Admissions

European Schools were founded to meet the educational needs of the children of European Civil Servants.

At ESH The Hague, priority for admission is given to children of employees of the following European institutions and agencies:

Eurojust
Europol
European Patent Office (EPO)
European Space Research & Technology Centre (ESA-ESTEC)
EU Agency for Space Programme (EUSPA)
European Medicines Agency (EMA)
Frontex
The European Commission

These children have a reserved place in our school and are classified as Category I students.

All other applicants are classified as Category III students and may be admitted to ESH The Hague subject to eligibility under international school regulations and availability of places.

Eligibility Conditions Category III Pupils

Eligibility Conditions Category III Pupils

1.1 Has another nationality than Dutch and the pupil's parents, guardians, or carers work in the Netherlands or the border area of the Netherlands on a temporary basis, or;
1.2 Has the Dutch nationality and was educated abroad for a period of two years or more, because at least one parent, guardian, or carer worked abroad for a limited period of time, or;
1.3 Has the Dutch nationality and at least one of the parents, guardians, or carers - as confirmed in writing by the employer - will be working abroad for at least two years and within two years of admission into the school. The pupil will live with the parent, guardian, or carer.

Languages We Offer

Languages We Offer

Please read for Secondary School Applications!

As the Secondary School is nearing full capacity (939 students), we have now reached the threshold where Category III applications and enrolments can no longer be accepted for the foreseeable future, with a minimum restriction in place for the 2026/27 school year. A status update will be posted on this page in the first week of June 2026.

If you wish to proceed with an application as a Category III applicant, do not pay the non-refundable registration fee until requested by the Secondary Admissions team. We strongly recommend you consider other international schools.

Our Primary School's capacity is 880 pupils.

Please contact Admissions for the most up-to-date information on availability.

Apply Here

Admissions portal

Downloads

Secondary School guide 2025-26primary school guide 2025-26

Questions?

Email the admissions Office

Attend our Information Sessions

We welcome prospective parents to attend a group information session at one or both ESH campuses: Primary and/or Secondary.

Dates for the next Prospective Parents' Information Sessions can be found here.

If you are unable to attend one of these sessions and would like to schedule an individual visit, please submit a Registration of Interest Form (see below), together with school report copies (for pupils applying to P1 - S6), and then contact the Admissions Office with a request to visit the school.

submit registration of interest

Application Procedure

Please submit your formal application through OpenApply, our external admissions portal (accessible via the button above). You will be required to create an account so that you can follow the status of your child's application.

In the portal, you will be asked to upload several documents through a checklist. For each type of application and year group, different checklist items are required. We may also request additional checklist items if necessary (IEP's, etc.).

Below are standard checklist items:

Category I Applicants (children of European Agency/Institute employees)
Category III Applicants (all other students)

Category I Applicants (children of European Agency/Institute employees)

Copy of Passport
School reports from the past two school years
Any additional documents related to special educational needs and/or medical concerns
Statement from European Institute confirming pupil's Category I statues (issued by your HR team)
Pupil Information Request Form - to be downloaded through the portal and sent to the current (pre)school to be completed.

Category III Applicants (all other students)

Copy of Passport
School reports from the past two school years
Any additional documents related to special educational needs and/or medical concerns
Proof of Payment of the €300 registration fee (bank transfer). This fee is non-refundable.
Pupil Information Request Form - to be downloaded through the portal and sent to the current (pre)school to be completed
In most cases, parents of Category III pupils are required to provide proof of their eligibility for international education in the Netherlands, as stipulated in the Eligibility Conditions Category III Pupils.

Next Steps

When you have created your parent accounts in OpenApply, you will receive an automatic confirmation email. This way, you know that we have received the application(s) and documents.

Once the application is complete (form and checklist items), the application is assessed by the directorate.

Via OpenApply, you will receive an update after the initial assessment. This may include a request for additional information, a meeting request, a confirmation of the placement offer or placement on the waiting list (Category III students). For Secondary School applications, it is common practice to schedule language and mathematics tests for children who are not transferring from another European School.

With the approval of the director, confirmation of enrolment letters are sent to parents to sign and return in acceptance of the offer.

Subsequent arrangements such as class allocation, timetables, and introduction days (Early Years) will be communicated at a later stage.

Admissions FAQs

When to apply?

Early Years applications are accepted for children from the age of 2, but are processed at a later stage.
We kindly ask that applications requesting pupils to join at the beginning of the school year be submitted by April 1, prior to the start of the new school year.
- Any applications received after this date run the risk of delayed placement, meaning that pupils may not be able to start at the beginning of the new school year.
- We still encourage you to submit applications after April 1. We will inform you if there could be a delay in placement.
Applications for pupils to join during the course of the school year should be submitted as soon as possible.

How long does it take?

When the required documents have been submitted, it can take up to 2-3 weeks to process an application when applying for the current school year. This process may take longer for Category III applicants, as availability plays a role.

If you're applying for the next school year, this can sometimes take longer. In the event that more information is necessary or tests need to be planned, the process can be extended, depending on what needs to be discussed/assessed.

In cases where there is a discrepancy between the decision made by the director and parents' request, the process can be extended even further for an additional evaluation. Therefore, it's very important to apply on time to avoid delayed placement.

Additional Info for Category III Applications

Category III students can be placed upon availability. If a place is/becomes available, parents will be contacted by our admissions officers.

For category III students, the time between submitting the full application and a placement offer depends on the availability and how far in advance parents are applying. If you are applying more than 1 year in advance, the application will only be processed at a later stage.

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