the Dutch tax authorities. You will be obliged to declare all income (including any income from a scholarship) and may be taxed on your entire income. TU/e can provide you with a statement that helps the personnel officer to fill in the tax papers with you, so your scholarship does not get taxed.
If you work, you are legally obliged to pay employee health insurance. This insurance is more expensive than the health insurance for students.

STUDENTS FROM OUTSIDE THE EEA WHO ARE DOING AN INTERNSHIP

If you are enrolled as a TU/e student and you want to do an internship which is relevant to or a part of your study program, you do not need a work permit. Instead your host institution, your internship employer and you need to sign an internship agreement. You can find a standard internship agreement here.

STUDENTS FROM OUTSIDE THE EEA WHO WORK ON A SELF-EMPLOYED BASIS

In combination with your studies, you are allowed to work in the Netherlands as a self-employed individual, as long as you continue to meet the requirements for your residence permit for study. There is no limit to the amount of hours that you are allowed to work as a self-employed individual. Also, you do not need a work permit. For more information you can visit the website of the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KVK).

Services for Exchange students