You live in Germany and are going to study in the Netherlands

If you have a non-Dutch diploma or certificate, you can have it evaluated. A diploma evaluation explains which Dutch diploma your non-Dutch diploma is equivalent to.

Europe has its own system: the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). The ECTS helps make it possible for students to study outside their country of origin.

On the website studyinnl.org (in English), you will find information on a variety of scholarships you can apply for your course of study or training in the Netherlands.

In the Netherlands, there are hundreds of courses to choose from at secondary vocational, higher professional or university level. 

On the website kiesmbo.nl, you can compare secondary vocational courses. 

If you are looking for a higher professional or university course, you can get help from the Landelijk Centrum Studiekeuze (LCR). For step-by-step help with finding a course, go to the website studiekeuze123.nl.

Enrolling for a secondary vocational course

You must enrol by no later than 1 April with the educational institution where you will be following your chosen course. To enrol on a course at an educational institution, go to inschrijvenmbo.nl (available in Dutch only). 

Enrolling for a higher professional or university course

If you want to enrol on a course at a university of applied sciences or research university, you must do so by no later than 1 May through studielink.nl (available in Dutch, English and German). For more information on the enrolment procedure and admission requirements, you should contact the educational institution concerned.

If you hold the nationality of a country in the European Economic Area (EEA ) or Switzerland, you do not need to apply for a residence permit in order to follow a course of study or training in the Netherlands. A valid passport or ID card is sufficient for you to travel to the Netherlands and stay there.

If you do not hold the nationality of an EEA country or Switzerland, different rules may apply in your case. For more information, visit the website of the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND ).

After you have enrolled on a higher professional or university course, it is likely your university of applied sciences or research university will ask you to carry out a study-choice check. This is sometimes compulsory. A study-choice check allows you to verify whether the course you have chosen is actually suitable for you. 

If your university of applied sciences or research university does not offer you the opportunity to carry out a study-choice check, you can always ask for one. This is an entitlement, provided you enrolled on your course by no later than 1 May.

The educational institution may require a particular language skill level as an entry requirement for a course. Contact the educational institution to ask whether you need to take a language test, and what the requirements are.

Finding accommodation in the Netherlands can be difficult, especially in student cities. It is therefore advisable to start looking well in advance. Contact your educational institution to ask how best to approach this. Amongst other things, you could try student housing providers such as SSH and SSHN, private landlords, estate agents or Facebook groups and blogs.

If you are enrolled at a Netherlands-based educational institution, you can get student finance from the Education Executive Agency (DUO), provided you meet the qualifying conditions. You can also apply for a student travel product if you live in Germany and you meet the qualifying conditions. Be sure to cancel the student travel product in a timely manner if you no longer qualify for it. This way, you will avoid being fined.

You should make sure that DUO has your current email address at all times. Any important messages regarding your student finance, public transport allowance and repayments will be sent to your Message Box (Berichteninbox) through My DUO (Mijn DUO). If your email address changes, update it in My DUO straight away to avoid missing any messages. 

German student finance (BAföG) can be paid for a first course of study or training, provided the student meets the qualifying conditions. Furthermore, the course must be followed at a school for vocational education, a university of applied sciences, an academy or a research university (translation of ‘berufsbildenden Schulen, Kollegs, Akademien und Hochschulen’). 

To use BAföGdigital, you need to create an account. You can log in with a username and password, but using your BundID is more secure. You can also log in using your Dutch DigiD .

You may also be able to get other financial support in addition to BAföG, through the Erasmus+ programme or the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), for example.

If you are enrolled at a Netherlands-based educational institution you can get a student travel product from DUO, provided you meet the qualifying conditions. This is a public transport subscription that is valid in the Netherlands either during the week or at the weekend. The student travel product cannot be used on public transport in Germany.

If you receive German student finance (BAföG), BAföG includes a travel allowance.

Pay school fees or course fees for a secondary vocational course

As a student in secondary vocational education aged 18 or over following a pre-vocational learning pathway (BOL), you will be required to pay school fees. 

If you are a student in secondary vocational education aged 18 or over, you will be required to pay course fees if you are following a part-time course or a block- or day-release programme (BBL).

Pay tuition fees for a higher professional or university course,

If you study at a university of applied sciences or research university, you have to pay tuition fees. Each academic year, you pay a fixed amount to the educational institution you are studying at. 

To pay your tuition fees, you need to go to studielink.nl (available in Dutch, English and German) and enter your payment details. Once it is possible for you to make your payment, you will receive a notification from studielink.nl.

If you are going to live in the Netherlands permanently, you are legally required to deregister from your municipality in Germany. This is called an ‘Abmeldung’, and needs to be done at the Residents’ Registration Office (Einwohnermeldeamt) of your German municipality. You should do this either before you move or no later than 2 weeks after you leave. Your German municipality will provide you with the necessary form.

If you will be staying in the Netherlands for 4 months or longer for the purpose of your studies, you will need to have yourself entered in the Dutch Personal Records Database (BRP), which is the population register in the Netherlands. To do this, you need to visit the Civil Affairs Department of the municipality where you will be living. You must do this within 5 days of your arrival in the Netherlands. You need to be registered as living in the Netherlands in order to get a Burgerservicenummer (BSN), which you need in order to arrange your affairs with the Dutch government .

If you will be staying in the Netherlands for less than 4 months, you should register at a municipality with a Non-residents’ Records Database (RNI) desk. Once you have been entered in the RNI, you will be issued a Dutch BSN.

If you have a Burgerservicenummer (BSN), you can apply for a DigiD in the Netherlands. DigiD stands for Digital Identity and is a personal combination of a username and password. You use your DigiD to identify yourself when using the internet. 

In Germany, you may use a login key such as eIDAS. This is an EU-approved login key. Many of the online services of government agencies in the Netherlands can also be accessed using eIDAS. This is also referred to as European login.

If you are living in Germany, you will not qualify for rent benefit from the Netherlands because this applies only to rented accommodation in the Netherlands.

If you are renting accommodation in the Netherlands in addition to your accommodation in Germany, you should enquire as to whether you can get rent benefit from Dienst Toeslagen. If you live in student accommodation with shared facilities, you will usually not qualify for rent benefit.

You may be able to get German rent benefit (Wohngeld) unless you qualify for student finance from the German government (BAföG); if you qualify for BAföG, you are unlikely to qualify for German rent benefit.

If you are studying in Netherlands but not working there, you will remain insured in Germany. If you do not yet have a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), you should apply for one. Depending on which German health insurer (Krankenkasse) you are insured with, you may be able to get a digital EHIC. 

If you are working alongside your course of study or training in the Netherlands, you will need to cancel your German health insurance. 

If you are doing an internship in the Netherlands and you are covered by 1 or more of the Dutch employee insurance schemes , such as the sickness benefit scheme (ZW ) or the unemployment benefit scheme (WW ), you must take out Dutch health insurance for the duration of your internship. 

To find out whether you are insured under the employee insurance schemes, you should check one of your payslips or ask your internship company or the Dutch Employee Insurance Agency (UWV ). 

To be absolutely certain what the requirements are in your situation, you should contact your German health insurer (Krankenkasse).

If you have Dutch health insurance, you can apply to Dienst Toeslagen for healthcare benefit. Healthcare benefit is a financial contribution towards the fixed monthly premium you pay to your health insurer. The amount of healthcare benefit you can get depends on your income.

If you receive any other income, it is important to check whether your entitlement to it will be affected. Checking this will give you a clear picture of your financial situation and avoid you having to make any repayments. Contact the organisations concerned to find out whether the payments can continue.

If you have a physical or social disability, or you suffer from a psychological condition or chronic illness, you should inform your educational institution so they can assess your needs in consultation with your supervisor.

If you are following a course of study or training at an institution for higher professional education or a university, the Expert Centre on Inclusive Education (ECIO) can help you. The ECIO provides practical information and answers to frequently asked questions, and draws on the experiences of other students who require support.

There is a tax treaty in place between the Netherlands and Germany to prevent double taxation, i.e. having to pay tax in 2 countries on the same income. If you have any questions about this, call the Dutch Tax Information Line for Non-resident Tax Issues.

If you work part-time alongside your course of study or training, your employer can reduce the deductions they make for payroll tax . As a result, your net wage will be higher. To have these deductions reduced, fill in the Model Statement of Data for Payroll Taxes (scheme for students and school pupils) (available in Dutch only) and give it to your employer.

During your stay in the Netherlands, you may find yourself needing medical care from a general practitioner or dentist, or in a hospital, for example. How you should declare your medical expenses depends on where you are insured. 

If you have Dutch health insurance, you should contact your health insurer. 

If you do not have Dutch health insurance, you should contact your German health insurance fund (Krankenkasse) or Zilveren Kruis – Groep Buitenlands Recht.

Pension is of course something for later in life, but later always comes sooner than you think.

If you work in the Netherlands, you will normally build up rights to an AOW pension automatically. When you have finished your course of study or training, you can apply to the Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) for a Statement of AOW Pension Insurance Periods. 

If you have come to the Netherlands from Germany, you may later work in Germany and build up rights to a German state pension (Deutsche Rente). Your periods of study or training (also in the Netherlands) count towards your German state pension. After you have finished your course of study or training in the Netherlands, you should therefore contact Deutsche Rentenversicherung (DRV) and ask them to add those periods to your insurance record. This is referred to as ‘Kontenklärung’.