Check-in

* Dutch version *

Prepare your check-in for the University Halls of Residence!

Please find all relevant information about your check-in in this FAQ.

On this page:

When and where?

The location and time of your check-in depend on the living unit you'll be checking into. The specific address of your living unit is mentioned on the tenancy agreement.

Homes

If you will be staying in one of the homes that are mentioned hereunder, your check-in will take place at STALHOF 6, 9000 GHENT. We kindly ask you (to maximise our staff capacity and to keep your waiting time to a minimum) to give us an indication of your arrival through the registration tools hereunder.

In any case, it will not be possible to check-in before the starting date of your rental agreement.

Check-in after the starting date is of course possible, but only during opening hours (weekdays: 8 a.m. to noon & 1 p.m to 8 p.m.)

An adjustment of only a few days or earlier check-in is not possible at all: only the fixed starting dates of the applications are the possibilities in the University Homes. In case your flight arrives a couple of days earlier, you will need to find temporary accommodation for those days. A list of local B&B options can be found here.

Residences

If you are staying in one of the residences that are mentioned herunder, your check-in will take place in the specific residence. Please find the address on your tenancy agreement. Hereunder you can find more specific check-in information for each residence.

You'll need to make a mandatory appointment with the local student coach of your specific residence. You can find the appointment link through the check-in pages hereunder.

It will not be possible to check in without a confirmed appointment!

What do I need?

For your check-in in our homes and residences, you'll need the following:

  • Your passport (or National ID card)
  • Your (signed!) tenancy agreement (on your smarthone is fine).

You received a confirmation email from us containing your future tenancy agreement number in the subject (30000xxxxx). It will definitely speed up the check-in process to have the agreement ready.

Family and friends

Please note that only the tenant, mentioned on the rental agreement, can stay overnight in the room.

Most living units are single-person living units since the exploitation of the building is only approved for one person by the fire department. Only the apartments (Heymans and LOOP 5) and the studio-units in (specifically) LOOP 5 are certified as such.

In case you would be accompanied by friends or family, they will need to find accommodation on the private rented market or touristic housing options. A list of local B&B options can be found here.

Terms and conditions?

Please note at all times our terms and conditions, mentioned on our web pages as well as our tenancy agreement and our internal rules and regulations.

My address?

The specific address of your living unit is not known beforehand because changes are possible up to the last moment. As soon as we have more information, we will forward you a second letter of confirmation that will include your tenancy agreement.

The final address will be mentioned on your tenancy agreement which you will receive a few weeks prior to your check-in (or upon your check-in; in case of a last-minute reservation).

An English translation of our contracts is already available. We suggest to read it through carefully, along with the internal rules and regulations.

At this time, only when you have signed your tenancy agreement, you can notify the Migration Office of the city you'll be residing in (Ghent, Merelbeke, Bruges). In Ghent, this can  by completing the Online Arrival Form.

Please wait until the day of your check-in to finalize this required document to avoid annulment of the procedure.

You can use the general address of our Housing Office as your reference address for Passenger Locator Forms or other official requirements (visa, grants, scholarships, mandates, ...)
University Halls of Residence
Stalhof 6
9000 Gent
BELGIUM

In case you expect an invitation letter for elections, also feel free to use our general address. The reception desk will keep your letter at the front desk and will notify you by email to pick it up.

In case you are expecting (large) parcels from your home country while you have not yet arrived in our residences, please have the parcels delivered to a pick-up point nearby. As you are not a resident just yet, you are not on our residents list and we cannot sign for delivery.
We cannot make exceptions either: we cannot store the parcels before your stay. 

Payments?

A monthly invoice will be sent to you by email, the deposit will be charged on your first invoice (if applicable).

You'll receive this invoice at the end of each month, prior to the rental month.

You should settle each invoice within 30 days. The e-mail with the invoice will explain to you how to pay the rent (and deposit) with either a regular European Transfer or with the payment button. 

Please note that there is no need to pay anything pre-arrival, or upon your check-in.

Even to pay the first invoice (or deposit, if any), you'll have plenty of time to open a Belgian bank account (in case you would need one). 

My room?

Please find some pictures and an inventory form of your future living unit below:

Check out the location of the major campuses of Ghent University on this map of Ghent.

Some tips 

  1. Please note that booking a cheaper flight in the days before your check-in is not always a good idea:

- check-in earlier than the starting date on your agreement is not possible.

- many ho(s)tels will be completely booked, you might have to spend more on your accommodation for these couple of days than the discount of your flight.

  2. One set of bed linen (sheet, pillow, cover and blanket) is provided upon check-in, but please note that towels are not included.

  3. Don't immediately buy a lot of new cookware:

- the SwapShop might have free cooking utensils to your liking

- many students get together in the kitchens and share the costs of (for example) a water kettle... Get to know your neighbours first!

  4. Prepare your stay by reading our practical guide (NL-EN).

  5. Speed up your check-in by reading your tenancy agreement (translation in English) and our internal rules and regulations before arrival.

More information?

Even after reading our practical guide (NL-EN), you still might have some questions regarding your stay in the University Halls of Residence specifically.

To answer your questions, we organize non-obligated pre-arrival Q&A sessions with your future Home Manager.
Feel free to join us on Microsoft Teams (no download required) by clicking on the button below:

22/08, noon (CEST)

29/08, noon (CEST)

05/09, noon (CEST)

12/09, noon (CEST)

More information regarding your stay in Ghent and your experience in general as an international student can be found on the web pages of the International Support Team.

How to get to the Housing Office?

Transport

The ESN network can provide discounts for buses to pick up students at the main airports. You'll get updates on the webpages of the International Support Team.
  • From Brussels International Airport to Ghent train station?
    By train to train station GENT SINT-PIETERS (IC trains run every hour). You'll need to buy a ticket in advance, at a machine or at the front desk.
    Good to know: in case it is not automatically included in your ticket, you'll also need a DIABOLO Brussels Airport Supplement to enter the train platform. It's not a scam.
    Watch the instructional video on how to travel from Brussels to Ghent.
    Or you can search for a bus ticket with one of the partners of the ESN-network with an ESN discount.
  • From Brussels South (Charleroi) Airport to Ghent train station?
    By bus (TEC) and then train to train station GENT SINT-PIETERS (IC trains run every hour). You'll need to buy a train ticket in advance, at a machine or at the front desk.
    Or you can search for a bus ticket with one of the partners of the ESN-network with an ESN discount.
  • From Ghent Sint-Pieters station to the Housing Office
    You can take any of the buses on platforms 14, 15 or 16 next to the train station and get off at the stop 'Heuvelpoort'. You can buy a ticket at bus stop 15 (in case the official "De Lijn Shop" is not open) or via the official application.
    Good to know: although it is a very popular bus stop, the bus doesn't automatically stop. Use the official app from De Lijn or Google Maps to get notified when you are near and should request a stop.
    The Housing Department is only 300m away from this bus stop, but you need to cross the big intersection.
    Watch the (admittedly, rather old) instructional video of one of our previous tenants on how to travel to the University Housing Office to visualize the area where our Halls of Residence can be found.
  • Check-ins for a room, room plus, studio or flat in one of our Halls of Residence are all handled at our reception desk of home Vermeylen.
    In case you have a room in home Boudewijn (closed for renovation 2024-2026), you'll need to take bus 8 (both stops, near the Housing Office and Home Boudewijn, require only 200 meters of walking).

  • From Brussels South (Charleroi) Airport to Bruges?
    By bus (TEC) and then train to train station GENT SINT-PIETERS (IC trains run every hour). You'll need to buy a train ticket in advance, at a machine or at the front desk.
    Or you can search for a bus ticket with one of the partners of the ESN network with an ESN discount.
  • From Brussels International Airport to Bruges?
    By train to train station GENT SINT-PIETERS (IC trains run every hour). You'll need to buy a ticket in advance, at a machine or at the front desk.
    Good to know: in case it is not automatically included in your ticket, you'll also need a DIABOLO Brussels Airport Supplement to enter the train platform. It's not a scam.
    Watch the instructional video on how to travel from Brussels to Ghent.
    Or you can search for a bus ticket with one of the
  • partners of the ESN network with an ESN discount.

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