Applying for a Schengen visa for the Netherlands in Ghana
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 Ghana.
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 Austria, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland or Portugal, check with the embassy of that country 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 Ghana go to the VFS Global application centre in Accra. You can submit an application there if you live in one of the following places:
- Ghana
- Liberia
- Niger
- Sierra Leone
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 Ghana, first check if that’s possible.
Check whether you can apply for a visa outside your country of residence
Exception: applying at the embassy
You need to apply for a Schengen visa at the Netherlands embassy in Accra if:
- you have a diplomatic or service passport
- you objected against your denied visa application and your objection was approved
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
Application after approved objection
If your objection against your denied visa application was approved, check which documents you need to bring to your appointment at the embassy.
Check the required documents for an application after approved objection
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.
The embassy will report the use of false and counterfeit documents to the Ghanaian Police (CID) or GIS (Ghana Immigration Service) depending on the forgery; these documents will not be returned to the applicant.
The embassy often receives emails from European citizens who are in contact with someone from this region through the internet. Often these contacts result in scamming whereby the scammer does not reveal his or her true identity and requests to transfer high amounts for various reasons (legalisations, costly visa procedures, medical check-ups and supporting documents not required by Dutch authorities in relation to consular procedures, hospitalisation, inheritance, gold ornaments). Beware of this (romance) scamming.
Other than warning for this type of scamming, the embassy cannot be of assistance in taking legal steps once European citizens have become victims of this type of scamming.
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.
Make an appointment online at VFS Global in Accra
- Making an appointment is free of charge. Do not make an appointment with an intermediary because they will charge you money.
- If you are applying for visas for multiple people, make a separate appointment for each person.
Exception: applying at the embassy
If you are a holder of a diplomatic or service passport you can send an email to the embassy in Accra for an appointment.
The request should be received well in advance due to the 15 days processing time and should be for official visits only. For private visits you need to submit your application at VFS Global.
If you objected against your denied visa application and your objection was approved, you do not need to make an appointment. You can walk in on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday between 8:00 and 10:00 to submit your application.
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 or the embassy has your fingerprints on record, you should submit your application in person. Neither VFS Global nor the embassy can check this for you.
To change or cancel your appointment, contact VFS Global in Ghana.
Diplomatic or service passport?
If you have a diplomatic or service passport and made an appointment at the embassy, you will receive a confirmation by email. The email contains a link that you can use to change or cancel your appointment.
Step 4: Go to your appointment
Go to your appointment, 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 or tracking number to track the status of your application
See the overview of consular fees in Ghana 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 at VFS Global you’ll receive a reference number from VFS Global that you can use to track the status of your application online.
Exception: applications at the embassy
You’ll receive a tracking number that you can use to track the status of your application online if you:
- have a diplomatic or service passport
- objected against your denied visa application and your objection was approved
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
Exception: applications at the embassy
If you submitted your application at the embassy, you do not need to make an appointment to collect your passport. Collection times are Monday to Friday between 8:00 and 10:00.
Find out the address and closing days of the embassy
If someone else collects your passport for you, they must bring the following with them:
- a signed letter from you authorising them to collect your passport
- a copy of your passport
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 Netherlands embassy in Accra.
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. 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 applying at VFS Global?
Do you have a question about applying at the embassy?