This time we are hopping on the fastest plane and travelling to the land of the colour orange, richest history, and unlimited fun. To cut it short, we are landing in one and only, the Netherlands! Thanks to the colourful life and wide-range activities the country never fails to impress its visitors. Windmills, tulips, and tulips are among the many tourist attractions that will make travellers fall in love with the Netherlands nowadays. On the other side, numerous historic castles and cityscapes that make up the landscape of the cities are also worth seeing. Even though there are so many things to do and places to see you will have just enough time for everything and for that the best way of transportation is the most Dutch way of transportation a bicycle, let set one thing straight does not matter whichever transport you take or whether you prefer the modern architecture of Rotterdam over the historic museum in Amsterdam or the other way around, you will have a fantastic time in one of Europe's friendliest and most open societies.
However, before you start booking your accommodation and making a bucket list of all the tastiest Dutch restaurants, there is one small detail that we should talk about. Even though we live in a globalization era, which means more and more people get a chance to travel and explore new lands, there are still some restrictions and requirements when you want to travel to particular states. Today, our main goal will be to guide you through this so-called complicated process of obtaining a Netherlands Schengen visa. But what does "Schengen" even mean? The Schengen Area is a collection of 26 European nations that have agreed to remove all passports and other forms of border control at their shared borders. For foreign travel, the region generally acts as a single jurisdiction with a common visa regime. This basically means that once you have obtained a Schengen visa from one of the member countries, you can freely move around in any other 25 European countries without being obliged to apply for a separate visa and undergo the same process multiple times. The idea of the "Schengen zone" does not only make travelling more affordable but also faster and safer than ever! Besides that, the Schengen Area has almost 420 million people and covers an area of 4,312,099 square kilometres. Surprisingly enough, every day, around 1.7 million individuals go to work across an internal European border, accounting for up to a third of the workforce in some regions.
Before stepping into the visa process, I would kindly ask you to check online if nationals from your country need a visa at all or not. By this list, we can separate countries into two groups 1. With the availability of visa-free entrance to the Netherlands, and 2. You can check the complete list also on our website:
There are many categories of visas that you can be required to apply for prior to your visit to the Netherlands, depending on the reason for your visit. You will need to apply for a separate Dutch Schengen Visa depending on whether you want to permanently visit, study, or work in the Netherlands.
The Schengen visa allows the bearer to travel the Schengen area for up to 90 days every six months. If your home country does not have a visa exemption agreement with the Netherlands, or to put it simply, if you could not find the name of your country on the list of visa-exempt countries, but you still wish to visit the Netherlands for a short period of time, such as a business trip, vacation, or just to meet up with your friends, you must first apply for a Schengen visa. This short-term visa is valid for up to 90 days in the Netherlands and all other Schengen area member states during a 180-day term. The 180-day term begins on the day you arrive in the Netherlands or another Schengen nation.
The most commonly applied type of the Netherlands Schengen visa is a Tourist visa. Depending on your country, you may be needed to get a Netherlands Tourist visa before visiting the Netherlands for a term of less than 90 days for tourism purposes. The Netherlands Tourist Visa allows you to visit the Netherlands and participate in tourist activities for up to 90 days.
Another form of the Netherlands Schengen visa often used is the visa for visiting family and friends. A visit by a family member and a friend on a short-term basis A visit visa permits you to visit relatives or friends in the Netherlands for up to 90 days in a 180-day period. You will require a letter of invitation from the Dutch authorities if you are visiting close relatives such as your spouse, children, parents, or grandparents, which must be given at the request of the inviting individual. You will also need documentation verifying the inviting person's Schengen status. A "letter of consent" from both parents or legal guardians, as well as passport copies of either parents or legal guardians, is necessary for children.
But what are the Netherlands Schengen visa requirements, and how can you apply for the visa? One of the Netherlands Schengen visa requirements is a fully filled Netherlands Schengen visa application form in English or Dutch, signed and dated by the applicant themselves. A passport that is valid for at least three months after your departure date from the Netherlands and must be signed by the holder is required, too. Also, it is worth mentioning the fact that the passport must be no more than ten years old and should have at least two free pages for the visa. Other documents that you will be asked to showcase include two photos with a frontal view of the face encompassing 70-80% of the shot that are no more than 6 months old and photocopies of your passport's main page, and copies of prior Schengen visas.
When applying for a Schengen, medical insurance is one of the most crucial papers to have. Overseas Medical Insurance with a minimum of 30,000 € coverage and repatriation valid for the duration of the requisite visa time and all Schengen countries. It is important to remember that medical insurance purchased with a credit card is not accepted. On the in, the terms and conditions must be stated. The terms and conditions must be specified on the insurance paperwork or in a separate confirmation letter.
The typical processing period for a tourist visa in the Netherlands is between 5 and 20 days, however, the Netherlands Schengen visa processing time might vary slightly, and it is solely dependent on the nation from which you are applying for a visa. But how much is the Netherlands Schengen visa fee? The price for Schengen visas has been 80 euros from the 2nd of February of 2020 and must be paid when the application is submitted. Also, bear that in your mind that you may also be required to pay extra administrative costs. The EU, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia, and Ukraine reached an agreement that decreased the Netherlands Schengen visa fee for nationals of these countries to 35 EUR.
In order to apply for the Dutch Schengen visa, you first of all need to take a date for at one of the Netherlands visa application centres, embassies, or consulates in your country of residency, let us not forget that the responsible institution might differ according to your country of submission for the visa. However, if none exist in your nation, you must apply for an appointment for Netherlands Schengen visa to the embassy or consulate that is closest to your location, which usually is located in one of the neighbouring countries.
How to extend Schengen visa in Netherlands? A short-stay Schengen visa can only be extended in an emergency. There are certain restrictions in place. You are allowed to extend the visa if your entire stay in the Schengen Area cannot exceed 90 days. Your visa will be restricted only to the Netherlands if you remain for more than 90 days. Also, you will have to explain why you need to remain longer. And do not forget about the fact that a charge is required to extend a Schengen visa.
Additionally, you can apply for a multiple entry visa based on how frequently you go to the Schengen zone. A multiple-entry visa permits the holder to enter and exit the Schengen Area as often as desired. For example, people who have received and legitimately used a previous multiple-entry visa valid for at least two years during the preceding three years are eligible for a 5 year Schengen visa Netherlands. We can say that the 5 year Schengen visa Netherlands permits you to enter 26 countries in Europe as many times as you wish within five years.
