Information for students who are going to study at a university or university college

After handing in your documents to the police or the VFS Application Centre, it may take up to 4 months before we go through your application.

• If information or documents are missing from your application, we will contact you. 
• If your application is complete and does not require additional investigations, we will process your case, and you will receive a decision from us. 
• If your case requires additional investigation, this will be conducted. How long it will take to complete the investigations will vary. You can read more about what the additional investigations may involve. 

It is normal with different waiting times

Not all applications for a study permit are processed within the same waiting time. You may find that others receive an answer earlier than you, even if you applied at the same time. This is because the police and UDI share responsibility for processing the applications, and have slightly different waiting times. 

Many of the applications for a study permit are processed by the police. You will find information about their waiting times on the police's website (external website). 

If the police cannot process the application, they will send it you to UDI for processing. 

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