Checklist

Image of Roussillon, France

Checklist - Before your exchange

Essential

Make a financial plan and ensure you have sufficient funds
Make sure your passport is valid for the time that you’ll be staying in the Netherlands and check with the authorities in your home country how many months your passport still needs to be valid for when you return there
Prepare the necessary documents for your visa and/or residence permit (if applicable), and if you need a visa, obtain it before you travel
Arrange your healthcare (and other) insurance

Decide how and when to get to Rotterdam

Arrange accommodation in Rotterdam, at least for your first few nights

Register for your courses (you will receive an e-mail from the exchange coordinator about the registration procedure)

Optional

Follow Erasmus School of Economics on social media channels ( Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)
Subscribe to Erasmus University’s YouTube channel
Sign up for the orientation programmes

Register for a Dutch language course

Appoint someone you trust to act as your representative. For instance, for your bank account: if you lose your bankcard, it will be easier if someone in your home country is authorised to arrange a new one for you.

Essential things to pack before departure

Your passport
Proof of your healthcare insurance
Tickets and journey details
Credit card

Some money in the form of cash (euros)

Clothing for temperatures between -5°C and 25°C (between 23°F and 77°F)
Toiletries Bag

Medications (if applicable)

 Emergency phone numbers

Optional things to pack before departure

Your (international) driver’s licence
Passport photos (you will need a few during your first few days here)
Camera
Mobile phone

Laptop / tablet

Travel adapter
Extra contact lenses or spare pair of glasses
Umbrella (it rains quite often in the Netherlands)
Towels
Bed linen (some housing agencies offer linen)
Travel guide
International Student Identity Card
First Aid kit

Checklist - During your exchange

Essential

Register at City Hall if you will be living in the Netherlands for

more than 4 months

Be properly insured (you are by law obliged to be insured in the Netherlands)
Register yourself at a general practitioner and dentist
Get your Student ID card (you will receive this from the exchange coordinator)
Pick up your residence permit (if applicable, you will receive an email once it is ready)
Take a tuberculosis check (if applicable)

Optional

Open a Dutch bank account
Attend our orientation programmes
Buy a bicycle
Buy an OV-chipkaart (public transport chip card)
Buy a mobile phone or Dutch SIM card
Become a member of one of the student organisations
Buy an Erasmus Sport Pass

Checklist - After your exchange

Cancel your accommodation and pay the final month’s rent
Return your keys to get the deposit back for your housing
De-register at City Hall (if applicable). You can do so at https://www.rotterdam.nl/loket/deregistration
Cancel your Dutch health insurance. Be sure to file your insurance claims before leaving
Return all your library books, cds, dvds, magazines etc. from the EUR and/or public library
Close your bank account (if applicable). Bank charges will be continued, if you do not close your account. When moving to another city in the Netherlands, inform the bank of your new address
Settle/cancel any outstanding contracts or subscriptions (i.e. mobile phone.) otherwise they may be renewed automatically. Please check the conditions of your contract, because in some instances you are required to cancel 3 months before the contract is due to end
Forward important emails and/or export contacts from your ERNA account, as your ERNA account will be discontinued two months after your unenrolment date
When you have furniture, books or a bike that you would like to leave behind in the Netherlands, you could try to sell them, for instance at the ESN-Rotterdam Marketplace group
Non-EU/EEA students who would like to stay in the Netherlands, need to change their residence permit. When you decide to continue your studies at another Dutch institution, you must ask the new institution to register you at the Dutch Immigration Department (IND) as we will automatically deregister you. Please see the Nuffic website for more information > international students > alumni > continuing your studies
When you would like to work in the Netherlands, students who obtained a degree in the Netherlands have the option to apply for a so called ‘orientation year permit
Read more at the Nuffic website international students > alumni > working after your studies

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