Visas for the Netherlands

The Netherlands are part of the Schengen Agreement, so nationals of countries participating the Schengen Agreement do not need to apply for a visa if they want to stay here for up to 90 days, for business or pleasure. Please note that this article does not include the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, whose visa requirements differ to the European regulations.

Short Stay Visas

Nationals of the following countries will need to apply for a Schengen Visa, also known a Short Stay Visa (VKV) or a Type C Visa because their home territory is not part of the agreement:

Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burma (see Myanmar), Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, China (PRC), Colombia, Comoros, Congo (Brazzaville), Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji Islands, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Micronesia, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar (formerly Burma), Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Peru, The Philippines, Qatar, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Samoa, São Tomé e Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Palestinians will also have to apply for a Schengen Visa to visit the Netherlands.

You apply for your Schengen visa at the Dutch Consulate in your home country – or wherever you are living. Once you are granted a Schengen Visa for the Netherlands you can also travel into the other 25 countries of the Schengen Area. The visa is valid for 90 days within a 180 day period, triggered on the day you enter the Schengen territory. You can then stay in the area for 90 consecutive days, then leave and re-apply for a new Schengen visa if necessary. You can alternatively spread your 90 day stay throughout the 180 day permitted period, but you will need to apply for a multiple-entry visa if this is your intention.

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Long Stay Visas

If you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, you don’t need a visa to live, work or study in the Netherlands – however long you plan to stay. For stays of over three months, however, you really should register with the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) and get a registration certificate, which is valid indefinitely. This isn’t obligatory, but it’s useful to have one for setting up bank accounts and proving your identity.

For everyone else, the Provisional Residence Permit (MVV) allows you entry to the Netherlands while you complete the application for a full Residence Permit, if required.

Your ‘sponsor’ normally submits an application both for an MVV and a residence permit on your behalf, and at the same time. Your sponsor is the person or company with an interest in your entry to the Netherlands, normally a family member, spouse, educational organisation or new employer. These visas – or permits – are for people who wish to do the following in the Netherlands:

• Join a spouse or partner already resident here
• Join their parents already resident here
• Wish to register their non-Dutch citizen child born in the Netherlands
• Study here
• Gain work experience here

Conditions

You must undergo a tuberculosis test within three months after your permanent residence permit has been accepted, by making an appointment with the Municipal Health Service.

If you are granted a permanent residence permit, you may need to pass a Civic Integration Examination – you will get a letter about this if so, stating what your integration time limit is. Some nationals will have to take the Civic Integration Examination in their home country before they can come to the Netherlands. The test assesses your basic knowledge of Dutch language and society, by taking an exam at the Dutch Embassy or Consulate in your home territory. Find about more about your eligibility for this CIE tests here.

Exceptions

Nationals of San Marino and Israel do not pay any fees for the application of an MVV, nor do they pay for the entire permanent residency application procedure. Turkish citizens pay €53 for their temporary regular residence permit and €61 for the application for entry and residence (TEV) if they wish to reside in the Netherlands for one of the following purposes:

• Paid employment
• Self-employment
• Work experience
• Seasonal labour
• Scientific researcher
• Highly skilled migrant

For further information on visas for the Netherlands and to find all required application forms, visit the Government of the Netherlands website here.