Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in, Trinidad and Tobago

All you need to know about Schengen visas

All you need to know about Schengen visas - hat is a Schengen visa? - Who needs a Schengen visa? - Entry into the Netherlands without a visa - Airport transit visas - I want to stay longer than 90 days

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What is a Schengen visa?

A Schengen visa is a visa for the Schengen Area: 26 countries with no border controls between them. Those countries are:

  • Austria

  • Belgium

  • the Czech Republic

  • Denmark

  • Estonia

  • Finland

  • France

  • Germany

  • Greece

  • Hungary

  • Iceland

  • Italy

  • Latvia

  • Liechtenstein 

  • Lithuania

  • Luxembourg

  • Malta

  • the Netherlands

  • Norway

  • Poland

  • Portugal

  • Slovakia

  • Slovenia

  • Spain

  • Sweden

  • Switzerland.

The Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement came into force on 26 March 1995. The Schengen countries require visitors to obtain a common visa, which permits entry to the Schengen Area. The Schengen countries have reached agreements with each other on entry requirements and a common visa application form.

A Schengen visa’s validity may be limited to only one country (for instance the Netherlands) or a specified number of countries (for instance Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands). In such cases, the visa holder may visit only the countries for which the Schengen visa is valid.

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Who needs a Schengen visa?

Whether you need a Schengen visa depends on your nationality. See the list of countries whose nationals need a visa for a stay of up to 90 days.

You do NOT need a Schengen visa if you are a national of one of the countries on the list of countries whose nationals do not need a visa for a stay of up to 90 days.

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If I don’t need a Schengen visa, can I visit the Netherlands for a short stay any time I want?

As a rule, yes. If you do not need a visa, you may enter the Netherlands as long as you meet the following conditions:

• you have a valid passport;

• you have enough money;

• you have a bona fide reason for visiting the Netherlands;

• you are not considered a threat to public order, national security or international relations.

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Family members of EU/EEA nationals

If you are a family member of an EU/EEA or Swiss national, you may qualify for an accelerated free visa procedure as long as you meet the following criteria:

  • you are a first-degree family member (this includes a spouse, partner or child who is under 21) of an EU/EEA or Swiss national; and

  • that EU/EEA national is travelling to or is residing in a member state other than that of which he/she is a national; and

  • you are accompanying the EU/EEA national or planning to join him/her.

If you think you qualify for visa facilitation you will need to show proof that you meet these criteria when you submit your visa application.

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Airport transit visas

Nationals of certain countries also need an airport transit visa to change aircraft at an airport in a Schengen country. See the list of countries whose nationals need an airport transit visa.

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I have more than one nationality. Do I need a visa?

If you have more than one nationality, whether you need a visa will depend on which passport you intend to travel on. If it is a passport of a country whose nationals need a visa, you will also need 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 need a visa, although you must be residing legally in the country in which you submit your application.

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I want to stay longer than 90 days (MVV procedure)

If you want to visit the Netherlands for an uninterrupted period longer than 90 days, you must apply for an authorisation for temporary stay (an MVV). An MVV is a D visa, on which you can travel to the Netherlands and subsequently apply for a residence permit. An MVV is needed by the nationals of all countries except the EU member states and a few other countries. See the list of countries whose nationals do not need an MVV for a stay of longer than 90 days. Click on the link at the top right of the page to download the MVV application form as a PDF file.

If you do not need an MVV and wish to stay in the Netherlands for longer than 90 days, you must still report to the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) to register and/or apply for a residence permit on arrival in the Netherlands. For more detailed information about the MVV procedure, plus the entry conditions for all nationalities for stays both longer and shorter than 90 days, see the IND website (http://english.ind.nl/). Use the Residence Wizard to find out what situation applies to you.

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I have an MVV/D visa; can I use it to travel to other Schengen countries?

As a rule, yes.

A D visa (or an MVV as it is known in the Netherlands) is a national visa that allows the holder to enter the Schengen country that has issued the visa and apply for a residence permit (in the Netherlands you have to do that within eight days of arrival).

As of 5 April 2010, the D visa also entitles its holder to visit other Schengen countries. Travelling on a valid D visa, you can spend 90 days of any 180-day period in other Schengen countries.

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