A visa is an authorisation or decision in the form of a sticker affixed to a passport or other travel document. It means that when the visa was issued no objection existed to the holder entering the Netherlands to stay temporarily or travel on to a third country. But having a visa does not give a person the automatic right of entry. When visa holders enter the country, they have to show that they still meet the conditions for entry.

Who deals with visa applications?

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs deals with visa applications for three months or less for persons wishing to visit the Netherlands for such purposes as:

• conducting business,
• attending a conference or seminar,
• attending a sporting or cultural event,
• visiting an international organisation,
• conducting diplomatic or political business.

It also deals with all visa applications by persons from the former Soviet republics.

You can contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for visa information Monday to Friday, 09:00-12:30 and 13:30-16:30. Tel.: +31 70 348 5622. Postal address: Postbus 20061, 2500 EB The Hague.

The Ministry of Justice Visa Service deals with visa applications for three months or less submitted by the Dutch missions for persons wishing to visit the Netherlands to:

• spend a holiday,
• visit relatives,
• perform music,
• attend a study programme,
• take up a work experience placement
• undergo medical treatment (except in the case of persons from the former Soviet republics).

It also deals with applications to stay in the Netherlands for longer than three months (authorisations for temporary stay, or MVVs).

The Ministry of Justice Visa Service's information line can be reached via t he general information line of the Immigration and Naturalisation Service. The line is open Monday to Friday, 09:00-17:00. Tel. from within the Netherlands: 0900-1234561 (€ 0,10 per minute). Tel. from abroad:+31-20-889 3045 Postal address: Postbus 3109, 2280 GC Rijswijk.

When you require a visa

1. Who requires a visa?
2. I have more than one nationality. Do I require a visa?
3. Do I require a visa with a travel document a third country?
4. I want to stay for longer than three months.
5. For which countries is a Schengen visa valid?

1. Who requires a visa?

Whether a prospective visitor requires a visa depends on his nationality and how long he intends to stay in the Netherlands. Nationals of many countries require a visa for an uninterrupted stay of up to three months.

Countries whose nationals need a visa for a stay of under three months

* The Kingdom of the Netherlands does not recognise Taiwan as a sovereign state and recognises Taiwanese passports as travel documents only.

Countries whose nationals do not require a visa for a stay of three months or less

2. I have more than one nationality. Do I require a visa?

If you have more than one nationality, whether you require a visa depends on which travel document you intend to travel on. If it is a passport of a country whose nationals require a visa, you will also require a visa even if you have another nationality for which no visa is required. The country in which you are residing is irrelevant to whether you require a visa, although you must be residing legally in the country in which you submit your application.

3. Do I require a visa with a travel document a third country?

Yes. Persons with travel documents for aliens and refugees issued by third countries always require a visa no matter what their nationality or which country issued these documents. An exception is made for refugees with travel documents issued by 16 European countries: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Nationals of certain countries also require an airport transit visa to change aircraft at a Dutch airport, even though they do not actually enter Dutch territory.

Countries whose nationals need an airport transit visa:

* Nationals of Guinea do not need an airport transit visa for Belgium provided they are in possession of a valid visa for one of the EER-countries, Andorra, Canada, Japan, Monaco, San Marino, United States of America or Switzerland.

** As from 1 May 2008 nationals of Ghana and Nigeria do not need an airport transit visa for Benelux, Germany, Italy and Spain provided they are in possession of a valid visa for for the United States, Canada, Japan, EER-countries and Switzerland

4. I want to stay for longer than three months.

To stay for an uninterrupted period of more than three months, you will require a special visa called an authorisation for temporary stay (MVV). Such a visa is required by the nationals of all countries except the EU member states and a few other countries.

Countries whose nationals do not need an MVV for a stay of over three months

5. For which countries is a Schengen visa valid?

On 26 March 1995, the Convention applying the Schengen Agreement came into force in seven countries. Since then, more countries have joined the Schengen Area. There are now 24 Schengen countries, with no border controls between them: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slowakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.

Visitors to any one of these countries receive a uniform visa valid for travel to all 24 of them. The Schengen countries have also harmonised their conditions for entry and their policy on countries whose nationals require a visa to visit the Schengen Area.

Some visitors are permitted to enter the territory of only one Schengen country or a limited number of them (such as the Netherlands or the Benelux countries). A Schengen country may issue such a visitor with a visa valid only for that country or for a specified number of Schengen countries.

Applying for a visa and more ......

Applying for a Schengen Visa.....