There are more and more complaints about the extremely long waiting times at the external service provider VFS Global, which has been appointed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to collect and check the Schengen visa application forms. The waiting times for an appointment can be as long as three to five months, while according to the visa code, every visa applicant must be able to make an appointment within 5 calendar days. Complaints come mainly from Suriname, Thailand and Gambia.
Complaints about long waiting times when deciding to grant a Schengen visa
Some foreigners who want to travel to the Netherlands are confronted with long waiting times that have arisen when applying for a Schengen visa.
Medical travel insurance with Covid-19 coverage
Due to the corona pandemic, some offices of VFS Global, the external service provider of the Dutch embassy, are also requesting an English-language statement showing that the medical travel insurance for a visa application also offers coverage for Covid-19.
New Schengen area visa code as of February 1, 2020
The 27 countries of the Schengen area, including the Netherlands, have jointly decided to amend their visa code with effect from 1 February 2020. This has a number of consequences worldwide for people applying for a Schengen visa, including in Suriname.
Schengen visa application changes
As of 2 February 2020, a number of rules for applying for a Schengen visa will be adjusted. read them here.
Visa applications possible at VFS Global in Brazil
Do you want to apply for a visa in Brazil for the Netherlands or the Caribbean Netherlands? This is now also possible at the offices of VFS Global in São Paulo (from July 10) and Rio de Janeiro (from July 15).