Applying for a Schengen visa for the Netherlands in China
If you will be visiting the Netherlands for a maximum of 90 days – for a holiday, to do business or to see family, for example – you can apply for a Schengen visa. Follow the steps below to apply in China.
Step 1: Check before applying
Before starting your application, check whether you need a visa for the Netherlands and, if so, where you can apply for it.
Not everyone needs a visa to visit the Netherlands. If you’re unsure what applies to you, check whether you need a visa to visit the Netherlands.
If you plan on applying for a Schengen visa for Luxembourg, check with the embassy of Luxembourg to find out what visa requirements apply to you.
Don’t need a visa?
If you don’t need a visa for the Netherlands, see what documents you do need to travel to the Netherlands.
To apply for a Schengen visa in China go to the TLScontact application centre in Beijing, Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Jinan, Kunming, Nanjing, Shanghai, Shenyang, Shenzhen, Wuhan or Xi'an. You can only submit an application there if you live in China.
If you live somewhere else, go to the page Applying for a Schengen visa and select the country where you live to find out where to submit your application. If you still want to submit your application in China, first check if that’s possible.
Check whether you can apply for a visa outside your country of residence
Service or special passport?
If you have a service or special passport, submit an application for a Schengen visa at the Hungarian consulate-general in Chongqing.
Find out how to apply for a visa at the Hungarian consulate-general
I want to visit more than one Schengen country
If you want to visit another Schengen country besides the Netherlands, check whether you should apply for a visa for the Netherlands or the other country.
Find out which Schengen country you should apply for a visa for
Step 2: Gather the documents you need
You need several documents to apply for a Schengen visa. Which ones you need depends on your purpose of travel.
To find out which documents you need, select the checklist that corresponds to your purpose of travel. If you have more than one purpose of travel, select the checklist that corresponds to your primary purpose of travel.
Checklist - tourism
Checklist - business
Checklist - cultural or sport event
Checklist - visit to family or friends
Family member of an EU/EEA national or Swiss national?
If you are travelling with a family member who is a national of an EU/EEA member state or Switzerland, or you’re travelling to visit that family member, you may be eligible for free Schengen visa facilitation.
Step 3: Make an appointment
Once you have all the documents you need for your Schengen visa application, you can make an appointment. You can apply for your visa up to 6 months ahead of your trip. Apply no later than 45 days before your trip.
You can make an appointment online at TLScontact in China. Select the visa application centre where you want to submit your application to find out how.
Find out how to make an appointment at TLScontact in China
- Avoid unnecessary costs and book your appointment yourself. Do not make an appointment through an intermediary.
- If you are applying for visas for multiple people, make a separate appointment for each person.
You may experience longer waiting times to get an appointment. This is because a growing number of applicants wants to travel to the Netherlands. We are working to expand the number of available appointments and to increase our capacity. We regularly offer new appointment slots, so please keep checking the TLScontact appointment system.
Plan your trip well in advance. And make sure you have all the documents ready for your appointment.
You must appear in person at your appointment to submit your application, even if you’re under 18.
Exception
You don’t need to appear in person to submit your application if:
- you have applied in person for a Schengen visa within the past 5 years (59 months), and:
- you submitted a photo with that application, and:
- your fingerprints were taken for that application (only applies if you are 12 or older).
If you meet all 3 conditions, you can have someone else submit your application for you. The appointment must be under the name of the person submitting your application.
If you are not certain whether TLScontact has your fingerprints on record, you should submit your application in person. TLScontact cannot check this for you.
To change or cancel your appointment, contact TLScontact in China.
Select the visa application centre where you submitted your application to find out the contact details.
Step 4: Go to your appointment
Go to your appointment at TLScontact, and bring all the documents on your checklist from step 2 with you, plus the checklist itself.
At your appointment you:
- submit the documents that are on your checklist, together with your passport
- provide your fingerprints (only if you are 12 or older)
- answer questions about your trip
- pay the visa fees
- indicate whether you want to collect your passport (with visa affixed) or have it sent to you
- receive a reference number to track the status of your application
See the overview of consular fees in China to find out how much a visa costs and what forms of payment are accepted. In some situations you are not required to pay.
Find out in which situations you do not need to pay the visa fee
You will always need to pay service costs to TLScontact.
You’ll usually find out within 15 calendar days whether your application was successful. Sometimes it can take longer and may take up to 45 calendar days.
When you submit your application you’ll receive a reference number from TLScontact that you can use to track the status of your application online.
Select the visa application centre where you submitted your application. Log in using your email address and password to view the status of your application.
Step 5: Collect your passport or have it sent to you
You will receive an email once your application has been processed. The email won’t say whether your application was successful. You can collect your passport or have it sent to you. If your application was approved, the visa will be affixed to a page in your passport.
If you choose to have your passport sent to you, you’ll discuss at your appointment how to arrange this.
If you choose to collect your passport, you’ll discuss at your appointment when you can collect it. You can also have someone else collect your passport for you.
If you collect your passport yourself, bring the following with you:
- a valid form of ID
- the proof of payment provided by TLScontact
If someone else collects your passport for you, they must bring the following with them:
- a valid form of ID
- a signed letter from you authorising them to collect your passport
- the proof of payment provided by TLScontact
Check whether the information on your visa is correct. Your name and the visa’s validity period, for example.
Find out more about the information on your visa
If any of the information is incorrect or you can’t use the visa, for example because the period of validity is later than the dates of the plane tickets in your application, contact the Dutch embassy in Beijing as soon as possible.
If there’s a mistake on your visa, the airline may not let you board your flight or you may be refused entry into the Schengen area.
If your application wasn’t approved, you’ll receive a letter stating why. If you disagree with this decision, you have several options.
Find out what you can do if your visa application was refused
Step 6: Prepare for your trip
With your Schengen visa you can travel to the Netherlands or another Schengen country. The visa allows you to stay in the Schengen area for a maximum of 90 days in any 180-day period. Your visa will be valid for a specific period, which may also be shorter than 90 days.
You must show the visa upon departure and arrival. Border control may also ask you for other documents. Find out what other documents you need in the checklist for travelling to the Netherlands.
Contact
Do you have a question about making an appointment at TLScontact or about the status of your application?
Do you have a question about something else?