I have remigrated. How can I travel to the Netherlands?

If you returned to your country of birth on the basis of the Remigration Act, you can still travel to the Netherlands for a short visit. Find out what you need to arrange.

Do you want to remigrate to the Netherlands? If you previously held Dutch nationality or if you lived in the Netherlands with a residence permit, you may be able to return. You can read more about remigrating to the Netherlands on the website of the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND).

Step 1. Check whether you need a visa

You may need a Schengen visa to visit the Netherlands. A Schengen visa allows you to stay in the Netherlands and/or other countries in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Whether you need a visa usually depends on your nationality.

Check whether you need a visa for the Netherlands

If you need a visa, continue to step 2.
If you do not need a visa, see what other documents you need to travel to the Netherlands. Check what you need to travel to the Netherlands.

Step 2. Check whether you can apply for a visa for returning migrants

You may be able to apply for a visa for returning migrants. This is a Schengen visa that allows you to stay for a maximum of 90 days in any 180-day period in the Netherlands and other countries in the Schengen area. To get a visa for returning migrants, you must meet 2 conditions:

You returned to your country of birth on the basis of the Remigration Act. If you are unsure whether you returned to your country of birth on the basis of the Remigration Act, contact the Social Insurance Bank (SVB) in the Netherlands. If you live in Morocco, South Africa, Spain, Suriname or Turkey, contact the SVB office at the Dutch embassy.
You can prove that you returned to your country of birth on the basis of the Remigration Act. To do this, you will need a decision from the SVB.

If you are the spouse, partner, child, step-child or foster child (under 18) of a returning migrant, you can also apply for a returning migrant visa.

Step 3. Apply for a returning migrant visa

How you apply for a returning migrant visa depends on the country where you submit your application. Follow the instructions below to apply for a returning migrant visa:

Select the country where you will submit your application.
Follow the step-by-step guide to applying for a Schengen visa. Use the checklist for returning migrants.
If you are going to submit your application at a VFS Global application centre, choose ‘Remigrant’ as the visa type when making your appointment.

If ‘Remigrant’ is not shown for the centre where you want to submit your application, or if there is no VFS Global application centre in the country where you want to submit your application, contact the Dutch embassy or consulate-general.

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