# EU citizen and non-EU going to school in the Netherlands



## elsabel (Jul 6, 2015)

Hi,

I've been scouring this website and many others for information on my boyfriend and i's situation but haven't been able to find anyone quite in the same boat as us.

Here's what we have going on:


My boyfriend is a duel British/American citizen and we currently live in America. I am an American. 
He would like to get his masters in the Netherlands
I would like to finish my degree at a university in the Netherlands also
He wants to live in the Netherlands after he and I graduate and not return to the US
We live together, have been together for almost two years, share finances. I am largely financially dependent on him.


We are going to the Netherlands at the end of this month to visit universities. 

Based on my research so far, we were thinking about me applying for a partnership visa. One nice thing about a partnership visa is that it would (from my understanding) give me access to EU university tuition, which would lower my loans significantly.

One of the women I am corresponding with at Leiden University had this to say about visas:

_In terms of visas, I don’t think it is possible for a non-Dutch citizen to bring someone here on a partnership visa (even if they are an EU citizen), but you will need to contact the IND (immigration services here) for certain. A Dutch sponsor must show a permanent contract for a job making a certain amount of money and usually show proof of the relationship. Therefore if Bob does not yet have a job, this type of visa would not be possible. You could apply for a student visa and change your visa at some point later on if he meets the criteria. If Bob has a job and he is being relocated by that company, he should ask their relocation specialists. However, the IND may come back with a totally different answer – information seems to change regularly with them!_

Is this true? Even if we are planning to relocate? He is an EU citizen and I'm his long term partner, so I'm not sure what to think.

Any help, advice, guidance or thoughts are much appreciated. I can't find anything applicable to our specific situation on the IND or the EU site.

Also, if anyone has anyone useful to contact while we are in the Netherlands, that would be great. We'll be there for ten days.

Thanks so much in advance!:fingerscrossed::juggle:


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

I'm not sure how the Netherlands deals with the "long term partner" thing. Many EU countries have a simplified process to allow the registered partner of another EU country to move to the country without having to get a visa at all (other than the 90 day stamp-in-the-passport tourist visa). Normally, you have to apply for a residence permit within that initial 90 day period - but in some countries, the EU partner has to show that they are established in the country. (All bets are off if you are going to the country of citizenship of the EU partner - then their immigration law applies.)

The key thing, however, is that you have to be a "registered" partner - i.e. married or in a legally sanctioned civil partnership (which the US doesn't generally have). 
Cheers,
Bev


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## Dutchess (Jun 30, 2015)

elsabel said:


> In terms of visas, I don’t think it is possible for a non-Dutch citizen to bring someone here on a partnership visa (even if they are an EU citizen), but you will need to contact the IND (immigration services here) for certain.


I don't know if this is true but at the moment this is irrelevant because of the following.



elsabel said:


> A Dutch sponsor must show a permanent contract for a job making a certain amount of money and usually show proof of the relationship. Therefore if Bob does not yet have a job, this type of visa would not be possible.


It is true that the sponsor does have to make a certain amount of money. Minimum wage +20% I believe.



elsabel said:


> You could apply for a student visa and change your visa at some point later on if he meets the criteria. If Bob has a job and he is being relocated by that company, he should ask their relocation specialists.


This seems a logical way to go.

Instead of checking the IND website, why not just contact them as the university suggested? Make sure you have specific questions though. They are bureaucrats after all, you are not calling customer service 

I had an American friend who wanted to live in Holland to be with her boyfriend as well. She came on a student visa as well, but she delayed her arrival for a year because she wanted to apply for a scholarship because the tuition fees were very high for non-Europeans. What you have been told so far seems fairly accurate and consistant with what I have heard from people around me.

Good luck!!


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