Arriving in Rotterdam: the first two weeks
AzSA, Azerbaijani Student Association at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
Before you fly
- Signed housing contract, or a temporary address where you can register. A room that does not allow registration is no use to you.
- Birth certificate apostilled, and translated, both at the Notarius in ASAN Xidmət. Do them in one visit.
- Leave the red band binding the original to its translation intact. Do not cut it.
- Passport valid well beyond your stay. The MVV sticker is currently collected in Tbilisi, Georgia, not Baku, so plan that trip.
- Diploma, transcript, EUR admission letter, passport photos.
- A card that works in the Netherlands, and money for 2 to 4 weeks without a Dutch account.
- Dutch SIM or eSIM sorted, or planned for day one.
Week one, in this order
- 1. Gemeente appointment, then BRP registration. The gemeente is where your BSN comes from. Bring passport, contract, birth certificate.
- 2. Residence permit: biometrics and collection when the IND or EUR email says so. A chest X-ray is part of the tuberculosis check. Watch that inbox.
- 3. Start the bank account application the day the BSN arrives. Student accounts currently carry no monthly fee.
Week two
- 4. DigiD. Apply at digid.nl. The activation letter should take no more than seven business days. Then set up the app.
- 5. Insurance. Studying only: keep a private student policy, and do not let a Dutch insurer sell you basic insurance. Non-EEA students need Dutch basic insurance once they earn at least the Dutch minimum wage.
- 6. Transport. Tap in with your bank card (OVpay), order a personal OV-chipkaart, find a bike. Free student travel is DUO student finance and does not apply to you.
- 7. Register with a huisarts (GP) while you are healthy, not while you are ill.
Fill these in
- My address: ______________________________________________
- Gemeente appointment: ____ / ____ at ____:____
- BSN once issued: ______________________
- Bank appointment: ____ / ____ at ____:____
- Emergency in NL: 112. Azerbaijani embassy, The Hague: +31 70 392 19 39
Order matters. The BSN unlocks the bank account, and between them they unlock nearly everything else. When you get stuck, ask the group chat. Somebody has had your exact problem.
Written from the experience of students who went through these steps. It is not legal or immigration advice, and the rules change. Confirm anything important with the office that decides it: the IND, gemeente Rotterdam, your bank or the university. Questions to azsaeur@gmail.com.