I’m studying in the Netherlands till January (semester exchange). Is it legal to travel in Europe after that once my student visa expires?

Question

Mohit C · Accepted Answer

It seems tempting to travel around Europe after your semester ends, but the rules don&rsquo;t allow that once the Dutch student residence permit expires.

A student residence permit doesn&rsquo;t grant extra days for tourism after expiry.
Once it ends, there&rsquo;s no legal right to stay in the Schengen Area, even for personal travel.
The 90-day tourist allowance under Schengen rules isn&rsquo;t valid if already used during your study period.
It&rsquo;s not possible to apply for a new short-stay Schengen visa from within the Netherlands as a non-EU national. These applications must be made from your home country.
Staying even a few days beyond the expiration date can trigger an overstay record in the EU&rsquo;s border system.

To avoid any legal or future visa issues, it&rsquo;s best to leave before the permit expires and re-enter later on a fresh tourist visa.

S Raghav · Answer

Once the Dutch student residence permit expires, staying or traveling within the Schengen Area is not legal. The Dutch Immigration Service (IND) clearly states that non-EU students must leave the Netherlands before their permit ends &mdash; there is no grace period for tourism afterward.
Even though Schengen rules allow 90 days of tourist travel, that time usually gets consumed during your student stay. The clock doesn&rsquo;t reset automatically after the permit ends.
If the plan is to travel after January, a new short-stay visa must be applied for from your home country before re-entering Europe. Staying past the expiry without proper documentation can result in an overstay flag in the Schengen system and hurt future visa chances.
It&rsquo;s safer to exit the Schengen Zone when the residence permit expires and come back later with a valid tourist visa if needed.