Visa Information

VISA TYPES

You may submit your visa application at the VFS Global Visa Application Centre.

Please note: not all travel documents are recognized by the Netherlands. If you apply for a visa with such a non-recognized travel document, your visa application can be declared inadmissible. More detailed information is available on the European Union website.

Select the visa type that is right for you to see important information on visa fees, documents required, forms, photo specifications and processing times.

Entry Visa

  • Overview
  • Visa Fees
  • Documents Required
  • Photo specifications and fingerprints
  • Processing Time
  • Overview

    You are a foreign national (i.e. non-Dutch) with a valid long-term residence permit for the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Your document was stolen, lost or has expired during your stay abroad and you have to return. In this case you need for an entry visa.

    Travelling with children

    If you apply for a short-stay Schengen visa for a minor (child under 18 years of age) there are specific requirements for the documents to be submitted (see the checklist).

    When a child travels with one parent (or alone)

    When a minor travels with one parent or alone a so-called “consent letter for minors travelling abroad” is needed. For more information, see the page Travelling with children on government.nl.

    Check the details on your visa

    Upon receiving your visa at VFS, please ensure that all the information is accurate, including your name and the visa’s validity period. If there’s a mistake on your visa, the airline may not let you board your flight or you may be refused entry into the Schengen area.

    Is there a mistake on your visa? Notify the agent at VFS Global immediately.

    If you notice the mistake at a later stage or if your visa was sent by courier, please contact the Dutch embassy immediately.

    During which period can I travel?

    The fields 'From' and 'Until' on your visa tell you how long your visa is valid for.

    • ‘From’: the first day that you can enter the Schengen area

    • ‘Until’: the last day by which you must leave the Schengen area

    How long can I stay?

    The field ‘Duration of stay’ on your visa tells you how many days you may stay in the Netherlands and other Schengen countries, within the period of validity mentioned at 'From' and ‘Until’. This is a maximum of 90 days within any 180-day period. If you get a multiple-entry visa you may leave and return any number of times within the 180-day period, but the combined stay within the Schengen area must not total more than 90 days.

    If you overstay, you risk a two-year visa sanction for all Schengen countries.

  • Visa Fees

    Please note that on top of the official visa fees, VFS Global in Suriname charges an extra service fee, to be paid by the applicant.

    • For the official visa fees charged by the Dutch government, click here.
    • VFS service charge:

      Apart from the visa fee, a VFS service charge of 30 Euro will be levied for applicants applying at the Visa Application Centre.

      If you submit on a Saturday, service costs of €21.60 will be charged. These costs are added to the extra service costs of €30.00 that you would normally pay.

    • All fees are to be paid in cash in Euro’s
    • For the VFS Global additional services for visa applicants, please click here
    • All fees are non-refundable.
  • Documents Required

    Travel insurance is mandatory for all Schengen countries. If you have not purchased, please click here

    Please see the checklist for a entry visa with the complete list of requirements..

    • Complete the online Schengen visa application form, print it and take it to your appointment. It is strongly recommended to complete the form using the online portal instead of the paper format.
    • The portal will guide through the application questions and will make sure you do not forget to enter any necessary values.

    Make an appointment online

    Before you visit the Visa Application Centre, you will need to make an appointment using the online appointment system

  • Photo specifications and fingerprints

    As a part of your visa application, your digital photograph will be taken and you will need to provide your fingerprints

    Read more about the biometric data collection when you attend the Visa application centre.

  • Processing Time

    The earliest you can apply is 6 months before you intend to travel. You should apply no later than 15 working days before your trip.

    Some Schengen member states want to exchange information on visa applicants. This check (known as ‘consultation’) is mandatory for certain nationalities. For more information please check the website of the European Commission.

    You can track the status of your application using your track & trace code. If you have any questions about the status of your application, please contact the Visa Application Centre.

    After applying for your visa, you will not be able to take home your passport while your visa application is being processed.

    Note for airplane crew members

    If you are an airplane pilot or cabin crew member your passport will not have to remain with VFS during the processing of your visa application.