Applying for a visa for the Netherlands, where should I start?
A foreign guest requiring a visa who wants to come to the Netherlands must apply for a Short Stay Visa, in short: a Schengen visa. This allows the foreigner to stay in the Netherlands or other Schengen countries for a maximum of 90 days.
But what do you start with? How does applying for a visa for the Netherlands work? We will explain that to you.
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Apply for a visa for the Netherlands
A short stay visa for the Netherlands, you can apply to the Dutch embassy in the country where the foreign guest lives. Most embassies have outsourced the collection of application forms and supporting documents. For this they use an external service provider, such as VFS Global. You can make an appointment for a visit on the VFS Global website. There you submit all the necessary documents. They check whether everything has been filled in correctly and whether you have all the mandatory documents such as a medical travel insurance have supplied. If forms are missing, your application will not be processed, so make sure that the foreign guest has all the documents.
A visa application for the Netherlands can be submitted at the earliest 6 months and at the latest 15 calendar days before the start of the intended travel date. Our advice is to submit an application well in advance of the intended departure date.
The statutory decision period for a Schengen visa for the Netherlands is a maximum of 15 days. The legal decision period starts on the day that the visa application has been submitted and paid. If more research is needed, the decision period can be extended to a maximum of 30 days.
What is a short stay visa (Schengen visa)?
We call the visa for a short stay in the Netherlands a Schengen visa. With this, a foreigner requiring a visa may stay in the Schengen area (and therefore also in the Netherlands) for a maximum of 90 days (within a period of 180 days). You get a visa for the Netherlands for a certain period. It can also be shorter than 90 days. As long as the Schengen visa is valid, you can travel freely between the 26 Schengen countries.
Do you want to enter and leave the Schengen zone several times within these 180 days? Then choose the 'multiple entry' option with your application, but you should bear in mind that you usually do not immediately receive a multiple entry visa with your first visa application. If the foreign guest has traveled to the Netherlands and back to his own country several times without any problems, you have a better chance of obtaining a multiple entry visa for the Netherlands.
Visa application form for a Schengen visa for the Netherlands
A visa application for the Netherlands starts with making an appointment with the embassy or the external service provider 'VFS Global'. Before the foreign national requiring a visa goes to that appointment, he/she must first collect and complete a number of documents. That is a lot of work so take your time. It is also important that if you invite someone to come to the Netherlands, you also help that person with the visa application. In that case, you are the sponsor. For example, you can already buy a medical travel insurance and fill in the forms for guarantee and/or accommodation and have the signature legalized at your municipality.
Application procedure visa Netherlands
Before your foreign guest goes to his or her appointment, the following conditions must be met. The foreign guest who wants to travel to the Netherlands must meet the following requirements:
- You have a valid travel document, such as a passport. The travel document must be valid for 3 months after the end of the visa period. It should also not be older than 10 years.
- You are not a threat to public order, national security or international relations in the Netherlands or one of the other Schengen countries.
- You have a destination in the Netherlands. For example, a hotel reservation or an invitation from a referent (partner, family, friend, etc.) in the Netherlands. This sponsor has a valid residence permit or is a Dutch national. The sponsor uses the Proof of sponsorship and/or private accommodation form.
- You have sufficient financial means for the stay in the Netherlands, the transit and/or the return journey:
- You yourself have to spend at least € 55 per person per day for the duration of your stay in the Netherlands or someone in the Netherlands will guarantee you. This can be the inviting referent, but also a random third person. The guarantor has sufficient income. At the time of the application, this income must still be available for at least 12 months. The sponsor uses the Proof of sponsorship and/or private accommodation form, together with the additional documents listed under checklist.
- You have (medical) travel insurance that has been taken out in the name of the visa applicant. The person in the Netherlands who invites you can also take out the insurance for you. The insurance has a minimum cover of € 30.000 for medical costs in the Schengen area. The insurance will in any case cover the following costs:
- Costs for returning to the country of origin for medical reasons (repatriation).
- Urgent medical care and emergency treatment in hospital.
- You have sufficient reasons to return to your country of origin or residence. For example, because you have a job there, (school-going) children or your own house. A return ticket alone is not enough to prove this.
Steps for a visa application
Below we describe the steps you need to take to apply for a visa for the Netherlands:
- First see if you visa required are for the Netherlands.
- Visit the website of the Dutch embassy in the country of origin.
- Download and complete the mandatory forms such as the visa application form (use the checklist).
- If necessary, provide the proof of sponsorship and accommodation in the Netherlands form.
- Have a passport photo taken according to the requirements.
- Request medical travel insurance that meets the conditions.
- Make an appointment for the submission of the required documents and an interview.
- Visit the embassy, consulate or external service provider VFS Global.
- Have the biometric data taken.
- Submit the required documents and pay the fees (costs).
- Wait for the decision (visa for the Netherlands has been granted or not).
- Collect your passport (or wait for it to be sent to you) and check the visa sticker.
- Go on a trip to the Netherlands (bring copies of the mandatory documents with you) or appeal.
When a foreign guest applies for a visa for the Netherlands, he or she will temporarily not have access to their passport. That can only take 3 weeks, so you have to take that into account.
Mandatory documents for a visa application
The most important condition for a successful visa application for the Netherlands is collecting and submitting the correct documents. If you provide the supporting documents complete and in the correct manner, the chance that a visa application will be approved is high. So make sure you have everything in order.
Everything is explained in detail on this website, so take the time to read the website carefully. We wish you good luck in applying for a visa for the Netherlands.
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