About DUO

The Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs is responsible for the execution of several acts and regulations, such as student grants and information management. These acts are commissioned by the Minister of Education, Culture, and Science. International Visitors is intended for foreigners who plan to take up a study or start a career in the Netherlands. In the menu on the left, click on the subject you wish to read more about.

Verification of student registration

The Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs (DUO) is a  Dutch governmental organization, responsible for – amongst other things – the payment of study grants to students. These students are only entitled to a grant for the period they are actually registered at an instuitution of education. In certain cases, DUO also provides study grants for students who take a course at an institution outside The Netherlands. 
DUO verifies whether the school – and study data the student has provided are similar to the way the student is registered at the institution of education. Therefore, the student receives this studiecontroleformulier / this study control form.
DUO kindly requests that you fill in the second page (back side) completely. Corresponding to the various questions an explanation in English is given to help you. After you have filled in the back side of the form, we ask you to supply it with a stamp and signature. Then the student himself must return the form to DUO in The Netherlands.
More information: DUO information service: (050) 599 77 55

New policy

As a result of the European Court of Justice's verdict of March 15th 2005 in case 209/03 (Bidar), the Dutch minister of Education has decided to let directive 2004/38/EG come into effect on May 9th, 2005. This directive decides that a citizen of the European Union acquires the enduring right of residence in another member state if he 'has stayed legally on the territory of the host country for a continuous period of five years'. This means that students from other EU member states (or from Switzerland), who have lived in The Netherlands for five consecutive years, are entitled to a study grant or a contribution in study costs. 

Students must be able to prove the duration of their stay with a certificate of residence from the Municipal Data Base (GBA) which shows the date of settlement in The Netherlands as well as an historical survey of adresses. If students have lived in The Netherlands for a period of five years, they may receive a study grant or a contribution in study costs from April 2005 onwards. The right to a grant or contribution is retroactive from April 2005, provided the students send in an application before July 1st 2005.

The complete text (in Dutch) of the rule of policy you find below.

Quality

DUO aims to publish current information on its website. If you encounter information on the site which you think is not or no longer correct, please inform us by means of an e-mail.

Quick link

Applying with a foreign diploma for a study course with a quota; information about the procedure and the admission criteria