Thursday 1 September 2011

Processing Visitors visa.

Processing visitor visa is very simple. Even if you go thru a travel agent, except the submission of the visa application form, you will have to do everything else yourself. From my experience, visa applications are approved in all normal cases.
Note: Since Jan 2014, I have transferred this blog to http://indiansinnetherlands.com due to better features. So for latest (and correct) notes, kindly click here: http://indiansinnetherlands.com.

However the duration of the granted visa might vary depending on the circumstance (explained in FAQ).
  1. Ready the required documents as in: http://www.vfs-nl-in.com/tourist.aspx
  2. Printout and fill the visa application form: http://www.vfs-nl-in.com/download.aspx. (For Visitor visa - Form C and Travel History Sheet). 1 application form for each traveler (including children of all ages).
  3. Each applicant should take a new photo in a studio: http://www.vfs-nl-in.com/photograph.aspx
  4. Schedule a visa appointment via http://www.vfs-nl-in.com/
  5. Submit the visa application form and pay the application fee on the appointment date and time
  6. Collect the passport
FAQ and IMO (In My Opinion):
  1. What is a legalized invitation? Ans: It is an invitation form (titled 'Proof of sponsorship/private accommodation') issued at the local town-hall. It is required when someone living in the Netherlands is inviting and sponsoring the visitor.
  2. Where can I get the legalized invitation? Ans: It is available at the town-hall. It costs about €8 per visitor. If you are married, you need to go with your spouse - (an inconvenient rule introduced in 2011) to buy the legalized invitation!
  3. Should I send originals of the legalized invitation and other documents? Ans: It is sufficient to submit printouts/copies of the documents with the visa application form. Originals are not required. Eg: You can scan the legalized invite letter and send it to your visitor. They can take a printout and submit along with their visa application.
  4. Though visa processing is free for children 0 to 5yrs, appointment should be taken and visa application form must be submitted for them as well.
  5. To schedule an appointment in the busy period (May to Aug), you need to plan and start checking the website for appointment at least 1 month in advance. Generally, appointment scheduling for the next months is opened about 10 days before the next month.
  6. Once you take an appointment, unless you cancel it, the site will not let you schedule one more appointment for the same passport number. (Cancelling process will take 1 or 2 working days since you need to write to VFS for doing this).
  7. Anybody can submit the visa application form. It is not required for the applicant to go to submit the application form.
  8. If all documents are good, it takes about 5 to 7 working days to get your passport from the time you submit the application at the VFS center.
  9. The duration of the granted visa varies from 2 years to just the number of days you have requested for in the visa application form. If you have already had a Shengen visitor visa or a US visa, chances are you will get a 2 years valid visa (does not mean you can stay for years. only means you can come and go any number of times as long as you do not stay more than 90 days at a stretch in the 2 years). If you do not get the 2 years visa, chances are that you will get 90 days or just the number of days you have mentioned on your application. I suggest you mention the number of days on your application as 90 days always. It will make your visa validity flexible enough for changing flight ticket.
  10. I suggest to choose "Multiple entry" option. This will help in case you decide to go to UK after planning the Europe trip.
  11. If you have not opted for postal delivery of the passport, anyone can collect it back from the application center. They will need the receipt of submission and also an authorization letter.
  12. The visitor visa is called Schengen visa. It allows the visitor to travel thru most of western Europe. Lookup wiki to get the latest list of Schengen countries.
  13. Once the visitor is in the Netherlands, he/she needs to report to the nearest police station within 48hours.
  14. In any Schengen country, the visitors must carry their passport at all times to prove that they are legal. Police can stop and ask for valid ID and they do it often.
Disclaimer: The is my best effort and no responsibility will be taken for any inaccuracy
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13 comments:

  1. Anonymous16 August 2013 at 07:10

    Hi

    Have residence permit but my employment is still with India since am here for a short period. Will it be possible for me to get legalized invitation from townhall for my wife to come over on a tourist visa.

    I have registered myself in Townhall

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Madhu16 August 2013 at 09:04

      Hi, from what I remember, townhall only checks passport and residence permit for giving the legalized invitation. So I expect it will be possible for you to get a legalized invite from the townhall.
      Since I'm only writing based on my experiences and not a legal expert, best way is to check at the townhall.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous19 August 2013 at 06:15

      Thanks a lot Madhu :)

      Will check

      Delete
    3. Hello World4 September 2013 at 01:55

      HI Madhu.
      Thanks for the post.
      I went to town hall yesterday to get legalized invitation letter. They gave me a form with title Proof of sponsorship / private accommodation. Is this the same that you are refering as invitation letter? Also they informed this form hard copy is mandatory to be subbmitted with visa application

      Delete
    4. Madhu4 September 2013 at 21:14

      Yes....that is the one.
      I filled it and emailed a scanned copy to my parents and asked them to take a print out. They included the print out along with the visa application.

      Delete
    5. Viggy7 September 2013 at 11:17

      Hi Madhu,

      For visitor visa, is there any condition related to accomodation size? Like minimum area per visitor?

      Delete
    6. Madhu8 September 2013 at 04:11

      No. Not for visitors.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous13 September 2013 at 02:49

      Hi Madhu, I have qeustion in regards to the Tourist visa.

      Will furnishing the below documents be sufficient ?

      1) Residence Visa stamped in my passport
      2) Xerox copy of letter from Shell addressed to embassy, requesting to grant me work visa
      3) My Passport copy
      4) 6 months bank statement but with low figures
      5) Form 16 for 3 years
      6) Salary Slips reflecting my net and gross take home in India
      7) Xerox copy revised or new income statement from Shell (The salary that I will be drawing upon my arrival in Netherlands)
      8) Income tax returns for 2011 and 2013 (Yet to file 2012, which I will do before my departure to Netherlands)
      9) Marriage certificate copy
      10) Confirmed return tickets (90 days stay)
      11) Overseas Medical Insurance (HDFC)
      12) Wife's passport copy
      13) Invitation letter/ Sponsor letter from Hague Townhall ( Will apply and receive one after my arrival in Netherlands)
      14) Covering letter from my wife addressed to Consulate stating the purpose of her visit to Holland

      My serious concern here is only point # 4 because my bank balance has been very bad from a long time. I cannot show any decent amount over a prolonged period. If I deposit about 1 lakh immediately (Sep 15th) and hold it for 6 weeks from now till I apply for tourist Visa on Nov 15th, will that figure help me in getting visa ?
      I will also receive my 1st Overseas salary on Oct 28th in my Indian bank account. If I schedule her appointment on Nov 15th in Chennai Embassy and produce my latest 6 months bank statement reflecting 2 major deposits (1.2 lakh on Sep 15th and and 2-3 lakh on Oct 28th), will that suffice ?

      Another worry is the Air tickets and Travel Insurance (Point 10 and 11). If I book the tickets and buy an insurance they could go waste if the Visa is rejected. In that case what am I supposed to do ?

      Please advice

      Delete
    8. Madhu14 September 2013 at 04:36

      Hi Ashwin, I think the amount is sufficient. If you are inviting/sponsoring after your arrival in NL, your bank statement is more important than hers. So my suggestion would be to show the amount from your account from NL/India. You can also include fixed deposit receipts if any. I don't foresee an issue in your case based on my experiences so far. If you are not sure, may be you can check with a travel agent if they can block the flight tickets instead of book it. I think insurance cancellation is possible with nominal cancellation fee.

      Delete
    9. Unknown23 September 2013 at 03:55

      Thanks Madhu.. I have another question. Can I apply and get a legalized invitation letter from the town hall immediately after my arrival ? What is the requisite documents for this process ?

      Ex: I arrive to Netherlands on Oct 7th and visit the town hall on Oct 11th. Will they provide me the legalized invitation letter the very same day ? If yes, what documents have to be furnished for their action.

      Delete
    10. Madhu4 October 2013 at 05:18

      It is enough if you have the passport with the IND sticker and you have registered in the townhall. I expect you will be able to get the legalized invite as your registration. But discuss this with the person handling your registration because BSN number is required for the invite without which it is not valid. BSN will take about 2 weeks to come by mail to your registered address. But if you request at the time of registering, there are chances you may get it on the spot.

      Delete
  2. Anil Bhange21 November 2013 at 06:10

    Dear Madhu,

    This is really nice efforts you have took to help the people on your experience.. i must appreciate it..

    I need your suggestion.. i am planning to invite my parents in next summer to Amsterdam (in early June), what will be the time i should start processing the VISA formalities.

    Also VISA allowed for how much period (expiry) because i know you can stay for max 90 days in one visit but if i apply in May will the 90 days will be starting from VISA issued ??? i believe it must be from entry in Netherland then for how many days we get the VISA is that 6 months /1 year / 2year.. can you help

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Madhu21 November 2013 at 08:25

      Hi Anil, towards end of March appointment booking for April will open up in the VFS site. Try to get an appointment for end of April. If you miss, then you have to watch daily in the vfs site for an appointment possibility in May.
      When applying for the visa, you also need to enclose the air-ticket. So in the visa application form, you have to mention the travel start date according to the ticket. The visa will be issued for the duration mentioned in the visa application form.

      Delete

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