Visa and Health Care Information

Visa and Residence Permit

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A third-country national is a person who is not a citizen of the European Union (EU) within the meaning of Art. 20(1) of TFEU) of the TFEU and who does not enjoy the EU right to free movement, as defined in Article 2(5) of Regulation (EU) 2016/399 (Schengen Borders Code). Depending on nationality, third-country nationals must apply for a residence permit to study at COASTHazar program partner universities.

The residence permit application process starts after the student is officially admitted through IHE Delft’s Fellowship and Admissions Office. Once the student arrives in Spain, they will need to complete additional steps to finalize the process. These steps are described below.

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As a rule, the students' residence permit will be processed through the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND), under the Ministry of Justice and Security of the Netherlands. However, since the students’ first arrival is at the University of Cantabria in Santander, Spain, a special arrangement must be made beforehand. In practice, as outlined below, students will apply for a Spanish student visa first, and later to a Dutch resident permit, valid across the Schengen area.

With the Dutch residence permit, students are required to familiarize themselves with the rights and obligations associated with holding that permit. The IND has published a document detailing these rights and obligations, as well as the residence permit application process, which all COASTHazar students are required to read.

As mentioned above, most COASTHazar students will need a preliminary visa for Spain before traveling to the Netherlands. Once students have been granted full admission to the COASTHazar program and their funding is confirmed (either through an Erasmus Mundus scholarship or other sources), IHE Delft sends an admission letter in both English and Spanish. The University of Cantabria also sends each admitted student an admission letter along with instructions on how to obtain a Spanish visa. Using this letter, students can apply for a short-term student visa (less than 180 days) for Spain at any Spanish Embassy. In this case, the Spanish Foreign Office will not issue the Spanish TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero, similar to a residence permit), which covers their complete stay in Spain during the first semester. Upon arrival in Spain, students will have to apply for the TIE, which is associated with their visa application. Alternatively, students can apply for a long-term visa for Spain (more than 180 days). The main difference between short- and long-term study visas is that for the long-term visa, students must submit criminal background and medical reports. Since this process can be time-consuming and is generally unnecessary (as the short-term visa covers 180 days, which exceeds the duration of the first semester), students are advised to apply for the short-term visa for Spain.

After students arrive in Spain, IHE Delft will apply for an entry visa (MVV) and residence permit (VVR) for the Netherlands with mobility (per EU directive 2016/801) for the entire duration of the COASTHazar program. With this permit, students can stay in any other Schengen country for up to 360 days within the permit's validity period.

Around mid-October, after the students begin their first semester in Spain, IHE Delft will send detailed instructions on how to proceed. These instructions include a set of forms that students need to sign and return to IHE Delft, along with a copy of their passport and valid Spanish visa. Once IHE Delft receives and approves these documents, they are sent to the Dutch Immigration Department (IND) along with the applications for the MVV and VVR. If approved, the IND will send an email (through the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs) to the Dutch Embassy in Madrid, authorizing the issuance of the MVV. At the same time, the IND will inform IHE Delft for each student that this process is complete. Upon receiving this approval for all students concerned, IHE Delft will contact the Dutch Embassy in Madrid, inform them about the COASTHazar program, and arrange for a specific day when students can go to the Embassy in Madrid to apply for their final entry visa and residence permit. IHE Delft will inform the students of the scheduled time for this visit.

If the application is approved by the Embassy, the students will receive their MVV. Concurrently, the IND in the Netherlands will be notified so that the residence permit card with mobility can be prepared and made available in The Hague after the students arrive in the Netherlands. Generally, IHE Delft will schedule an appointment with the IND, and an immigration officer will come to Delft to distribute the residence permit cards with mobility to the students. If this arrangement is not possible, students must travel to the IND office in The Hague to collect their residence permit card with mobility. This permit will be valid until the end of the program plus an additional three months (typically until December following graduation).

With the residence permit card with mobility, students can move between Portugal and Spain and stay in these countries for a maximum period of 360 days. Upon arrival at the University of Algarve (third semester) or University of Cantabria (fourth semester, for thesis research), students must report to the Foreigners Office and, if approved, obtain authorization to stay in Portugal/Spain based on mobility agreements among EU countries. No further procedures are required.

Additionally, students conducting research in Portugal must finish and leave the country before the 360-day maximum expires. As their third semester begins in the second week of September and research typically concludes in July, this should not be an issue.

 

Permit for Family Members

 

The COASTHazar universities are not responsible for applying for permits for participants' family members and will not provide or issue any supporting documents for individuals not directly involved in the program. Most of the time, inviting family members for a short visit under tourism purposes is straightforward. Be sure to follow guidelines provided by the embassy in your country for short-term visits. This section is intended as a guide for inviting family members during the study period, especially when in the Netherlands.

According to Dutch immigration law, you are considered the “referee” (responsible person) for your family during their stay in the Netherlands. This means that you are responsible for reporting to the IND in case of:

• changes in your marital status;

• the birth of a child; or

• departure of your family members from the Netherlands, or departure from the Netherlands for a period longer than 6 months

 

Always include your V-number and the V-number of any family members involved. This 10-digit number is indicated as "VNR" at the bottom of your permit or in letters from the IND.