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

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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 Türkiye, you can apply for this visa at the Netherlands embassy in Ankara or at the consulate-general in Istanbul.

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:

  1. You are applying for an MVV for family reunification as a refugee (nareis asiel), and:
  2. 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 for family reunification as a refugee or for a different purpose of stay.
  • 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. If you are applying for an MVV for study, you do not need to bring a copy of the letter.
  • Your alien registration number (V number).
  • 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.

Read more about the information on your visa

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:

Attention: 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.

Read more about the information on your visa

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 (MVV) for residents of Türkiye

Make an appointment

You can submit your application at the Netherlands embassy in Ankara or the consulate-general in Istanbul.

Study or knowledge migrant

If you want to apply for an MVV for study or knowledge migrant, make an appointment by sending an email to ank-study@minbuza.nl. Mention your V number, contact details and the start date of your study programme or start date of your employment. The embassy will inform you about the possibilities.

Different purpose of stay

If you want to apply for an MVV for a different purpose of stay, make an appointment by sending an email to ank-ca@minbuza.nl. Put in the subject 'MVV Appointment request'.

Change or cancel appointment

To change or cancel your appointment, please send an email to the email address where you made an appointment.

Family reunification asylum

If you want to apply for an MVV for family reunification asylum, make an appointment by sending an email to ist-nareis@minbuza.nl. Put in the subject 'MVV Appointment request'.

Different purpose of stay

If you want to apply for an MVV for a different purpose of stay, make an appointment by sending an email to ist-study@minbuza.nl. For MVV-Study and MVV-Knowledge Migrants, please mention your V number, contact details and the start date of your study programme or start date of your employment. The consulate-general will inform you about the possibilities.

Change or cancel appointment

To change or cancel your appointment, please send an email to the email address where you made an appointment.

Make an appointment personally

It has come to our attention that some agencies or agents that assist applicants in the MVV application procedure charge applicants additionally for booking an appointment. Sometimes they also offer expensive translation services (interpreters).

You can make an appointment yourself. The embassy in Ankara and the consulate-general in Istanbul do not charge any fees for making an appointment. The services of an interpreter appointed by the embassy or consulate-general are provided free of charge.

When do you need an interpreter?

If you do not speak Dutch, English or Turkish, the embassy will provide an official interpreter. The interpreter is paid for by the embassy.

Temporary travel document

You can apply for a temporary travel document (laissez-passer) if you meet the following 3 conditions:

  • You do not have a passport.
  • You are not able to get a travel document from the country where you are travelling from.
  • The IND confirms this and requests the embassy or consulate-general to issue a temporary travel document.

If you meet these conditions, you also need to bring the following to your appointment:

Processing time MVV applications

The average processing time for MVV applications is 10 working days. At the time of your application you will receive information about when to collect your passport.

Have your MVV delivered by courier

It is possible to have your passport with MVV sent via Ups. If you want to do this, you can indicate it at the time of your application. The additional costs are currently 60.39 TI, to be paid once you have received your documents at the address you filled in.

Within Türkiye you can send your passport to your home address (on the condition that Ups delivers to your home address).

Iraqi and Syrian travel documents

Please be informed that in case you apply for a visa with an Iraqi or Syrian travel document, your application may not always be processed by the Netherlands embassy or consulate-general. The application may be forwarded to the central authorities in the Netherlands for a decision. Please be aware, that in such a case the processing time may be a minimum of 10 working days and a maximum of 2 months.

Recognition of Syrian passports

From 23 October 2023, the Netherlands only recognizes Syrian passports if they contain:

  • the holder’s signature, or:
  • a signature via a stamp from the Syrian public office or from a consular official at a Syrian embassy or consulate outside of Syria.