2.1    Visas

A visa may be required to enter the Netherlands. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs assists the following people in obtaining a visa to travel to the Netherlands: newly arriving foreign staff members of diplomatic missions and consular posts posted to the Netherlands; family members (spouse or partner and dependent children) forming part of privileged staff members’ households who wish to join them. 

2.2     When is a visa required?

Whether or not a visa is required depends on the following:

- Nationality
Nationals of most non-EU countries need a visa to enter the Netherlands. A list of the countries whose nationals need a visa for a stay of up to 90 days can be found on the Dutch government’s website: short-stay Schengen visa. 

- Type of travel document
A person’s travel document determines whether or not a visa is needed, even if that person has more than one nationality. A person travelling on a passport of a country whose nationals require a visa must have a valid visa. 

- Special travel document
Holders of certain countries’ diplomatic or service passports may be exempt from the visa requirement, even if visas are normally required for the country in question. Information about these exemptions can be obtained from the Short Stay Visa Service of the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) of the Ministry of Justice and Security (email address: visa.posten@ind.nl).

Please note that other Schengen countries have their own lists and thus may sometimes require a visa even if the Netherlands does not.

- Length of stay
Foreign visitors planning to stay more than 90 days in the Netherlands must obtain a special visa known as an ‘authorisation for temporary stay’ (Machtiging tot Voorlopig Verblijf, MVV). However, privileged foreign staff members and their immediate family forming part of their household are not required to obtain an MVV, regardless of their nationality, but should register with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs upon their arrival (see chapter 3). 

2.3     Visa procedure for privileged staff members and their family members 

A Note Verbale from the diplomatic mission or consular post in the Netherlands stating that the staff member will be employed there should be submitted to the Protocol Department (DPG-Service@minbuza.nl) before a visa application is made. Visa applications cannot be considered without this Note Verbale.

The Note Verbale should include the following details (see DPG-BZ2515153 of April 2025):
•    the personal details (name, date and place of birth and nationality) of the visa applicant;
•    the number, expiration date and type (ordinary, service or diplomatic) of passport;
•    the position the applicant will hold at the diplomatic mission or consular post;
•    the name of the predecessor (unless the applicant will hold a new position at the diplomatic mission or consular post, in which case this should be mentioned);
•    the expected date of travel;
•    the country where the visa application will be submitted;
•    the starting date and duration of the posting;
•    a copy/(copies) of the passport(s). 

To avoid unnecessary delay, the diplomatic mission should send the Note Verbale to the Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (email to DPG-Service@minbuza.nl). 

Family members forming part of the household of privileged staff members should all follow the same visa procedure. They are advised to submit their visa application well in advance of their departure for the Netherlands. 

Privileged staff members and family members forming part of their household must apply for a visa at a Dutch diplomatic mission or consular post in their country of origin or of habitual residence before they travel to the Netherlands. A country of habitual residence is one where the person concerned resides or has a permit to reside for longer than 90 days. If there is no Dutch diplomatic mission or consular post in their country of origin or of habitual residence, the applicant is requested to send an email to hdcv-cso-visa-expert@minbuza.nl to get visa advice on their particular case. 

Processing a visa application can take up to four weeks, as it is sometimes necessary to consult one or more of the other Schengen countries. 

Visas issued for the Netherlands are in general valid for 90 days in all countries that are party to the Schengen Agreement.

No documents should be sent to hdcv-cso-visa-expert@minbuza.nl.

2.4     Visa procedure for non-privileged staff members, relatives, friends, other guests and delegations 

Visa applications for short stays (90 days or less) should be submitted well in advance to a Dutch diplomatic mission or another diplomatic mission abroad representing the Kingdom of the Netherlands (for contact details, click Contact, click ‘Select another country’ and then click on ‘About us’). 

The Protocol Department has no role in visa applications for family members not forming part of the household or nationals that require a visa for short stays in the Netherlands. Visas for short stays can be applied for six months before the expected date of travel: Visa for the Netherlands | NetherlandsWorldwide.  

Visa fees must be paid by the applicant. Visas for official delegations and official guests are issued free of charge if the individuals in question are required to be present for official purposes.