Netherlands visa for Indians (2026): routes, MVV, VFS centres, documents

For a holiday, a business trip or a family visit of up to 90 days, you apply at VFS Global in one of 12 cities: Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai, Cochin, Hyderabad, Jalandhar, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Pune or New Delhi. The same centres serve residents of Afghanistan and Bhutan (Netherlands Worldwide).

• When: up to 6 months before the trip, and at least 15 days before you travel.
• Booking: make the VFS appointment yourself, not through an intermediary, with a separate appointment for each traveller. Everyone appears in person, including children under 18, and gives fingerprints from age 12.
• Fees: €90 for adults, €45 for children aged 6 to 11 and nothing under 6. The fee list for India says you can pay by credit card or in cash in rupees (fees), and VFS Global always charges its service costs on top.
• More detail: the 90/180-day rule and the document checklist are in our Schengen visa guide; booking tips are in our visa appointment guide.

An Indian passport brings four extra steps: the MVV, the TB test, the apostille and, if you join a partner, the civic integration exam abroad.

• You need an MVV. The exemption covers EU/EEA and Swiss nationals and citizens of Australia, Canada, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, Vatican City, the United Kingdom, the United States and South Korea; India is not on the list (IND). Our MVV guide explains the sticker.
• You take a TB test after arrival. The IND appendix of nationalities that are exempt, valid from 30 May 2025, does not include India (appendix). Other exemptions still apply, for example if you already have a valid Dutch residence permit and apply for a different one (IND).
• Apostille from the Ministry of External Affairs. Indian documents need an apostille from that ministry to be used in the Netherlands. English documents need no translation; documents in Hindi must be translated by a sworn translator (Netherlands Worldwide).
• How your degree compares. A pass bachelor’s degree takes 3 years, and Nuffic compares a Bachelor of Arts (Pass) or Bachelor of Science (Pass) to 2 years of WO, the Dutch research-oriented higher education (Nuffic). Check your own diploma before you apply for a Dutch master’s or a job that asks for a bachelor’s degree.
• Joining a partner? You first pass the civic integration exam abroad, at A1 level: speaking, reading and knowledge of Dutch society. It costs €150, paid to DUO, and in India you take it at the embassy in New Delhi; a pass stays valid for 1 year (Netherlands Worldwide).
• Tax. The Netherlands and India have a treaty to avoid double taxation (wetten.nl). A tax adviser can tell you how it applies to income you keep in India.

In your first weeks you register with the municipality, take out health insurance and take the TB test.

• Register within 5 days. You must register in person with your municipality within 5 days of arriving (Netherlands Worldwide). After registering you get a citizen service number (BSN), which you need for the government and to apply for DigiD; see our BSN guide.
• Health insurance within 4 months. Take out Dutch health insurance as quickly as possible and no later than 4 months after arriving, even if you still have medical insurance from India (Government.nl).
• Driving. An Indian licence is valid for the first 185 days after you move (RDW). India is not on the list of countries whose licences can be exchanged (RDW). With the 30% ruling, the RDW asks for that tax decision when you exchange a licence from outside the EU/EFTA, so ask your municipality first (RDW, in Dutch).
• Where Indians live. On 1 January 2024 Amsterdam had the most residents of Indian origin, 11 thousand. Amstelveen has the highest share, 6.5 thousand or 68 per thousand residents, followed by Uithoorn (50), Eindhoven (35) and Almere (31) (CBS).