If your airline travel involves you stopping at a Dutch airport before catching a connecting flight to the destination country, then based on your nationality, you will be required to apply for an airport transit visa. An airport transit visa for the Netherlands allows a traveller to change flights at a Dutch airport before travelling to another country that is located outside of the Schengen area. It is also known by the name, “A-Visa”.
For the uninitiated, if you are a holder of an airport transit visa in the Netherlands, then you will not be allowed to leave the international transit zone of the airport and enter the Netherlands or any other Schengen area country. However, if your destination country is located in a Schengen area, then you will not need to apply for a transit visa. Instead, you have to apply for a regular short-stay Schengen visa. The same rule will also apply if your flight passes through an airport located in a Schengen area, apart from the one located in the Netherlands.
There are two kinds of Netherlands airport transit visas that you can apply for. One being the regular Netherlands airport transit and the other being the Netherlands Schengen Visa for seafarers. Lastly, you can also use the official Visa Advisor services of the Netherlands to determine whether you need an airport transit visa.
What are the Eligibility and Requirements?
Since the eligibility and requirements of applying for the Netherlands airport transit visa differ based on the country, it is recommended that you use the official website of Netherlands Worldwide here to learn more about the same.
Usually, the required documents needed to apply for an airport transit visa in the Netherlands include your passport or any other travel document that has been issued in the last 10 years having at least 2 blank pages and is valid for at least 3 months after the date of your transit through the Netherlands. You also need to submit a completed and signed Schengen visa application form. When filling up the application form online, you need to indicate “airport transit” as your primary purpose of the journey. Every person travelling through a Dutch airport should submit his or her form individually. And for children under the age of 18, the forms need to be signed by a guardian or parent.
Additionally, you need to provide a passport-size photograph with a standard size of 35 mm width and 45 mm height. Ensure that you follow the strict photograph requirements mentioned on the official website here so that your visa application does not get rejected. Along with your submitted application, you also have to provide your fingerprints (biometric information). The fingerprint information will be held in the database of the Netherlands visa authorities for 59 months. However, applicants who are under the age of 12 do not need to provide their fingerprints.
Finally, make sure you go through the official airport transit visa checklist for the Netherlands here, to ensure that you are submitting a complete application that is destined for success. The current cost of an airport transit visa in the Netherlands is 80 euros. However, for children aged between 6-11 years, the cost is 40 euros, and for children aged under 6 years, the cost is nil.
What is the Processing Time?
The earliest that you can apply for your airport transit visa is six months before your travel date. For seafarers, the time is nine months. However, you should not apply any later than 15 working days before your travel.
Generally, you can expect 15 calendar days to know whether your application has proved to be successful. This time can also go up to 30 days and even up to 45 days, especially if additional documents are needed.
Steps to Apply For Netherlands Airport Transit Visa Online
To apply for an airport transit visa for the Netherlands online, follow the below-mentioned steps carefully.
- Start your online application via the official website here.
- On the landing page, scroll to the bottom of the page, and select “Log In / Register To Fill Out This Application Form”.
- Proceed to either sign in to your account, or create a new one using your email address.
- 4. After that, start filling out your application form. In the application form, you have to enter information about your travel document and travel dates, which is why it is recommended to keep all your documents handy. Additionally, the form will guide you through the questions that you have to answer and you will only see questions that are relevant to you.
- Once completed, an official form with the entered information will be generated. Proceed to download, print, and sign it before bringing it to your in-person interview.
All visa applications can be submitted at the Netherlands Visa Application Centers (VAC) of VFS Global. To find your nearest VFS Global centre, click on the link here.
Once you have applied for an airport transit visa for the Netherlands, you can easily track the status of your application here. For any additional queries, contact the Netherlands visa authorities support team at +31 247 247 247. Phone lines are available round-the-clock.
