Information on your visa
‘Valid for’ tells you for which countries your visa is valid.
The sample visa is valid for all Schengen countries, which means the holder can enter all countries in the Schengen area.
See what countries are in the Schengen area
Was the visa issued by another Schengen country? Then the information at ‘Valid for’ will be stated in the language of that country.
Country codes
If the information at ‘valid for’ is followed by one or more country codes in brackets, preceded by a minus sign, for example (-SE, ES, LI, MT), then the visa is valid for all Schengen countries except those in the brackets. That means you cannot travel to those countries using that visa. You can find a list of the codes for all countries in the European Union on the website of the European Union.
See the country codes for all countries within the EU
Valid only for the Netherlands
If the only country named at ‘valid for’ is the Netherlands and the ‘Type of visa’ is D, then you have a long-stay visa. This visa allows you to live in the Netherlands, but not in other Schengen countries. You may however travel from the Netherlands to other countries of the Schengen area as long as your visa is valid.
'From' and 'Until' tells you how long your visa is valid for.
- ‘From’: the first day that you can enter the Schengen area
- ‘Until’: the last day by which you must leave the Schengen area
The sample visa is valid from 11 November 2022 until 24 February 2023.
‘Duration of stay’ tells you how many days you may stay in the Netherlands and other Schengen countries, within the period of validity mentioned at 'From' and ‘Until’.
The holder of the sample visa may stay for up to 90 days.
At ‘Type’ you can see what type of visa you have. It can be:
- A: airport transit visa
- C: short-stay Schengen visa
- D: long-stay visa (MVV)
The sample visa is a type C visa.
'Passport no.' shows the passport number to which the visa is affixed.
The passport number of the sample visa is RDNK321654987.
Expired passport
If the passport to which your visa is affixed has expired, bring the following documents with you to the Netherlands:
- your new passport
- your expired passport containing the visa sticker (the visa must be legible and undamaged).
Second passport
If you have a second passport, bring the passport that has your visa in it with you when you travel to the Netherlands. Your visa is valid only for the passport to which it is affixed and not for your other passport.
‘Number of entries’ tells you how often you can use the visa to enter the Netherlands or the other Schengen countries:
- '1': A single-entry visa gives you permission to travel to the Netherlands or to other countries in the Schengen area from a country outside the Schengen area only once.
- 'MULT': A multiple-entry visa gives you permission for more than 1 entry into the Netherlands or into other Schengen countries, travelling from a country outside of the Schengen area. Your total stay in the Schengen area must not exceed 90 days within a 180-day period. This can be 90 consecutive days or 90 days spread out over multiple trips.
- 'X': If you have a type A (airport transit) visa, you are only allowed to make a brief stop or change planes at an airport in the Netherlands. You cannot go through passport control or leave the international transit zone because the visa does not give you permission to enter the Netherlands.
The number of entries on the sample visa is MULT.
See the differences between a single-entry visa and multiple-entry visa
‘Issued in’ tells you the location where the visa was issued.
‘On’ tells you the date on which the visa was issued.
The sample visa was issued in Mumbai on 21 September 2022.
At 'Surname, name' you can find your surname and given name.
The holder of the sample visa is named ‘Speci, Men’.
The visa number is given at the top right of the visa sticker.
The visa number of the sample visa is 000000000.
At 'Remarks' you can see the codes that are used by Schengen countries.
The sample visa has the following remark: 3264687530 BNL2.
If your Schengen visa is type A, C or D, it may also have a QR code. The QR code contains the same information that is on your visa.
Decision on your visa
Based on your travel plans, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands decides when, for how long, and for how many journeys your visa is valid. The ministry’s decision complies with European rules.
Contact
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.