Types of Visa in the Netherlands

› A-Visa: Airport/transit permission

This is the necessary document if you are
planning on transiting in the Netherlands and
continuing your trip to another country. You need
an A-Visa in case that you originate from
Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Congo,
Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Iraq, Iran,
Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Sri
Lanka.


› B-Visa: Travel through

You need to get a B-Visa if you are about to
enter the Schengen area for a maximum period
of 5 days in order to reach your final destination.


› C-Visa: Short stay/three-month permission

C-Visa (Visum Kort Verblijf) or “Schengen visa”
gives you permission to stay in the Netherlands
for a maximum period of three months (within six
moths) for holidays, tourism, business etc.

However, please note that residence and work
permit is not an option while, if you leave the
Schengen area, you have to get a new visa.
Finally, VKV may be valid only for specific
countries.

To obtain a VKV, you must apply in person to
the Dutch consulate or embassy in the country
you legally reside. The application involves a
standard Schengen form, official documents (for
the exact list you should visit the website of the
Dutch embassy in your country) and a standard
fee (either 60 or 35 euros depending on your
country). It should be stressed that this fee is
not refundable in case the visa is not obtained
as well as that the whole procedure can take up
to two months.

› D-Visa: Long stay/three to twelve months

D-Visa or MVV (Machtiging tot Voorlopig Verblijf)
or “Provisional Residence Permit” is absolutely
necessary in order to enter the Netherlands for a
maximum period of one year (and minimum three
months) after which you can renew it without
leaving the country.

In contrast to C-Visa, this document allows you
to apply for work permit or residency but there is
always a catch: you may need to take an
Inburgeringscursus (i.e. immigration and
citizenship exam) at the Dutch embassy of your
home country.

MVV does not apply to EU/EEA countries*,
Switzerland, USA, Australia, New Zealand,
Canada, Japan, Vatican City and South Korea
citizens.

As expected, obtaining an MVV is more
complicated than applying for a VKV. Before
completing your MVV, your Dutch host
institution has to be advised by IND (Dutch
Immigration Service) and if they accept your
request, you must apply in person to the Dutch
consulate or embassy in the country you legally
reside. Note that the procedure is much more
costly (250 up to 433 euros) and since this entry
visa is actually a sticker in your passport, it can
not be obtained when you are in the Netherlands.


› MVV D+C visa: Combined MVV & traveling
visa

If you want to travel outside the Netherlands
during the first three months and still be able to
get a working permit, you must apply for an MVV
D+C visa. All the necessary information for this
procedure can be found here.