With a Schengen visa for short stay you can stay in the Schengen area for a maximum of 90 days (within a period of 180 days). You always get a visa for a certain period. It can also be shorter than 90 days. As long as your 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 180 days? Then choose the 'multiple entry' option with your application.
Travel to the Schengen area
With a valid 'single entry' visa you can enter the Schengen area once. You may be in the Schengen area for a maximum of 90 days out of 180. During these 90 days you can travel to and stay in all Schengen countries. Are you entering the Schengen area via another country? Then you have to show that the Netherlands is the destination.
However, do you have a valid multiple-entry visa for multiple trips? Then you can also enter and leave the Schengen area several times with this visa. The first time you enter the Schengen area, you show that the Netherlands is your destination.
Where is a Schengen visa valid?
The Netherlands is part of the Schengen area. The Schengen area consists of several European countries. The Schengen area consists of:
- Belgium
- Denmark (without Faroe Islands and Greenland)
- Germany
- Estonia
- Finland
- France (without French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Réunion)
- Greece
- Hungary
- Italy
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- The Netherlands
- Norway (without Spitsbergen)
- Austria
- Poland
- Portugal (including Azores and Madeira)
- Slovenia
- Slovakia
- Spain (including Balearic Islands and Canary Islands)
- Czech Republic
- Iceland
- Sweden
- Switzerland
Extending a short stay visa
You can only extend a Schengen visa or free term in very special situations. For example, if you are unable to leave the Netherlands due to serious illness or force majeure. Your total stay cannot exceed 90 days. You also need to have enough money to support yourself. And you must be able to prove that you are one medical travel insurance for the period that you stay in the Netherlands. To submit the request, you must have a Make an appointment at an IND desk.
Visa extension above 90 days for Surinamese aged 60 or older
Do you have the Surinamese nationality and are you 60 years or older? Then you can extend the visa above 90 days once per stay. You do not need a special reason for this extension. The visa can be extended for a maximum of 90 days and is only valid for the Benelux countries. Before submitting the request, you need a Make an appointment at an IND desk.
Change visa from single entry to multiple entry
If you entered the Netherlands with a single-entry visa and you want to change it to a multiple-entry visa, you can only do so in situations of force majeure, humanitarian reasons, serious professional reasons or personal circumstances. Those circumstances must have changed after you traveled to the Netherlands. Before submitting the request, you need a Make an appointment at an IND desk.
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