Why is a visa for the Netherlands refused?
You ask one Visa Short Stay or one Schengen visa for the Netherlands, but this is refused. A nightmare scenario for many who have asked a family member or partner to come to the Netherlands for a short stay (maximum 90 days).
Why is that? Why is a visa for the Netherlands refused and on what grounds? In this article we will explain that.
Numbers of Schengen visas granted or refused
In 2017, 621.000 Schengen visas were applied for for a visit to the Netherlands, of which more than 64.000 applications were refused. 62 different reasons were given for this*. Ten of these reasons occurred more than a thousand times.
Seven out of ten reasons for refusal are due to non-compliance with the formal requirements. In addition, the risk of migration or fraud is a common reason for refusal. We list the main reasons for refusal:
- Insufficient information provided (12.632)
- Return unlikely (12.316)
- Insufficient link with country of origin (12.040)
- Main residence in the Netherlands not proven (5.861)
- Doubt authenticity documents (4.423)
- Insufficient financial resources of the person concerned (3.805)
- Failure to submit documents (2.816)
- Hotel reservation expired (2.195)
- Referee relationship not demonstrated (1.932)
- Target expired (1.386 )
The above reasons for refusal fall under the following categories:
- Not met the formal requirements
- A risk of migration
- Risk of Fraud
*Source: SEO Report No. 2018-80
Failure to meet formal requirements
As you can read, the reason for refusing a visa is often a lack of information. If you ensure that you have all mandatory documents, including the medical travel insurance, then the chance that a visa will receive a positive decision is even 95% on average.
Tool for a Schengen visa application
An important tool when applying for a Schengen visa is the checklist of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It indicates exactly which documents you must submit. You can easily tick them off the list.
You can read more information about the required documents for a visa application here: mandatory-documents-Schengen visa
Negative decision: Objection and appeal
If your visa for the Netherlands has been rejected (negative decision), you can object to this. In many cases this is still successful. If the objection is unsuccessful, you can appeal and a judge will decide on the visa application.
