General information

1st June 2023

Dear Applicants! We received a notification from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs：

Due to technical issues, the processing of your visa application may take longer than 15 days. We are working on a solution.

At the moment it is not clear how long the technical issues will last. We also cannot say how much longer the processing of your visa application may take. Read the latest developments on this page.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!

25th May 2023

Dear Applicants! In order to protect your personal information and ensure that your appointment is not taken by others, the data relating to the passport number, first name, surname, date of birth, telephone number, nationality and main purpose of travel provided by the applicant when registering on the TLScontact website is not modifiable at the Visa Application Centre.

TLScontact urges applicants to be extremely vigilant before validating the information provided, as all information must be completely matching with their travel document and the information of the trip. Any error on the fields mentioned above will result in NOT being accepted by the Visa Application Centre and will oblige the applicant to create a new account, fill in the correct information and reschedule the appointment.

23rd May 2023

Dear Applicants! Due to a technical problem in Dutch MFA's system, visa applications submitted since May 22nd (included) are temporarily pending to be processed. The technical team is actively working on this issue and hopes that it will be resolved soon. Once the system is back to normal, the Visa Center will complete the rest process as soon as possible.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding and cooperation!

4th April 2023

As notified by Dutch MFA, the Postal Application Procedure will be suspended from 17th April 2023. For application documents received by post after 17th April (included), the Visa Application Centre will return the documents to the applicant in the same way.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!

24th March 2023

Appointments are currently limited, and you may experience longer waiting times to get an appointment. This is because a growing number of applicants wants to travel to the Netherlands after COVID travel restrictions have been eased. We are working to increase our acceptance capacity with the aim of making it more convenient for applicants.

We regularly offer new appointment slots, so please keep checking the appointment system.

Plan your trip well in advance. And make sure you have all the documents ready for your appointment.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!

23rd March 2023

Dear Applicant, since March 27, 2023, Chengdu Visa Application Center will receive visa applications of the Netherlands at the following office addresses:

B-1912B, Times Plaza, No.2 Zongfu Road, Jinjiang District, Chengdu

Please arrive at the Chengdu Visa Application Center on time to submit your visa application.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!

27th February 2023

As of February 24, 2023, passengers traveling from China to the Netherlands will no longer be required to present a negative test result for Covid-19 prior to departure.

In addition, the recommendation to wear a medical mask has been removed for flights to the Netherlands, and self-test kits will no longer be issued upon arrival in the Netherlands.

Read more about travel advice to the Netherlands.

9th January 2023

Dear applicants, we received today the notification from Dutch missions in China that, as an extra precaution, from 10 January 2023, travelers older than 11 years old and arriving from China whose final destination is the Netherlands must have a negative test result. Read more about travelling to the Netherlands from abroad .

20th September 2022

As of 17 September 2022, there are no longer any COVID-19 entry rules for travellers to the Netherlands. You can enter the Netherlands without proof of vaccination, proof of recovery or a negative test result. Read more about travelling to the Netherlands from abroad .

21st December 2022

Due to the impact of Covid-19 epidemic, the operation of the Call Centre has been greatly restricted, which may result in unavailability of telephone numbers or long waiting times. If you have an emergency, you may also leave a message by clicking on the "Contact Us" button on our website.

We sincerely appreciate your understanding as well as support and apologize for any inconvenience caused.

28th November 2022

Dear applicant, in view of the severe and complex epidemic situation, please check the real-time measures on preventing and controlling Covid-19 in each city before submitting your visa application.

We sincerely appreciate your understanding as well as support and apologize for any inconvenience caused.

25th December 2022

We sincerely appreciate your understanding as well as support and apologize for any inconvenience caused.

18th December 2022

Due to Covid-19, the TLScontact Visa Application Center in Guangzhou will be temporarily closed from December 19 to December 23, 2022. Please reschedule your appointment and your trip accordingly. You can contact the Call Center in case of emergency. Please follow the upcoming notice for the reopening time.

We sincerely appreciate your understanding and apologize for any inconvenience caused.

6th December 2022

Dear applicants, the Visa Application Centre in Beijing has reopened from 6th December 2022. If you have a green Beijing health code, you may attend the building wearing a face mask. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

15th July 2022

From 1st August 2022, Visa application Centre of Beijing will be relocated to following address: Room 1009-1010, Yingdi Center (Tower A, Wangxin building), Chaoyang district Beijing. Our Centre in 3F Parkview Green, No.9 Dongdaqiao Road, Chaoyang District will be closed from 1st August 2022.

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to you and thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

12th January, 2022

Please visit “Consular services portal” of Dutch MFA to fill out the visa application form online

Dear applicants, in accordance with the requirements of the Dutch MFA and the Dutch Mission in China, travelers need to be directed to the “Consular services portal” of Dutch MFA to fill out the visa application form online before submitting the visa application. The Chinese version of the visa application form is suspended to use.

Schengen Visa:please click here to be directed to the online form.

Caribbean Visa:please click here to be directed to the online form.

17th September, 2021

Attention: holding a Travel Medical Insurance (TMI) is a requirement to apply for a Schengen visa. The TMI has to cover any expenses that may arise in relation to repatriation for medical reasons and/or emergency treatment during the visa holder’s stay. Expenses made as a result of pandemic situations (including Covid-19) are suggested to be included in the coverage.

In order to facilitate the selection of compliant travel insurances, the self-service insurance platforms managed by a third-party service provider are available as an optional service for your conveniences.

5th November, 2020

Dear applicants,
Please be advised that effective immediately and until further notice, Schengen Member States have suspended visa representation for other Schengen member countries. This means that the Visa Application Centre of the Netherlands can now only accept visa applications for the Netherlands itself, and can no longer accept applications on behalf of other Schengen states. Please contact the local representation of the Schengen state you're trying to apply for to receive more information.

Due to changes in the Schengen regulations, new rules apply to the visa application process. At the same time visa fees increase. The most important changes are:

- Extended application period : You can apply for your Schengen visa 6 months before your planned travel date (this was 3 months). Seafarers can apply 9 months in advance.

- Increase of visa fees : The Schengen and Caribbean visa fees have been increased. Please click here to check visa fees.

- Multiple-entry Schengen visa for regular travellers: Do you regularly travel to the Netherlands / Schengen area? Then you may qualify for a multiple-entry visa with a longer period of validity. You must meet a number of conditions:

• multiple-entry visa for 1 year: if you have received a Schengen visa 3 times in the past 2 years and used it correctly;
• multiple-entry visa for 2 years: if you have received a multiple-entry visa for 1 year in the past 2 years and used it correctly;
• multiple-entry visa for 5 years: if you have received a multiple-entry visa for 2 years in the past 3 years and used it correctly.

Decisions on the issuing of visa will be made on an individual basis. No rights can be derived from the above.

Did you provide biometric data (fingerprints and photo) within the last 59 months before your current application? Then someone else can submit your application for you. You do not have to appear in person.

Please note: it is not possible to verify if your biometric data are in the system at the time of application. It is therefore possible that you will be invited to come to submit them at a later moment. You may also be invited to come for an interview on an individual basis.

Dear applicants,

Please be advised that applications for visa type: Study, Scientific Research are no longer accepted. Those travelling to the Netherlands for study purposes and with a purpose of conducting scientific research can apply for Business visa.

Additional questions regarding those visa types can be directed at the Embassy or the Consulate of the Netherlands.

The digital and paper documents will be sent to the Dutch consular authority with your passport, and visa decision officers will consider your application in the usual way.

In order to avoid delays in the Visa Application Centre, we recommend to applicants to note the following:

• All documents should be A4 size;
• You photocopy all original and any documents which are smaller or larger than A4 onto A4 sized paper;
• You remove any clips or pins from documents before submitting them;
• If your documents are torn, crumpled or heavily creased documents, please photocopy them onto A4 sized paper before they are submitted, as they cannot be scanned in this condition;
• All photocopies must be clear and complete. It is recommended to submit colored photocopies to ensure a good photocopy quality;
• Arrange your documents according to the document list order;
• Submitted photocopies which do not fulfill the above mentioned requirements might influence the outcome of the visa decision.