The Dutch have been known for quite a lot of things around the world. One of them being its business potential. The Netherlands is ranked among the top of Forbes’ list of easiest countries to do business. With the Netherlands business visa, people from around the world can enter the country for business activities.
For people travelling to Holland for the purpose of taking part in business-related activities, a Netherlands Schengen business visa is required. Nationals of other Schengen countries and visa-exempt nations do not require a permit to enter the country. Being a part of the Schengen C category, the permit is issued as single-entry, double-entry, and multiple-entries and is valid for a maximum duration of up to 90 days in a 180-day period.
The application for the Dutch business permit from India has to be done through the Netherlands Visa Application Centers (VAC). Before starting your application, you must ensure that you are eligible to apply for the business visa. After this, you can proceed to make the application as follows -
Note that if you have submitted your biometrics for any of the Schengen visas in the past 5 years, you do not have to submit them again. In this case, you need not visit the appointment in person and may ask a third party to submit the application instead, provided that they possess an authorization letter signed by you. Ensure that you submit only genuine documents and provide correct information. Providing fake documentation and writing false information may lead to Schengen visa rejection.
If you are visiting the Carribean islands of the Netherlands, you will have to apply for a Carribean visa. The applications for this may be submitted directly at the embassy or consulate of Netherlands, or at a VAC.
To be able to apply for a business permit, you must meet the following eligibility criteria -
Proof of occupation such as employment letter, Copy of business license, etc.
Financial documents such as bank statements of the past 3 months, Passbook copy, ITR, etc.
The time taken to process the business permit depends on several factors such as the number of entries, the validity, the volume of applications at the embassy, as well as your previous travel history. Normally, it takes around 15 working days to process the application. However, in certain cases, it may take 30 working days, and in extreme cases, this can even take up to 60 days. As a result, it is advised that you apply for it well in advance. You must not, however, apply more than 3 months before the travel date.
The total fees for the application process depends on the biometric charges, processing fee, as well as the service charges levied by the VAC. It may also change with respect to foreign exchange rates. Hence, you must check the exact amount before starting your application.
Entry | Stay Duration | Validity | Fees |
---|---|---|---|
Multiple entry Normal | 90 days | 3 months | 8060.0 |
Multiple entry Normal | 90 days | 3 months | 8060.0 |
Once you have submitted your application at the VAC, it will then be forwarded to the embassy or consulate for processing. Depending upon the jurisdiction, the VAC will send the application to the respective mission. Note that even though your application is made at a VAC, they have absolutely no influence on the outcome or the processing. The processing is solely the responsibility of the embassy or consulate.
Once approved, you can collect your visa directly from the VAC, or have them deliver it to you for an additional charge.
You can check the status of your business permit application by visiting https://www.vfsvisaonline.com/Global-Passporttracking/Track and entering your reference number and date of birth. Alternately, you may contact your respective travel agency to know the status.
Once you have this visa, keep in mind the following points -
Schengen C category permits are not extendable. As a result, the business visa cannot be extended in normal conditions. However, for certain extreme cases such as a Force Majeure, or humanitarian reasons, you may be granted a permit. In all other situations, you must exit the country.
Once you have expired your business permit, you cannot stay any longer in the country. As per the Dutch immigration laws, you must leave the country before the date of expiry. Staying back after the period is considered as an offence and can lead to deportation or possible ban from entry into the Schengen zone again.
Being a short term C category, the business permit is issued for up to 30 days. As a result, there is no medical test requirements necessary. However, longer-term permits may have related test requirements. In either way, it is suggested that you must get a health checkup done before travelling to a new country.
It is absolutely not possible to convert a business permit into another category. You are also not allowed to work on a payroll of a Dutch company on this. You are allowed to take part in unpaid voluntary work. If you do require to do paid work, you must apply for a work permit once you return back to your home country.
Since the Netherlands is a part of the Schengen agreement, you are allowed to travel and do business activities in any of the other Schengen countries with the Dutch business permit. However, you can only visit the European countries that are a part of the Schengen. The other countries would require their individual permits. Although, few countries, such as Croatia allow you to enter them with a Schengen permit.