Applying for a Schengen visa for the Netherlands in Iraq
If you will be visiting the Netherlands for a maximum of 90 days, you can apply for a Schengen visa. Whether you can apply in Iraq depends on your purpose of travel.
Business, official visit or study
You can only apply for a Schengen visa in Iraq for one of the following purposes of travel:
- business or conference
- official visit
- MENA scholarship for Nuffic students
Follow the steps below to apply for a Schengen visa at the application centre of VFS Global in Baghdad or Erbil.
Other purpose of travel
If you want to apply for a Schengen visa for another purpose of travel – for a holiday or to see family, for example – you will need to go to Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon or Türkiye.
Find out how to apply for a Schengen visa for the Netherlands in:
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.
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.
You can apply for a Schengen visa at the VFS Global application centre in Baghdad or Erbil for one of the following purposes of travel:
- business
- official visit
- participation in a programme funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- MENA scholarship for Nuffic students
You can only submit an application there if you live in Iraq. 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 Iraq, first check if that’s possible.
Check whether you can apply for a visa outside your country of residence
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.
- A passport (A-, G-, D- or E- series) issued within the last 10 years. This passport must have at least 2 blank pages and be valid for at least another 3 months after the date you intend to leave the Schengen area.
- A completed and signed visa application form. Each person travelling with you on your travel document must submit their own visa application form.
- A passport photo that meets Dutch requirements for passport photos.
- Colour copies of:
- your passport (A-, G-, D- or E- series)
- your ID card plus an official English (or Dutch) translation
- previous Schengen visa (if applicable), including entry and exit stamps
- The original letter and a copy of your medical insurance, stating that:
- the insurance is valid throughout the Schengen area
- the insurance is valid during the entire travel period
- coverage amounts to € 30,000 or more
- coverage includes repatriation for medical reasons, urgent medical care, emergency hospital treatment or death
- Flight reservation (no ticket) covering the period of your stay in the Schengen area.
- Proof establishing the purpose of your trip:
- study: proof of acceptance by the Dutch host institution
- official visits: ministerial order or note verbale, translated in English
- In case you travel to other countries after your trip to the Schengen area: visa, residence permit or passport to enter the next country you will visit after you have left the Schengen area.
- In case you do not reside in your home country: proof of residency.
Step 3: Make an appointment
Once you have all the documents you need for your Schengen visa application, make an appointment at VFS Global. 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 Iraq
- 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.
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 has your fingerprints on record, you should submit your application in person. VFS Global cannot check this for you.
To change or cancel your appointment, contact VFS Global in Iraq.
Step 4: Go to your appointment
Go to your appointment at VFS Global, 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 number to track the status of your application
See the overview of consular fees in Iraq 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 you’ll receive a reference number from VFS Global that you can use to track the status of your application online.
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
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 Baghdad.
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 making an appointment at VFS Global or about the status of your application?
Do you have a question about something else?