Tourist visa for the Netherlands (2024)

To the Netherlands with a tourist visa for a short stay

If a foreign national who is subject to a visa requirement comes to the Netherlands for a tourist visit, a visa must first be applied for. Here you can read how you can do that.

Tourist Visa, Short Stay Visa or Schengen Visa?

With a tourist visa you probably mean a short stay visa or Schengen visa. The term tourist visa for the Netherlands is actually not correct. A visa is always issued for a specific purpose of stay. Tourism is just one example of such a purpose of stay. Other purposes of stay are: business, visiting family or friends, culture, sport, official, medical reasons, study, transit, airport transit and others.

What is a visa for the Netherlands?

A visa is a sticker that is stuck in the travel document (passport). A short-stay tourist visa indicates that at the time of issue there is no objection to the entry of the foreign national for a short stay (maximum 90 days). The Dutch government always first checks whether you are eligible for a visa.

With a tourist visa The Netherlands do you have access to the26 Schengen Member Statesin Europe. You can travel through a large part of Europe with this visa without having to apply for a separate visa for each country.

Do I need a tourist visa for the Netherlands?

Or you one visa for the Netherlands depends, among other things, on your nationality. Check out the list for that visa-requiring countries. Do you have more than 1 nationality? Then the passport you are traveling with determines whether you need a visa for the Netherlands.

Conditions for applying for a tourist visa for the Netherlands

To be able to apply for a short-stay visa for the Netherlands, the visa applicant must meet a number of conditions:

• You have a valid travel document, for example 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 the international relations of one of the 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. 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 have at least € 55 per person per day for the duration of your stay in the Netherlands
  • Or someone in the Netherlands guarantees you. This can be the inviting referent, but also a random third person.
• You have amedical travel insurancewhich is closed in the name of the visa applicant. The person in the Netherlands who invites you can also take out the insurance for you.
• You have sufficient reasons to return to your country of origin or residence.

How do I apply for a visa for the Netherlands?

You can apply for a visa for the Netherlands at the Dutch embassy or consulate in the country where you live. You can also apply at an embassy of another Schengen country that represents the Netherlands in your country of residence.

Request through VFS Global

Although the Dutch embassy is primarily responsible for issuing visas, in almost all cases they use an external service provider. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has entered into a partnership with VFS Global for this purpose. To submit a visa application for the Netherlands, you must therefore first make an appointment with VFS Global (check the website of the Dutch embassy of the country where the foreign national who is subject to a visa comes from).

Steps for a short stay tourist visa

Below we describe all the steps you need to take to apply for a short-stay tourist visa for the Netherlands:

1. First see if youvisa requiredare.
2. Visit thewebsite of the Dutch embassyin the country of origin.
3. Download and complete the mandatory forms such as the visa application form (use the checklist).
4. If necessary, provide the proof of sponsorship and accommodation in the Netherlands form.
5. Have a passport photo taken according to the requirements.
6. Requestmedical travel insurancethat meets the conditions.
7. Make an appointment for the submission of the required documents and an interview.
8. Visit the embassy, ​​consulate or external service providerVfs global.
9. Have the biometric data taken.
10. Submit the required documents and pay the fees (costs).
11. Wait for the decision (whether or not the visa has been granted).
12. Collect your passport (or it will be sent to you) and check the visa sticker.
13. Go on a trip (bring copies of the mandatory documents) or, in case of a visa rejection, appeal.

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