Pre- departure:
Visa application:
As I possess a South African passport I had to go through the process of applying for a Schengen visa. The Amsterdam exchange office was however in regular contact with regard to this process and they also sent some documents directly to the Dutch embassy which made the process relatively simple, therefore it is important to check your emails regularly to ensure that you don’t miss any steps. One of things that you will need to organise on your own is medical travel insurance, I just got the basic package covering emergency medical procedures through TIC which is a division of Santam insurance and this was sufficient for the purposes of the visa however you can have a look around as there are more extensive plans that will cover doctor’s visits as well. Once you have all your documents in order then you can book your appointment at the Dutch embassy which is located in Cape Town and after the appointment they will give you a collection date, mine took only a week so don’t stress about it not coming in time. Once you have arrived in Amsterdam then you will have to register with the Municipality and then you can collect your residence permit which is valid for around 9 months allowing you to travel to other Schengen countries after the semester has finished.
