Frequently asked questions about entering the Netherlands (EU entry ban)

If you want to know if you can travel to the Netherlands, check on government.nl whether your situation allows you to do so.

You can apply for a short-stay visa if your trip is essential. You can do this at a Dutch embassy or consulate or at an external service provider (ESP). A number of conditions apply:

• You must meet the standard visa rules and conditions that apply to your visa application.
• You must apply for a visa in person. This means you will have to be able to travel to an embassy, consulate or external service provider.
•  You must have booked a return flight. And you must be able to return to your country of residence before your Schengen visa expires. You will have to prove this. If you cannot do this it will be taken into account when assessing your visa application.

You can find the latest information on air travel on the IATA page.

If you need a visa to travel to the Netherlands, you can apply for an entry visa at a Dutch embassy or consulate or at an external service provider (ESP).

If your residence permit has expired but you do not need a visa, you can travel to the Netherlands.

No, you cannot automatically travel to the Netherlands with a valid visa. You can only do this if your trip is essential. Your purpose of travel must fall into an exemption category.

If your purpose of travel does not fall into an exemption category, and the EU entry ban has not been lifted for the country you are travelling from, you may be denied entry to the Netherlands at the border.

If your MVV has already been issued by the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND), you fall into an exemption category and can travel to the Netherlands.

If you need a visa to travel to the Netherlands and have received an MVV approval from the IND, you can make an appointment at a Dutch embassy or consulate. You will get a visa sticker (type D) in your passport. Once you have this sticker you can travel to the Netherlands.

No, you cannot have your purpose of travel checked in advance to see if it falls into an exemption category. So make sure you bring all the necessary documents with you when you travel.

This depends on the country you are travelling to. In principle, if you are already in the EU or the United Kingdom, you can travel on to a Schengen country or another country in the EU. But you will need to meet the entry conditions for that country.

If you are travelling via the Netherlands to another Schengen country where an entry ban applies, you must be able to show proof when transiting through the Netherlands that you can enter that country.

If you stay in the airport’s transit zone and leave again within 48 hours to a destination outside the Netherlands, you can travel via Schiphol. You must be able to prove that you have a connecting flight within 48 hours. You will also need valid travel documents.

If you travel via Schiphol, but you leave the airport and travel on to another Schengen country within 5 days, the Dutch conditions for entry into the Netherlands apply.

The EU entry ban does not apply to the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Curaçao, St Maarten, Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba. Residents of these islands can travel to and within the EU. But you will need a valid passport.

If you have a residence permit but not a valid EU passport, you cannot travel to the Netherlands unless your purpose of travel falls into an exemption category.