Short stay, holiday or business visa
Process
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1. Check requirements open minusIn most cases you need a visa to travel to the Netherlands. Go to Netherlandsworldwide.nl and check if you need a visa.
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1. Check requirements open minusYou can travel to the Netherlands and other Schengen countries for a maximum of 90 days without a visa. You will, however, still need to meet the following requirements:
- You have a valid passport or other travel document. Your passport may not have been issued more than 10 years ago. The passport must also be valid for at least another 3 months after your departure from the Netherlands.
- You are not a danger to the public order or national security. Or to the international relations of a Schengen country.
- You have travel insurance including medical cover taken out in your name. This is not required if you do not need a visa. Your sponsor may take out this insurance for you in the Netherlands. The insurance must cover at least €30,000 for medical expenses in the Schengen Area. In any event, the insurance must cover the following:
- Costs of return to your country of origin for medical reasons. The country of origin is the country of your nationality.
- Urgent medical care.
- Urgent treatment in hospital.
- You have enough reasons to return to your country of origin, or country of continuous residence. For example, because you work there, have school-age children or your own house. A return ticket alone is not enough. The country of continuous residence is the country where you are allowed to stay for more than 3 months, because you have a valid residence permit there or you are waiting for a decision on a residence application.
Extra requirements for holiday or family visit
- You have a travel purpose in the Netherlands. You can show this, for example, with a hotel reservation in the Netherlands. Or with an invitation from a sponsor. This sponsor has a valid residence permit or is a Dutch national.
- You have enough money for your stay in the Netherlands, and the transit journey or return journey. You have at least €55 per person per day for the duration of the stay. Or someone in the Netherlands guarantees this for you. This can be the sponsor, but also another person. The person giving this guarantee must meet the income requirements.
Extra requirements for business visit
- You have a business travel purpose of economic interest to the Netherlands. Examples of business purposes are the following:
- o consultation with or training at a business division located in the Netherlands;
- o purchase and sale of products, business payments and offers;
- o going to a trade fair, conference or seminar;
- o participation in a cultural or sport event;
- o diplomatic visit (diplomats);
- o traineeship or study (less than 90 days).
- You have been invited by a business or organisation. For example a foundation, volunteer organisation or sports club in the Netherlands. The invitation may come from a foreign organisation, but the travel destination must be the Netherlands.
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2. What else you need to do open minusYou apply for the visa in the country where you live. For example at the Dutch representation (embassy or consulate). The Ministry of Foreign Affairs decides whether you will receive a Schengen visa.
Applying for a Schengen visa and all information
Go to Netherlandsworldwide.nl for all information about the conditions, the documents you need and how to apply for a Schengen visa.
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2. What else you need to do open minusAt the border, the Aliens Police (Aliens Police, Identification and Human Trafficking Department or AVIM) may check whether you meet the requirements.
Collect documents
You may need the following documents for a check:
- A valid passport or other travel document
- An option on or (provisional) reservation of a return ticket
- A copy of proof of travel insurance including cover of medical expenses. This is not compulsory, but it is recommended.
Extra documents for holiday or family visit
- Evidence of your travel purpose, for example:
- a reservation for a hotel or other accommodation;
- an invitation from the person you will be staying with in the Netherlands.
- Evidence that you have enough money for your stay in the Netherlands and for the transit journey or return journey. For example 1 or more bank statements, travel cheques or cash. Will someone in the Netherlands guarantee the costs of your travel and accommodation? You can use your own guarantee. Your guarantor can use the form Proof of sponsorship and/or private accommodation
- Evidence that you have enough reasons to return to your country of origin or country of continuous residence, for example:
- Employer’s declaration;
- proof of registration of your children at a school;
- proof of title to your own home and/or other immovable property.
Extra documents for a business visit
- An original, signed invitation letter from a company or organisation in the Netherlands. The company or organisation can write its own letter. The letter must, however, be written on letterhead stationery of the company or organisation. A small company can also use the form Proof of sponsorship and/or private accommodation
The invitation letter must contain at least this information:
- your personal details (name, date of birth, passport number);
- the reason why you will come to the Netherlands (purpose of travel);
- the period that you will stay in the Netherlands (with arrival and departure date)
- information on who is responsible for which costs (plane ticket, hotel, transport, medical insurance);
- information on where you will stay during your short stay in the Netherlands;
- statement that the company or organisation will be your sponsor, and that you will return on time to your country of origin or country of continuous residence.
- Evidence showing that you or the company you work for has enough money for your stay in the Netherlands, and for the transit journey or return journey. For example:
- a statement by the company that the company will pay all costs of your journey to and stay in the Netherlands. The company may also state this in the invitation letter;
- proof of business done previously or pro forma invoices;
- registration in a commercial register abroad;
- proof of enough money to make business payments and pay for offers;
- copies of bank statements from the last 6 months showing that you have enough money of your own;
- proof of payment of taxes.
- Evidence showing that you have a job in your country of origin or country of continuous residence. For example an employer’s declaration or employment contract.
Have official documents from abroad legalised and translated into Dutch, English, French or German.
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3. Duration of stay in the Schengen Area open minusYou are allowed to stay in the Schengen Area for a maximum of 90 days within a period of 180 days. Did you stay in the Schengen Area for 90 days in a row? In that case you have to wait 90 days before you can travel to the Schengen Area again. You can also spread the 90 days across the period of 180 days.
Longer duration of stay for certain nationalities
Do you have the nationality of one of the following countries? In that case you will be allowed to stay in the Schengen Area for a maximum of 3 months out of a period of 6 months.
- Antigua & Barbuda
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Brazil
- Mauritius
- Saint Kitts & Nevis
- Seychelles
Short stay calculator
Do you want to know how many days you are allowed to stay in the Schengen Area after your entry? You can calculate this on the website of the European Commission with the short stay calculator. You can also use this tool to plan your journey.
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3. Apply for an urgent visa open minusDo you have a first-degree or second-degree family member in the Netherlands who is terminally ill or deceased? And do you want to come to the Netherlands urgently to visit your family member or attend the funeral? Then you can apply for an urgent visa.
The following persons are first-degree or second-degree relatives:
- Your partner. You are married or you have a registered partnership. Or you are unmarried but have a child together or you have a verifiable relationship with your partner.
- Your grandparent, parent, child, brother and sister
- Your father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law and sister-in-law and brother-in law
- Your step parent, stepchild, stepbrother and stepsister
Requirements for an urgent visa
- You have a valid passport or other travel document.
- You are not a danger to the public order or national security.
- No alert has been issued for you within the Schengen Area.
- You can show that you will return to your country of origin.
- You have enough money for your stay in the Netherlands, and the transit journey or return journey. You have at least €55 per person per day for the duration of the stay. Or someone in the Netherlands guarantees this for you. This can be your family member in the Netherlands, but also another person. The person giving this guarantee must meet the income requirements.
How to apply for an urgent visa
First, have a conact person in the Netherlands contact the IND by telephone. This contact person can be your family member in the Netherlands, but also the guarantor or another person.
Then you go to the Dutch representation (embassy or consulate) yourself. There you apply for the urgent visa. -
4. Working during a visa-exempt period open minusDo you want to work in the Netherlands during your visa-exempt period? Your employer may need a work permit (in Dutch: tewerkstellingsvergunning or TWV). Your employer applies for the TWV work permit at the UWV. This also applies if you do voluntary work or an unpaid assignment.
Citizen service number
In addition, you may need a citizen service number (in Dutch: burgerservicenummer or BSN). The local council gives you this number when you register in the Register of Non-Residents (in Dutch: Registratie Niet-Ingezetenen or RNI). For more information, visit the website of the local council (in Dutch: gemeente) where you live or work. Or visit the website of Netherlandswordwide.
Your Schengen visa or visa-exempt period is about to expire
Is the validity period of your visa or visa-exempt period expiring? Then you must leave the Netherlands and the Schengen area.
Entry ban
Has the period of validity of your visa or visa-exempt period expired? And did you stay in the Netherlands or the Schengen area? Then you can get an entry ban for the territory of the European Union. This does not apply to nationals of the EU and EEA and their family members.
Extend Schengen visa or visa-exempt period
Extend Schengen visa or visa-exempt period
Would you like to stay longer in the Netherlands? This is only possible in special and unexpected situations. The IND can then extend your Schengen visa or visa-exempt period.
Visa extension to more than 90 days for Surinamese people
Do you have Surinamese nationality and are you aged 60 or older? Then, the IND can extend the Schengen Visa or visa-exempt period to more than 90 days. This can be done once per stay.
Change the Schengen visa from single-entry into multiple entry
Are you already in the Netherlands with a single-entry Schengen visa? But do you want to travel in and out of the Schengen area more often? Then you must have your Schengen visa changed. This is only possible in special and unexpected situations. The IND can then change your Schengen visa from single-entry to multiple-entry.
Object decision on Schengen visa or transit visa
Have you applied to a Dutch representation (embassy or consulate) for a Schengen visa for a short stay in the Netherlands? Or have you applied there for a transit visa for a transit in the Netherlands? And do you disagree with the decision? Find out how you can object to the IND.