Step 6. To do before you leave

Apply for a grant

There are several grants that you can apply for through HZ for the Study Abroad minor. You will receive e-mails about applying for a grant via Osiris/noreply@hz.nl. In June you will receive a message about this. The steps you have to take are also explained in the special section on Grants/Scholarships.

DUO student finance and request OV allowance

If you study in the Netherlands and are an EU student who works at least 32 hours per month, you might be eligible for Dutch student finance. The student finance consists of a basic study grant, a supplementary grant (depending on the income of your parents), a study loan and the 'travel product'.
To see if you qualify, look on the website of DUO.

How to apply for this
You probably already applied for your student finance/basic grant. But don't forget to that you can apply for a public transport allowance instead of the student travel product. Do this on time, preferably 2 months before departure. For 2025, the public transport allowance is €114.92 per month. More information can be found on the DUO website. Fill out the form 'Verklaring Onderwijsinstelling bij tijdelijke studie of stage buitenland/Nederland.
This form can only be signed by an employee of the student office: csa@hz.nl.
For the opening hours of the student office, click here.

During your study abroad, you will not work the 32 hours/month in the Netherlands. Do you need to cancel your DUO student finance?
You read more information on this subject on the Netherlands worldwide website.
Concluding: you don’t have to stop your DUO grant/study loan but you have to send DUO some documents as proof that you go abroad:
- Letter of Enrolment at HZ stating that your semester abroad is part of your study at HZ (ask the Student
Admissions Office, csa@hz.nl)
- Letter of Acceptance (or similar document) of the host institution.
- You have to ask DUO to get an exemption to work 32 hours during this period.
This information may be subject to change, so always check the information on the website of DUO.

Questions or do you need assistance in this application process?
Would you like assistance in filling out the above form or do you have questions? Send an e-mail to issp@hz.nl, Ms. Monique Schreurs will answer your question. Then, have it signed by a representative of the Student Office. You can e-mail the form to csa@hz.nl.

Insurances

Do you have the necessary insurances? Is your health insurance valid in the country of your destination, does it cover 100% of the expenses that you may occur abroad? Do you have sufficient coverage in your travel insurance? Is liability covered? Is the coverage during your entire stay abroad (and not limited to a certain number of months). Read more on all important information on insurances here. Although not all the information on that website may be applicable to your personal situation (e.g. the health care insurance), it may still be useful.

Of course you choose the insurance that suits you best for your stay abroad. A number of insurance companies offer special packages, such as Aon Student Insurance and OOM. A representative of Aon insurance will be present during Pre-Departure evening (May, see below) to answer your questions about the Aon package or other questions about insurance. (Leaflet AON)

Accommodation

You arrange your own accommodation, although the partner institution usually advises on this. There are several options: the partner institution may have dormitories and student residences on or off-campus. These are provided by the partner institution itself. You can also find external accommodation through the partner institution, such as a student house, private studio or flat, or host family.

The HZ advises only to trust sources recommended by the partner institution! Be careful for frauds! On the Study Abroad Minor - Destinations website, you will find more information about the accommodation options available at each partner institution.

Vaccinations

For some countries you need vaccinations. Should you need these, you can ask your general practitioner to do this (in which case some expenses might be covered by your health insurance provider) or at the GGD. The website is in Dutch but when you call them to ask for advice they will address you in English. You can also find a lot of good advice on the travel page of Netherlands Worldwide.

Deregister with the municipality?

  • If you are going to live at the same address again after returning to the Netherlands from your studies abroad and are going abroad for less than 8 months, you do not have to deregister from the municipality. In principle, you will keep the house where you already lived.
  • If you cancel your room because you are going to study abroad, you do have to deregister. Regardless of whether you are going to study abroad for shorter or longer than 8 months.

Come to the Pre-Departure evening - 20 May 2026

Each year, the International Office organises the 'Pre-Departure evening' that will take place in May or June. During this evening you get important information to start your adventure abroad prepared as well as possible. You will also have the opportunity to talk to HZ students who studied at the partner institution where you will be going next year. You will receive an invitation by e-mail for this evening.

Install handy apps

Travel safety

Have a look at the section on safe travel and stay abroad.

Galya Marinova, an International Business student, about her time in Paris.

'I think that studying abroad gives you something that you can not learn anywhere else, it broadens your perspective. It makes you an open-minded person. You meet a lot of international people, make new friends, and you learn from each other.

In Paris I follow courses on Marketing and Management because these are the business fields I am most interested in. After classes I go out with my international friends to explore Paris. It is so big that we are able to visit a different place every day.

France itself is also quite big and there is a lot to be seen. For example, last weekend I had a trip to Nice with a friend that I met at the university. We also visited a town in Northern Italy that is located near Nice.

The opportunity that HZ gives us should be taken with both hands, and I would advise all students to go abroad.'


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