Visa information

Visitors not having Dutch nationality may require a visa, a basic requirement for entry, with a valid passport in order to be able to travel to The Netherlands. The rules applying to your situation depend on your nationality, the duration of your stay, and the purpose of your stay. Here, we present a short overview of the visa application procedure.

To find out whether you need a visa, please visit the website of our Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Nationals who DO NOT need a visa for a stay of up to 90 days. In case you need a visa, click here to find your nearest Dutch embassy. Visa applicants need to submit a valid passport, application form, an invitation letter, a certificate of valid health insurance covering your stay in the Netherlands according to the Dutch requirements and proof of sufficient financial means for your stay.

A visa application takes a large amount of time; it may take several weeks before you actually receive the visa. Therefore it is very important that you start to arrange your visa as soon as possible. We advise you to get in touch with the embassy as soon as you receive the confirmation for participation from us.

Of course, we will try to help you in every way we can. We will provide participants with an official invitation letter for the congress. This will make it easier for you to get a visa. We will send the invitation letter to you by regular mail, fax, or by e-mail. Please, bring the letter and other necessary documents to the embassy when you have your appointment.

Persons, who need an invitation letter, can get the letter by e-mailing a curriculum vitae (C.V.) to . The C.V. should include a name, affiliation, current position, phone number, and fax number.

A short stay visa is a travel visa, valid for a maximum of three months (up to 90 days). It can be valid for entering The Netherlands once or several times, depending on which you apply for. With a short stay visa, you can also travel freely through all the countries that have signed the Schengen agreement. (This is why it is sometimes called ‘the Schengen visa’)

An Authorisation for Temporary Residence (in Dutch: Machtiging Voorlopig Verblijf – MVV) is an entry visa, valid for a stay of more than three months (more than 90 days). After you pick up your MVV, you have six months to make your trip to The Netherlands. An MVV can be used to enter The Netherlands only once; it is a “single entry” visa. After you arrive in the Netherlands, you will have to apply for a residence permit. This is the follow-up procedure for the MVV. An MVV is valid only for a stay in The Netherlands, not for a stay in the other Schengen countries. (One transit through the Schengen area is allowed, though)

A combined visa has features of both. It is basically an MVV, but it offers the travelling possibilities of the short stay visa as well. This means you can travel freely through any of the Schengen countries during the first three months and you can enter The Netherlands more than once.

In contrast to the MVV and the short stay visa, the combined visa is not something that you apply for beforehand. You apply first for an MVV and then, when you go the embassy to pick it up, you can ask for a combined visa (formally this is called “D+C visa”). Depending on your nationality, applying for a combined visa could add another two weeks waiting time for you to obtain your visa.

Visa (max. 90 days, with 1 entry) € 60,-
Visa (max. 90 days, with 2 or more entries) € 60,-

Authorisation for Temporary Stay (MVV) see www.ind.nl

For more information, please visit the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( www.minbuza.nl/en), the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - embassies abroad ( www.mfa.nl/en), or the website of the Dutch Immigration and Naturalization service ( www.ind.nl/en). In case of problems, you can contact the congress organization via email: .