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Netherlands visa from India: the complete file

In 2025, 97,650 short-stay visa applications for the Netherlands were lodged in India. Here is where to apply, how much money to show and which documents to prepare, with a cover letter already written as an example.

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What the 2025 figures say

In 2025, 97,650 applications for a short-stay Schengen visa for the Netherlands were lodged in India. 77,057 visas were issued, 55.1% of them for multiple entries. 20,156 applications were refused, 20.7% of decisions, against 14.6% on average across all Schengen consulates worldwide. Since April 2024, an EU rule sets the next step for Indian nationals living in India: once you have obtained and lawfully used two visas within three years, the next one is a multiple-entry visa valid for two years (Commission decision C(2024) 2434). According to the EU Delegation to India, a five-year visa normally follows if your passport has enough validity left.

The refusal form set by the Visa Code lists the possible grounds: purpose of the stay not justified, insufficient means, doubts about your intention to return, missing insurance. Each one matches a document in your file: that is where everything is prepared. Our guide to a refused Schengen visa explains each ground.

79.3% of decisions granted a visa
Dutch visas in India, 2025 · Source: European Commission
Applications97,650
Multiple-entry visas42,453
Other visas issued34,610
Refusals20,156
Average of Schengen consulates85.4% granted

Where and how to apply

Dutch Schengen visa applications in India go through VFS Global, in 12 centres; the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs decides.

Ahmedabad · Bangalore · Chandigarh · Chennai · Cochin · Hyderabad · Jalandhar · Kolkata · Lucknow · Mumbai · Pune · New Delhi

What you pay

Visa, adult€90
Visa, child aged 6–11€45
VFS service charge₹1,890, GST included

Payment: card or cash, in rupees. Processing: 18 to 21 days on average.

  1. 01 Fill in the application form online
  2. 02 Book your appointment on the VFS Global website
  3. 03 Go to your appointment in person
  4. 04 Track your application
The process in full

Applications for a Dutch Schengen visa in India go through VFS Global, the Netherlands’ external service provider, at 12 application centres: Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai, Cochin, Hyderabad, Jalandhar, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Pune and New Delhi. You can apply there if you live in India. VFS Global collects the files; the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs decides on them, through its Consular Service Organisation (CSO).

  1. Fill in the application form online. You then receive a form with a unique code. Print it, sign it and add it to your documents.
  2. Book your appointment on the VFS Global website, one appointment per person. You can apply up to 6 months before your trip, and at least 15 calendar days before you travel.
  3. Go to your appointment in person: in most cases this applies to babies and children too. You hand in your documents and passport, answer questions about your trip and pay the visa fee. A digital photo is taken there. Your fingerprints are taken, except for children under 12 and for people whose fingerprints were taken for a Schengen visa in the past 59 months. The Ministry can copy those earlier fingerprints; if it cannot, you are asked to come back, so you can choose to give them again at the appointment.
  4. Track your application with the reference number VFS Global gives you. An email tells you when it has been processed, without saying whether the visa was granted. You then collect your passport or have it sent to you.

If you are 12 or older and gave your fingerprints for a Schengen visa in the past 59 months, someone else can hand in your application, with a letter of authorisation signed by both of you.

Fees. The visa costs €90 for an adult and €45 for a child aged 6 to 11; it is free under 6 (consular fees in India). You pay by credit card or in cash in Indian rupees; VFS Global also lists debit cards and UPI. VFS Global adds a service charge of ₹1,890 per application, GST included. Processing takes 18 to 21 calendar days on average, and up to 45 days for some applications (NetherlandsWorldwide).

Book your appointment yourself on the VFS Global website. The Dutch government’s advice is simple: “Do not make an appointment through an intermediary.” The embassy never asks anyone to pay an application or visa fee into a bank account.

How much money to show

The Netherlands asks for at least €55 per person per day of your stay, children included (NetherlandsWorldwide). This amount does not include the cost of any flight out of the Netherlands (Vreemdelingencirculaire 2000).

The Dutch checklist for India lets you show these funds with one of two documents: your personal bank statements for the last three months, stamped and signed by the bank, or your income tax returns for the last two years. The EU list for India asks for both, so bring both if you have them. If you cannot show this amount, someone in the Netherlands can sponsor you: they fill in the IND proof of sponsorship form, have their signature legalised at their municipality and send you the form with proof of their income (NetherlandsWorldwide). You then apply for your visa within 6 months of the legalisation.

The rupee amount uses the European Central Bank’s euro reference rate of 10 November 2026 (€1 = ₹105.33); it is a guide.

Work out your amount

Per person, children included€55 / day
days
€550 about ₹58,000 to show on your statements

The documents asked for in India

On top of the common base for every Schengen visa (form, passport, insurance, travel reservation), the European Commission sets a list of documents for applicants in India, first adopted in 2015 and updated in July 2025, which every Schengen consulate applies. The Netherlands also publishes its own checklists for India. Here is what they ask for, depending on your situation.

Most documents are handed in as colour copies; the Dutch tourism checklist for India says for each one whether to bring the original as well. Your travel medical insurance covers at least €30,000 in medical costs, in every Schengen country, for the whole stay. The Schengen consulates in India accept Indian policies only from the insurers on their approved list, effective March 2026, each for the age range shown next to its name. A policy from an insurer in another country also works if claims against it can be recovered in a Schengen state. For a visit to family or friends, follow the Dutch family and friends checklist for India.

And for everyone: the application form, passport, photo and travel insurance.

Your letter, already written in English

With the Safeonward file, your cover letter is written for you, with your dates, your job and your itinerary, then checked against the rest of your documents. Here is Rohan’s, a senior accountant in Pune, for twelve days of sightseeing in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht, with his itinerary and his checklist.

Have my letter written Included in the full file, €29

Rohan Mehta
Kothrud, Pune 411038
Maharashtra, India
Email: [email protected]

Pune, 8 March 2027

Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, New Delhi – Visa Section

Subject: Application for a short-stay Schengen visa (tourism) – Rohan Mehta

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am applying for a single-entry short-stay Schengen visa for tourism, for a 12-day stay in the Netherlands from 15 to 26 April 2027.

1. Purpose of the trip
I will spend five nights in Amsterdam (15 to 20 April), three nights in Rotterdam (20 to 23 April) and three nights in Utrecht (23 to 26 April), travelling between the cities by train. I am travelling alone. The attached travel plan sets out each day. Germany issued me a Schengen visa in 2025, and I returned to India on the planned date, as the stamps in my passport show.

Example created with Safeonward for a fictional traveller

Frequently asked questions

Where do I apply for a Netherlands visa in India?

At VFS Global, the Netherlands’ external service provider in India, in one of its 12 centres: Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai, Cochin, Hyderabad, Jalandhar, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Pune or New Delhi. You fill in the application form online first, then book your appointment with VFS Global.

How much money do I need for a Netherlands Schengen visa?

At least €55 per person per day, children included. For ten days, that is €550, about ₹58,000, shown with your bank statements for the last three months or your income tax returns for the last two years.

What is the Netherlands visa fee in India?

€90 for an adult and €45 for a child aged 6 to 11; it is free under 6. You pay by credit card or in cash in rupees, and VFS Global adds a service charge of ₹1,890, GST included.

How long does a Netherlands visa take from India?

18 to 21 calendar days on average, according to NetherlandsWorldwide, and up to 45 days for some applications. You can apply up to 6 months before your trip, and at least 15 calendar days before.

Which travel insurance is accepted for a Schengen visa from India?

A policy from an Indian insurer on the approved list of the Schengen consulates in India, within the age range shown for that insurer, or a policy from an insurer abroad if claims can be recovered in a Schengen state. It covers at least €30,000 in all Schengen countries for the whole stay.

Do I need bank statements or ITR for a Netherlands visa?

The Dutch checklist for India asks for one of the two: personal bank statements for the last three months, stamped and signed by the bank, or income tax returns for the last two years. The EU list for India asks for both, so bring both if you have them.

What is the Netherlands visa refusal rate in India?

In 2025, 20.7% of decisions on Dutch visa applications lodged in India were refusals, according to the European Commission: 77,057 visas issued for 97,650 applications. The average across all Schengen consulates worldwide is 14.6%.

Primary sources

Other visa pages

Your Netherlands visa starts with a complete file

Your document list in two minutes, free. Then, if you wish, your letters written in English, your flight reservation and a check of the whole file before your VFS Global appointment.

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