Applying for a Schengen visa for the Netherlands in the United States
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 the United States.
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.
If you are the holder of an American passport, you do not need a visa to visit the Netherlands.
If you have a different nationality and are unsure what the visa requirements are, 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 the United States go to the VFS Global application centre in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco or Washington D.C. You can only submit an application there if you live in the United States.
You can also submit an application at the VFS Global application centre in Miami if you live in one of the following places:
- Bahamas
- Bermuda
- Cayman Islands
- Puerto Rico
- Turks and Caicos Islands
- US Virgin Islands
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 the United States, first check if that’s possible.
Check whether you can apply for a visa outside your country of residence
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.
On the VFS Global website you’ll find a checklist with the documents you need based on your purpose of travel.
Find out which documents you need
Diplomatic note
If you are a business traveller and you need a diplomatic note (note verbale), send an email to the Netherlands embassy in Washington D.C.: was-covidb2btravel@minbuza.nl.
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, make an appointment at VFS Global. You can apply for your visa up to 6 months ahead of your trip. Apply no later than 45 days before your trip.
Make an appointment online at VFS Global in the United States
- 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 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 VFS Global has your fingerprints on record, you should submit your application in person. VFS Global cannot check this for you.
To change or cancel your appointment, contact VFS Global in the United States.
Step 4: Go to your appointment
Go to your appointment at VFS Global, 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
Applicants from the Caribbean islands
If you live in the Bahamas, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico, the Turks and Caicos Islands, or the US Virgin Islands, you don't need to leave your passport at the application centre. You can return home with your passport after submitting your application.
After returning home, send your passport back to the VFS Global application centre in Miami as soon as possible. The application center will need your passport to process your visa application.
See the overview of consular fees in the United States 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 VFS Global.
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 VFS Global that you can use to track the status of your application online.
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 VFS Global
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 VFS Global
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 Washington D.C. 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 VFS Global or about the status of your application?
Contact VFS Global in the United States
Do you have a question about something else?