Upon arriving in Amsterdam, the first thing on your mind will be moving into the student residences. The student residences are owned and operated by the housing association DUWO. DUWO manages the housing complex, maintenance and contracts for all AUC students. Before arriving at AUC, you have been invited to select a room. Once you've selected your room, confirmed your rental contract and have signed and paid via the DUWO website, you will receive information from DUWO regarding when and where to collect your keys.  

Before you arrive: sign your housing contract & pay the first month's rent online

Please note that you must have already signed your housing contract online and paid the first month's rent via the digital DUWO portal before you can collect your keys! If you have not yet done so, you won't be able to collect your keys or move into your room. If you cannot pay online, you will then first have to make an appointment to visit the DUWO office in Amstelveen (which is not located near the AUC student residences.) to pay your first month's rent on site and then collect your keys at the AUC student residences. This can be quite time-consuming, so please be sure to have already signed your contract and paid before arrival. 

First move-in day: 1 August 2023 from 13.00 to 16.30 

The first possible date that you can collect your keys from DUWO and move into the student residences is Tuesday 1 August 2023. DUWO will be hosting a key collection day at the AUC student residences on 1 August from 13.00 to 16.30. You will be able to collect your key from the caretaker's office at Carolina MacGillavrylaan 794A, 1098 XC Amsterdam.  Again, you must have already signed your contract and paid your first month's rent to pick up your key and move in on 1 August.

Arriving after 1 August or during an evening/weekend

If you arrive after Tuesday 1 August, you should first contact DUWO to make sure there is a representative available for key collection. 

Last day for arrival: 28 August 2023

The last possible day to arrive before the Introduction Week is Monday 28 August 2023. Please mind that participation in the AUC Introduction Week is mandatory and late arrivals can only be permitted in exceptional circumstances. If you will not be able to arrive before Monday 28 August 2023, please inform both AUC and DUWO.

Questions about administration or key collection? Contact DUWO

If you have specific questions about collecting your key or have any outstanding administrative tasks with DUWO, then you are advised to discuss and resolve these before your arrival. If you need to get in touch with DUWO, please contact them by using their contact form via the link below. By logging in and using this contact form, you will be put in touch with the correct colleague (DUWO is a large organisation and not every employee is equally informed on the procedure of the AUC student residences). The DUWO main office is open from Monday to Friday between 08.30 and 16.30.

Since you'll be living in Amsterdam for longer than four months, you'll need to register with the city. You should try to do this within 5 days of your arrival in the Netherlands. However, this may not always be possible due to appointments being booked and an increased busy period during September. For this reason, the City of Amsterdam is working with universities in the city to organise certain days for registering as a student with the city. Please note that, since all AUC students are living in the student residences in Amsterdam East, you must register with the City of Amsterdam (not Diemen).

Registration for AUC students arriving in August 2023

The UvA has specific arrangements with the municipality of Amsterdam for easy registration of UvA students (including Amsterdam University College students) in August and September 2023. This means that you do not have to make an appointment within 5 days of arrival. You will instead be registered (retroactively) from the date your rental contract starts, which is 1 August 2023 for nearly all AUC students. 

Address for registering 

Bos en Lommerplein 176
1055 RW Amsterdam
View the location on GoogleMaps 

Registration days in August

You can choose to go to the municipality of Amsterdam on one of the days below from 9.00 to 16.00 without making an appointment:

• Wednesday, 23 August
• Thursday, 24 August
• Friday, 25 August          
• Wednesday, 30 August
• Thursday, 31 August

Arriving after 31 August?

If you cannot make it on one of the above dates, there are extra registration days. You can visit the municipality at the address above between 09.00 to 16.00 on the following days without making an appointment:

• Friday, 1 September       
• Tuesday, 5 September
• Wednesday, 6 September
• Thursday, 7 September
• Monday, 11 September
• Tuesday, 12 September
• Wednesday, 13 September
• Thursday, 14 September
• Friday, 15 September

If many students arrive at the desk at the same time, queues or excessive wait times may happen. Therefore we strongly advise you to go early in the morning, since early mornings are typically less crowded.

What to bring with you

Please keep in mind, you'll need to take the following documentation with you:

• Your valid passport (or EU ID card), plus a copy of this passport with the pages that have your personal details and photo. If you have more than one nationality and more than one passport, you are required to bring all your passports.
• A printed copy of the identity details pages (personal details & photo) of your passport or copy of your EU ID card. If you have more than one nationality and more than one passport, you are required to bring all your passports.
• A printed copy of your rental contract. This is the contract you signed with DUWO.
• Your student card or proof of registration at a university.

Please note: You do not need to bring your birth certificate despite the fact that this is mentioned on the official website of the municipality. AUC/UvA students are exempted from this.

Citizen service number (BSN)

Once you’ve registered, you will be given a citizen service number (burgerservicenummer, BSN). This is required for many things in the Netherlands, including opening a bank account, visiting a doctor or getting hospital treatment. You will receive your BSN shortly after your appointment.

The majority of rooms in the student residences are unfurnished. Unless you specifically selected a furnished room, you will need to bring or buy furniture, including a bed and kitchen equipment/appliances. There are multiple shops in the neighbourhood and greater Amsterdam area where you can buy furniture and home goods, including Praxis, Big Bazar, Xenos, a variety of kringloopwinkels (second-hand shops) and of course IKEA. Another option is to purchase furniture from former tenants. You can check various Facebook groups for more information on furniture sales from those moving out. 

AUC Pop-Up Free Store

Students who are currently living in the student residences and moving out will be donating a variety of items they no longer need to the AUC Pop-UP Free Store throughout the month of July. These items include things such as books, bikes, kitchenware, furniture, appliances and other practical household items as long as they are in a good, clean and fully functioning state.  

During the month of August, the AUC Pop-UP Free Store will be open to all incoming students to take anything they may need for their room. By the start of the semester, any remaining items will be donated to a charity shop (“kringloop”), so they won't go to waste. The Free Store will be open from 14.00 to 16.00 on the following dates and locations:

• Saturday 12 August 2023 | Across room 940 
• Wednesday 16 August 2023 | Across room 940 & 1700
• Saturday 19 August 2023 | Across room 940 & 1700
• Monday 21 August 2023 | Across room 1700
• Wednesday 23 August 2023 | Across room 940
• Saturday 26 August 2023 | Across room 940 & 1700

Where are these locations? Use the Room Finder
You may be wondering how to find these rooms in the student residences. The AUC Student Association has developed a tool to locate rooms in one of the three buildings. Access the AUCSA Room Finder.

The IND is organising central collection days in Utrecht together with the UvA for international students to collect their residence permits. When your card is ready, you will receive an email from the immigration department and you can make an appointment to collect your residence permit on one of the following days:

• Saturday, 2 September 2023
• Saturday, 7 October 2023

Please ensure to keep these dates available in your calendar.

The UvA will be informed by the IND when a student's residence permit is ready for collection. As soon as the UvA  has received that information, their immigration team will inform you about this via email. They will then send you a link to their internal booking system which will allow you to select a timeslot on one of the collection days. These collection days will be located in Utrecht, close to the central train station at the Jaarbeurs.

The UvA will be inviting students to the booking system from mid-August until the end of September, and they appreciate your patience.  If you have not been invited to book a timeslot by the end of September, or are unable to travel to Utrecht on either of the collection days, the normal residence permit collection process will apply and you will be required to make an appointment at the IND office in Amsterdam which may not be available for a few weeks/months.

You will still have valid residency status in the Netherlands until you are able  collect your permit. The UvA's immigration team appreciates your understanding and please be sure to keep an eye on your student email address and their Upon Arrival website for updates.