Verification personal details & Studielink

If you want to enrol at an institution of higher education in the Netherlands, you need to have a Studielink account. Studielink is the national hub for enrolment in higher education.

If you have an official home address in the Netherlands, you must create an account by logging in with your DigiD. Click here for more information about the DigiD process. If you do not have a DigiD and can't apply for a DigiD, please read below what steps you need to take.

Verification of personal details

If you do not have a DigiD, your identity will need to be verified by another means in order to create a Studielink account. To this end, your ID (passport or European identity card) will be verified automatically using a trusted online tool. This requires that you upload a scan or photo of your ID in Studielink. The tool will read this digital copy of your ID and verify its legitimacy and completeness. After this check has been successfully completed, your identity will have been verified. If you do not have a passport or European identity card, you will need to apply for one with your local government authority. 

What should I do if my identity cannot be verified?

Are you unable to scan your ID or if you run into other difficulties? First and foremost, make sure your scan or photo is of high quality. 

• It is important that the crop of your scan or photo displays the whole page. Make sure your identity document is squarely in the centre of the image and all corners of the document are visible.
• Make sure the Machine Readable Zone (MRZ) is clearly visible in your scan or photo. The MRZ is the string of letters and numbers at the bottom of your identity document. Without the MRZ, your scan will be rejected.

Do you get an error message? Then try again with a new scan or photo of your ID.

Below you find additional tips and instructions that may help:

Having trouble reading the image above? The same tips are described on this page of the Studielink FAQ.

If it still doesn't work, check this page and click on the subject that corresponds te most with your problem.

 

I do not have an ID

If you do not have an ID, you will need to apply for one with your local government authority. If you are unable to apply for an ID, please contact the institution of higher education where you want to study. 
 

What are the advantages? 

The identity verification ensures a safer enrolment process, as we can be certain that a legitimate ID has been provided and that we are dealing with a real person. We will not store the copy of your ID. This will help us counter abuse of the service with fake accounts.

Retention of personal data

The outcome of the identity verification, your personal data and the document number of your ID will be stored in Studielink. For more information about the processing of your personal data by Studielink, please refer to our privacy statement.

More information?

For more information about identity verification, please refer to our step-by-step plans or check our Studielink Q&A.