If you are not a Dutch citizen and plan on travelling to the Netherlands for a short stay, you may require a visa. Since 1995, there have been no internal border checkpoints within a number of European countries, known collectively as the Schengen Area. These countries issue a common document known as a Schengen visa.

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What is a Schengen visa?
A Schengen visa is a visa for the Schengen Area: 25 countries with no border controls between them. Those countries are:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Italy
• Latvia
• 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 single visa application form.

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

Who needs a Schengen visa?
Whether you need a Schengen visa depends on your nationality. Please consult the page 'Visa requirements for up to 90 days'.

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 (at least €34 for each day of your stay);
• you can produce documents to back up the reason you have given for visiting the Netherlands;
• you are not considered a threat to public order, national security or international relations.

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.

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.

What should I do if I want to stay longer than 90 days?
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). This is a special 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.

If you do not need an MVV and wish to stay in the Netherlands for longer than 90 days, you must still apply for a residence permit. For more detailed information about the MVV procedure, plus the entry conditions for all nationalities for stays both longer and shorter than 90 days, visit the website of the Immigration and Naturalisation Service ( http://www.ind.nl/EN) and click on Residence Wizard.