Applying for a long-stay visa (MVV) for residents of Sweden

If you want to stay in the Netherlands for longer than 90 days, you may need a residence permit. In many cases you will also have to apply for a long-stay visa before you travel to the Netherlands. This visa is also called an authorisation for temporary stay (MVV).

In Sweden, you can apply for this visa at the Netherlands embassy in Stockholm.

Do I need an MVV and/or a residence permit?

You should check whether you need an MVV and/or a residence permit. This depends on things like your nationality and the purpose of your stay.

Applying for a residence permit and an MVV

You can apply for a residence permit and an MVV in 2 ways:

through a host in the Netherlands (such as an employer, family member or educational institution)
in person at a Netherlands embassy or consulate-general

If you have a host in the Netherlands, in most cases your host will have to submit the application to the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND).

First check whether you need to take the civic integration examination.

What is your situation?

Applying through a host in the Netherlands

Depending on the purpose of your stay, your host may have to submit the application in the Netherlands. This applies if the purpose of your stay is:

study
work
a work placement
co-habiting with or marrying someone who lives in the Netherlands
family reunification

In these cases your host will be an educational institution, your employer, a family member or your spouse or partner.

Your host can submit the application directly to the IND. How they need to do this depends on why you need a residence permit and/or an MVV, for example for work or study. The IND website has a list of the documents your host will need to provide. It also explains how your host can apply for your residence permit. If you have any questions about this, you can contact the IND.

The IND will send your host a letter confirming that the application has been approved. The letter also explains how you can apply for an MVV and what documents you need.

You must apply for your MVV at the embassy or consulate-general within 3 months of receiving this letter. You have 6 months to apply if you meet both of the following conditions:

You are applying for an MVV for family reunification as a refugee (nareis asiel), and:
You are applying for an MVV in a country that is not your country of residence.

Take the following documents to your appointment:

The MVV issue form.
Your passport and a photocopy of the personal details page. Your passport must be valid for at least another 6 months and have at least 2 blank pages.
If you live in a country of which you are not a national: your residence permit (or equivalent) and a photocopy of the permit.
A photo that meets Dutch requirements.
A copy of the letter stating that your application has been approved and what your alien registration number (V number) is.
All other documents listed in the letter from the IND and a photocopy of each of these documents.

Your MVV will be ready for you to collect from the embassy or consulate-general within 10 working days.

Verify that the information on your visa is correct. This includes your name and the visa’s validity period.

If any of the information is incorrect, contact the embassy or consulate-general where you applied for your MVV.

You must travel to the Netherlands with the MVV in your passport. The IND will let your host know when your residence permit is ready. You can then make an appointment at the IND office to collect your permit.

Applying yourself at an embassy or consulate-general

For the following purposes of stay you should submit your application for an MVV and residence permit yourself:

You will find the application form and all information about the required documents and the application procedure on the IND website.

The IND will process your application within 90 days. If the IND’s decision is positive, you must hand over your passport at the embassy or consulate-general where you submitted the application. Your MVV will be placed in your passport within 10 working days.

Verify that the information on your visa is correct. This includes your name and the visa’s validity period.

If any of the information is incorrect, contact the embassy or consulate-general where you applied for your MVV.

You must travel to the Netherlands with the MVV in your passport. The IND will let you know when your residence permit is ready. You can then make an appointment at the IND office to collect your permit.

Long-stay visa for residents of this country or region

Apply for an MVV in Sweden

Applications for authorisations for temporary stay can be submitted at the Netherlands embassy in Stockholm.

Make an appointment via the online appointment system.

Check the status of your application.

At the embassy the applicant has to submit the required documents along with his or her passport. The application will be sent to the Netherlands where the decision on the MVV application will be made. The passport can be given back to the applicant or can stay at the embassy until the decision on the MVV application has been made. The Embassy will print the visa sticker when a positive decision on the MVV application has been received.

The embassy informs the applicant once the visa sticker has been printed, the applicant is then welcome to visit the embassy with his or her passport to collect the visa sticker. The passport can also be sent to the applicant with registered mail. This procedure will take approximately 2 weeks.

To be able to obtain an MVV from the Netherlands embassy in Stockholm, the applicant has to have a valid Swedish, Norwegian or Icelandic residence permit.

For applicants living in Norway

If you are travelling back and forth to Stockholm, you will most likely need your passport to travel back. In that case you may bring your passport with you for the flight back to Norway. As soon as you are back in Norway, you have to send your passport with registered mail to the Netherlands embassy in Stockholm.

When the MVV is issued, the passport will be sent back to the applicant with registered mail. It is even possible to collect the visa sticker at the embassy, the applicant is then welcome to visit the embassy again with his or her passport once the visa sticker has been printed.