Netherlands visa requirements for Indian passport holders

Check your circumstances

Read these conditions alongside the entry rule. Where official guidance does not state a condition, that is not confirmation that no condition applies.

Passport type Conditions to check

This guide covers ordinary passports. The passport must be under 10 years old, signed, with at least 2 blank visa pages, and valid 3 months after you leave the Schengen area.

Official sources: NetherlandsWorldwide (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands).

Trip purpose Conditions to check

The tourism checklist applies to holidays. Business, family visits, study, medical trips and seafarers each have their own checklist, so choose the one for your main purpose.

Official sources: NetherlandsWorldwide (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands).

Age Conditions to check

Children need their own application. Under 12s attend but give no fingerprints. Applicants aged 12 or older may authorize submission if fingerprints from a qualifying visa application in the past 59 months can be reused. Minors traveling alone or with one parent also need the checklist documents.

Official sources: NetherlandsWorldwide (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands).

Residence Conditions to check

The India centers take applications from people who live in India, Afghanistan or Bhutan. If you live elsewhere, check the route for your country of legal residence; acceptance in India outside that jurisdiction must be checked first.

Official sources: NetherlandsWorldwide (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands).

Other visas or residence permits Conditions to check

A valid Schengen residence permit or long-stay visa can remove the need for a separate short-stay visa. Ordinary Irish or Cypriot national permits do not provide that Schengen exemption. Qualifying EU-family residence cards follow separate rules, explained below.

Official sources: European Union, Your Europe.

Carrier and arrival route Not stated in the cited guidance

The tourism checklist does not name a required carrier or specific entry route. It asks for a reservation to and from the Schengen area in your name, but not a paid ticket.

Official sources: NetherlandsWorldwide (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands).

Stay and visa validity Confirmed for this scope

Obey the visa's Duration of stay allowance, From and Until dates, and number of entries, as well as the overall 90-day limit in any 180 days. The permitted days may be fewer than the days between the validity dates.

Official sources: NetherlandsWorldwide (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands).

Check whether you need a new visa

A valid Schengen visa with suitable entries and unused permitted days may cover your trip. A qualifying Schengen residence permit or long-stay visa can also allow a short visit without a separate tourist visa. Check the document and remaining stay allowance before applying again.

A residence card issued as a family member of an EU citizen has separate rules, including cards issued by Ireland or Cyprus. Do not confuse this with an ordinary national residence permit. EU-family free-movement cases and their stay entitlements are outside this India-resident tourist application guide; follow the linked EU guidance for your exact status.

Official sources: European Union, Your Europe; European Union (Your Europe); NetherlandsWorldwide (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands).

Where and when to apply

If you live in India, apply at a VFS Global center in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai, Cochin, Hyderabad, Jalandhar, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Pune or New Delhi. Apply up to 6 months before you travel and at least 15 calendar days before.

Book the appointment yourself on the VFS Global site, one for each traveler, and avoid intermediaries. If you visit several Schengen countries, apply to the one where you will stay longest; if the stays are equal, the country of your main purpose, and then the country where you first enter.

Official sources: NetherlandsWorldwide (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands); NetherlandsWorldwide (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands).

At the appointment

Fill in the online application form first, then print and sign the version with its unique code. At the appointment you hand in your documents and passport, give fingerprints if required, answer questions about your trip and pay the visa fee plus a VFS service charge.

Attendance is normally required. If you are 12 or older and gave fingerprints with an in-person Schengen, airport transit or entry visa application in the past 59 months, you may authorize someone to submit for you. They need your documents, signed authorization and their ID with a copy. You may be recalled if fingerprints cannot be copied. The Ministry may request an interview or more documents.

Official sources: NetherlandsWorldwide (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands); NetherlandsWorldwide (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands).

Documents for a tourist trip

Bring your passport and color copies of its data page, last page and any previous Schengen entry and exit stamps. VFS takes a digital photo at the appointment; follow the current checklist for photo requirements. Add proof of your ties at home, such as an employment contract, leave letter and payslips, business papers, pension statements or a student letter.

For the trip itself: a cover letter, accommodation booked for the whole stay, a return reservation, bank statements for the last 3 months or income tax returns for the last 2 years, and travel medical insurance valid in every Schengen country with at least EUR 30,000 of cover. For a minor traveling alone or with one parent or guardian, bring the birth certificate extract and the applicable notarized consent, custody and parent-ID documents. Sole custody needs official proof. An incomplete application may be refused, and the fee is not refunded.

Official sources: NetherlandsWorldwide (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands).

Waiting time and decision

The published average is 18 to 21 calendar days, counted from receipt of the required documents and passport by the Consular Services Organisation. Processing can take up to 45 days; appointment availability and passport delivery add time. Track your application with the reference number VFS gives you.

If the visa is refused, you receive a letter with the reasons and can object to the decision.

Official sources: NetherlandsWorldwide (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands); NetherlandsWorldwide (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands).

At the border

Travel with the passport that holds the visa, and check the Valid for line: it shows which Schengen countries the visa covers. Show the visa when you arrive and leave; border officers can ask for other documents, such as your return ticket, accommodation and funds.

Covered short-stay travelers are registered in the free EU Entry/Exit System, which replaces passport stamps. Follow border staff instructions for biometric checks; children under 12 are not fingerprinted. Holders of qualifying residence permits, long-stay visas and EU-family residence cards are among the exemptions. A visa does not guarantee entry if you do not meet the entry conditions.

Official sources: NetherlandsWorldwide (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands); NetherlandsWorldwide (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands); European Union, Your Europe; Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (GOV.UK); European Union (Travel to Europe).