Children in the age of 5 to 18 years have to attend school until they have obtained a starting qualification (havo, vwo or mbo level 2 certificate or higher). This obligation also applies to children who have no residence permits. You can register your child with every school. State schools are not allowed to refuse your child. However, denominational schools (for example Christian or Islamic schools) are allowed to refuse your child.
Children who have no legal residence in the Netherlands, have no National Insurance Number. Yet they have to go to school. The school can apply for a special education number at the DUO – iBgroep (refer to the address below).
School education is free of charge. The school may charge a fee for additional costs, for example for the Christmas dinner or for school outings. If you cannot afford these fees you can consult with the school. In some cities Stichting Leergeld [school fee foundation] provides help with paying school fees.
In some cases, costs for higher education can be reimbursed. This is the case for MBO students between the ages of 18 and 30 who are in a semi-regular situation in the Netherlands, for example, who have an application for a residence permit under consideration. You can download the “suspension of claim” form from the DUO-IB Group.
Have you applied for asylum in the Netherlands and do you want to study (MBO-3 or -4-, HBO- or university level)? You can then call on the Foundation for Refugee Students UAF for help and financial support. However, it is mandatory that you are registered with an educational institution. The conditions for assistance and the registration form for this support can be found on the website www.uaf.nl
In accordance with the Dutch law the child is allowed to finish the school he was attending when he turned 18 years of age. If you move house, the child is allowed to attend another school with the same education programme.
Children without residence permits can be refused if they want to start a new study after they have become 18 years of age. If they have ‘legal residence,’ for example because they are involved in proceedings to obtain a residence permit they cannot be turned down. They are also allowed to complete their education at the school where they had been admitted, even if they lost their legal residence in the interim.
