Netherlands Visit to Family & Friends Visa (Schengen Type C)
Apply for a Netherlands Visit to Family & Friends Visa from India. Covers visits to Dutch resident family, friends, and partners. Sponsorship form requirements, complete checklist, fees, and processing time.
- Processing time
- Up to 45 days
- after you submit
No visa is ever guaranteed — the final decision always rests with the The Netherlands visa authority. We make sure your file is presented at its strongest.
Processing
Average 15 calendar days
Stay Duration
Up to 90 days in any 180-day period
Starting Fee
₹9,790
Apply At
12 VFS centres
Your whole Netherlands Visit Visa (Family & Friends),
handled for one honest price.
A strong Netherlands file clearly explains your travel purpose, funds, and ties to India. We structure and submit everything properly — so your case is presented clearly and professionally.
All-in · 18% GST included · no hidden charges
File-ready in 3–5 working days after documents
5★ · 100+ reviews · reply in 5 min
Everything below — included, nothing extra
- Document checklist
- Application form guidance
- Document review
- Cover letter
- Purpose of travel structure
- Financial proof review
- Sponsor document guidance
- Submission & appointment support
- Post-submission guidance
Not sure you qualify? Start with a refundable ₹499 possibility report — an honest Yes / Maybe / No, credited to this fee. Read the full guide
Price is for our consultancy service only and includes 18% GST. No agency can guarantee a visa — the final decision rests with the visa authority.
Your fee, in one glance
What the ₹14,999 fee covers for a The Netherlands file
- We work out what your case actually is, before touching a form
- We build the checklist around your profile, not a template
- We read your documents against each other, not against a list
- Financial proof review
- Purpose of travel structuring
- Cover letter / explanation support
- Return ties review
- Sponsor / invitation guidance
- Application form guidance
- Submission & appointment support
- Biometrics guidance
- Post-submission support
Government, VFS, insurance, ticket and hotel costs are separate and charged at cost. Read what each item means, in full.
Good to know before you apply
Rules that apply to every The Netherlands visa type — worth a quick read so nothing trips up your file.
- 1Your travel document (passport) must NOT be more than 10 years old, have at least 2 blank visa pages, be valid for at least 3 months after your intended departure from the Schengen area, and carry your signature.
- 2Not all travel documents are recognised by the Netherlands — non-recognised documents will result in an INADMISSIBLE application. Check the European Union website if you are uncertain.
- 3Diplomatic and Official passport holders can use the walk-in facility at all Netherlands VFS centres between 09:00 and 10:00 on working days — no prior appointment needed.
- 4In most cases you must submit your application in person. This applies to babies and children too.
- 5Pilots and flight attendants do NOT need to hand over their passport during processing — all other applicants must submit it for the duration of processing.
- 6At the appointment you will sign a declaration acknowledging (a) you understand that all documents must be submitted for the application to be processed, and (b) an incomplete application may be rejected with no refund of visa fees.
- 7If you overstay a Schengen visa, you risk a two-year visa sanction across all Schengen countries.
- 8If you notice a mistake on your visa when collecting it at VFS, notify the agent immediately. If you notice it later or received the visa by courier, contact the Dutch embassy without delay.
Who Can Apply
- Parents visiting children settled in the Netherlands
- Siblings and extended family visiting for gatherings or events
- Visits to partners (marital or non-marital — including boyfriend/girlfriend)
- Guests attending weddings, family functions, or private events
- Visits to friends with a registered Dutch address
Not eligible under this visa:
- Business or commercial visits — apply under Business & Official Visit
- Long-term family reunification (spouse/partner/children joining you permanently) — requires MVV family reunification
- Paid work — requires MVV + work permit
- Stays longer than 90 days
What it costs
Government & VFS fees
Paid directly to The Netherlands / VFS — these are not our service fee, and we never mark them up.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Schengen visa — adult (normal fee) | ₹9,790 |
| Schengen visa — child 6 to 11 years | ₹4,890 |
| Schengen visa — child under 6 years | FREE |
| VFS service charge (per application, with biometrics) | ₹1,855 |
Fees effective 1 April 2026 as published by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Payment accepted in cash, debit/credit card, or UPI at VFS. All fees (visa + service charge) are non-refundable, regardless of visa outcome. Schengen "low fee" of €35 applies only to citizens of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus under visa facilitation agreements — not applicable to Indian nationals.
Flights · Hotels · Insurance · Itinerary
What The Netherlands actually requires — and what it does not.
The Netherlands applies the Schengen rules, so travel insurance is not a nice-to-have — it is a legal condition of the visa.
2 of 4 are compulsory for The Netherlands
Flight reservation
The The Netherlands consulate wants a return itinerary with a real PNR covering your exact dates. It does not want a paid ticket, and buying one before a decision puts your money at risk for nothing.
Where people slip: Flying into one city and out of another with nothing showing how you travel between them. Officers read the whole route, and an unexplained gap reads as a plan that does not hold together.
How to hold a flight without payingHotel booking
Accommodation for EVERY night of the stay. Not most nights — every one. A gap is a documented refusal ground under the Schengen code.
Where people slip: Free-cancellation bookings are accepted, but if the entire file is free-cancellation the officer sees a trip nobody has committed to. Some of it should be real spend.
Refundable hotel booking, explainedTravel insurance
Minimum EUR 30,000 medical cover, valid in every Schengen state, including repatriation and emergency medical evacuation, for the full period of stay. Regulation (EC) 810/2009 — this is law, not preference.
Where people slip: Buying cover for the adults and forgetting the children. Every traveller needs their own EUR 30,000, infants included — a real refusal we have seen on a family of four.
What the cover must actually sayTravel itinerary
A day-by-day plan matching your flights, your hotels and the country you applied to. The Netherlands must be your main destination or your first point of entry, or you are at the wrong consulate.
Where people slip: Spending more nights in another Schengen country than in The Netherlands. That gets a file rejected before it is even assessed.
The letter your itinerary attaches toWe arrange all four for your The Netherlands file.
We are a B2B travel agency as well as a visa consultancy, working with partners including Riya Travel — so the flight, the hotel and the policy all come from us, issued the same day, and you deal with one team instead of four. Every booking is a real one under your own name.
What to gather
Documents required
Having a document isn't the same as presenting it right — that's the part we handle.
Personal documents (standard Schengen)
4 items- Completed and signed Schengen visa application form (with unique code)Required
Filled ONLINE only. Handwritten forms rejected.
- Valid passport + colour copy of bio-data, last page, previous Schengen stampsRequired
<10 years old, 2 blank pages, valid 3+ months after Schengen departure.
- Biometric photograph (3.5cm × 4.5cm, white/light background, ≤6 months old)Required
- Proof of legal residence in India (original + colour copy)Required
Proof of sponsorship / private accommodation (core requirement)
4 items- Original Proof of Sponsorship and/or Private Accommodation form from your Dutch hostRequired
Host fills the form, signs it, and has it LEGALISED at the Dutch municipality (gemeente) where they are registered. Original must be couriered to you — no scans accepted. Arrange 4–6 weeks in advance.
- Colour copy of host's Dutch ID card, passport, or Dutch residence permitRequired
If host is not a Dutch national, they must hold a valid Dutch residence permit.
- Separate sponsorship form from the host if subsistence sponsor differs from accommodation host
If one person pays and another person hosts, BOTH submit separate forms.
- Relationship proof (if visiting partner or extended family)
Marriage certificate, photos, chat/call logs, or declaration of relationship — strengthens case for unmarried partners.
Ties to India + financial documents
4 items- If employed: employer NOC + last 3 months' payslips + employment contractRequired
Even if host is sponsoring, your own ties to India are assessed.
- If self-employed: company registration + GST + business bank statements + ITRRequired
- Personal bank statements last 3 months (stamped + signed by bank)Required
- Indian ITRs for the last 2 years
Strengthens financial profile.
Travel documents
3 items- Cover letter explaining relationship to host and reason for visitRequired
- Return flight reservation (not paid ticket)Required
- Travel medical insurance — minimum €30,000 across Schengen, full tripRequired
Diplomatic passport holders exempt.
Documents relating to minors (if applicable)
4 items- Recent extract of birth certificate (original + copy)Required
- Notarised consent from non-travelling parent(s)/guardian(s)Required
Both parents' consent if child travels alone.
- ID proof of parent(s) with photo and signatureRequired
- Court ruling / death certificate / guardianship proof (if applicable)
Required · optional / if applicable
The journey.
8 steps from intake to approval. Curved spine on the right shows the natural pace — never as linear as government sites pretend.
- 01
Ask your Dutch host to prepare the sponsorship form
Host downloads the Proof of Sponsorship / Private Accommodation form, fills it, signs it, and legalises it at their gemeente (Dutch municipality). The gemeente will assess whether the host meets the minimum income threshold. Allow 4–6 weeks.
- 02
Collect the original legalised form
Host must courier the ORIGINAL to you — scanned copies are not accepted. Also obtain a colour copy of the host's Dutch ID/passport/residence permit.
- 03
Complete the online Schengen application form
Fill online, print, sign.
- 04
Gather ties-to-India documents
Employer NOC, payslips, bank statements (stamped), ITRs. These are assessed even when a sponsor is involved.
- 05
Buy travel medical insurance (€30,000+)
Valid across all Schengen for the whole trip, including arrival and departure days.
- 06
Book flight reservations and draft cover letter
Flight reservation in your name; cover letter explaining the relationship to the host and the reason for the visit.
- 07
Book VFS appointment and submit
Submit in person with all documents. Biometrics taken (if not given in last 59 months). Pay €90 + ₹1,855 VFS service charge.
- 08
Track + collect
15 days average, 45 days maximum. Track via the VFS website using your track & trace code.
What works
12 levers that flip a borderline case.
- Complete the Schengen visa application form ONLINE only — forms without a unique code can cause processing issues. Handwritten forms are rejected.
- Travel medical insurance covering minimum €30,000 is MANDATORY and must be valid across all Schengen states for the entire duration of your trip, including arrival and departure dates.
- Personal bank statements must be from the last 3 months, stamped and signed by your bank. Plain print-outs without a bank stamp are not accepted.
- Photo must be colour, no more than 6 months old, 3.5cm × 4.5cm, with a white or light-coloured background. If applying through VFS, a digital photo may be taken at your appointment instead.
What kills cases
Top 3 refusal triggers we see.
- 1Sponsorship form missing municipality legalisation
- 2Sponsor's income below the Dutch minimum threshold
- 3Relationship to host not clearly established or evidenced
Download official forms
Each link opens the official The Netherlands page on VFS Global (we never host third-party forms): pick your visa category there and use its "Download Form" section for the current version.
Online Schengen Visa Application Form
Must be completed ONLINE only — the form generates a unique code that the embassy uses to process your file. Print the completed form and sign it. Handwritten forms are NOT accepted.
Proof of Sponsorship and/or Private Accommodation (IND form)
Only if you are being hosted by a Dutch resident. Host completes the form, signs it, and has it legalised at the Dutch municipality (gemeente) where they are registered, then sends the original to you.
VFS application centres
Quiz not yet available for this visa type
We're actively building per-visa quizzes. For now, the best way to assess your eligibility for Netherlands Visit to Family & Friends Visa (Schengen Type C) is a 1-on-1 consultation with our team.
Frequently asked
Questions, answered straight
Any Dutch national, or a foreign national with a valid Dutch residence permit, who is registered with a Dutch municipality. Tourists or others on short-stay visas cannot sponsor you.
It is the official form your Dutch host completes, signs, and has legalised at the gemeente (Dutch municipality) where they are registered, before sending the ORIGINAL to you. It confirms that the host is inviting you and, if applicable, covering costs of stay, medical care, and repatriation.
Yes. The Visit to Family & Friends category covers partners regardless of marital status. A relationship declaration plus communication history (photos, chat logs, joint travel) strengthens the application.
No — the legalised sponsorship/accommodation form replaces the hotel reservation. However, if you'll travel to other Schengen countries too, you need hotel bookings for those.
Students can sponsor if they hold a valid Dutch residence permit and can demonstrate sufficient income (part-time job, scholarship, parental support). Student sponsorships are more carefully scrutinised — pair with strong financial backup from your own side.
Yes. The category covers friends and partners, not just family. The personal relationship and communication history should be clearly evidenced in the invitation.
Ideally 4–6 weeks in advance, as municipal legalisation takes time. The form must be sent to you in original (not scanned).
Yes. We coordinate with your Dutch host on the sponsorship form, assemble ties-to-India documents, draft the cover letter, and handle VFS submission. Book a free assessment to get started.
Reviewed by Sherbir Singh Grewal, SureshotVisa — a government-licensed consultancy (Licence 849/DC/PTA/PLA/LC-3/2024). Verify us.
How we get it done
Your The Netherlands Netherlands Visit to Family & Friends Visa, from your first message to your passport back.
7 questions about this visa specifically. The first two are open — tap any other to read it.
Refused? Our full service fee comes back.Government and visa-centre fees are the one part nobody can refund.
+My relative in The Netherlands is inviting and sponsoring me. What do they need to send?
An invitation naming you and the relationship, proof of their own status in The Netherlands (residence permit, passport or citizenship), proof of address, and — if they are paying — their income evidence and a formal undertaking. Several countries have a specific sponsorship form; using a plain letter where a prescribed form exists gets the file bounced. Send us their documents together with yours: the two sides have to agree with each other, and mismatched addresses or dates between sponsor and applicant are one of the quietest refusal causes.
+Does having close family settled abroad make my visa harder?
It is the question officers probe hardest on a family visit, because a visitor visa turns on whether you will come back. It is not a bar — thousands of these are approved every month — but it has to be answered rather than ignored. The answer is your own life here: your job or business, your dependants, your property, your bookings. A file that names the relative and then says nothing about your ties invites the officer to assume the obvious.
+How long can I actually stay on a The Netherlands Schengen visa?
Up to 90 days in any 180-day period (Schengen area-wide). The window rolls: on any given day the authorities count backwards 180 days and add up the days you were inside. It is not 90 days per country and it does not reset when you leave and come back. Entries are single or multiple entry, as granted by the dutch ministry of foreign affairs. Getting this arithmetic wrong is how people end up overstaying without realising, which follows you into every future application.
+Should I apply to The Netherlands or to another Schengen country?
You apply to the country you will spend the most nights in. If the nights are equal across several, you apply to the one you enter first. Applying to the "easier" consulate when your itinerary says otherwise is a well-known refusal ground and, if the mismatch looks deliberate, it reads as misrepresentation rather than a mistake. Send us your itinerary and we will tell you which mission is the correct one for your trip — sometimes that is not The Netherlands.
+How long does a The Netherlands Netherlands Visit to Family & Friends Visa take, start to finish?
Three things sit between today and your trip: preparing the file properly, waiting for an appointment, and the mission's own processing. The Netherlands currently states Average 15 calendar days from submission; maximum 45 calendar days. Apply up to 6 months before travel. Processing cannot be expedited by contacting NetherlandsWorldwide or the embassy. for the decision itself. We control the first, which is usually days. The middle depends on slot releases. The third is entirely the mission's and no consultant can shorten it — anyone telling you otherwise is selling something they cannot deliver. Tell us your travel date and we will tell you honestly whether it is realistic.
+How much of what I pay for the The Netherlands visa is actually your fee?
Most of it is not ours. The The Netherlands government fee (currently ₹9,790) goes to the mission and the visa-centre fee goes to VFS — both charged to you at cost, never marked up, and shown as separate lines on one GST invoice in the registered company name. Our service fee is the only part we set, and it is published rather than quoted case by case.
+How does SureshotVisa handle my The Netherlands Netherlands Visit to Family & Friends Visa, from first message to passport back?
You send what you have on WhatsApp and a licensed consultant says the same working day whether the case is ready. We build the file around your profile, check every document against the others, write the cover letter to match them, and hold the file complete so the first workable appointment can be taken the moment it appears. You attend biometrics; we track the file to the decision (The Netherlands currently states Average 15 calendar days from submission; maximum 45 calendar days. Apply up to 6 months before travel. Processing cannot be expedited by contacting NetherlandsWorldwide or the embassy.). Government and visa-centre fees (₹9,790 for this visa) are charged at cost; our own fee is published, and if the visa is refused that fee comes back in full.
Before you file
A The Netherlands Netherlands Visit to Family & Friends Visa goes one of two ways.
Filed on a guessed checklist, the government fee is gone on a refusal and the refusal follows every future application. Filed after a licensed consultant has read the papers against each other, the file answers the officer's questions before they are asked. Same The Netherlands rules, different outcome. How we do that is written once, in full, on the method page rather than repeated here.
Other The Netherlands Visa Types
Netherlands Tourist Visa (Schengen Short-Stay, Type C)
Apply for a Netherlands Tourist Visa (Schengen Short-Stay Type C) from India. Official fees, complete document checklist, processing time, and VFS application guide — sourced from the Dutch embassy and VFS Global.
View guideNetherlands Business & Official Visit Visa (Schengen Type C)
Apply for a Netherlands Business or Official Visit Visa from India. Covers meetings, conferences, training, trade fairs, and official visits. Complete fees, documents, and VFS application guide sourced from the Dutch embassy.
View guideNetherlands Airport Transit Visa (Type A)
Information on the Netherlands Airport Transit Visa (ATV) for changing aircraft at a Schengen airport. Indian passport holders typically do NOT require an ATV — check before applying.
View guideNetherlands Entry Visa (Return Visa for Residence Permit Holders)
Apply for a Netherlands Entry Visa (Return Visa) if your Dutch long-term residence permit was lost, stolen, or expired while you were abroad. Complete documents, fees, and process.
View guideNetherlands — Family Member of EU/EEA/Swiss Citizen (Facilitated Schengen Visa)
Facilitated Schengen visa for family members of EU, EEA, or Swiss citizens travelling to or joining them in the Netherlands. Visa fee is WAIVED under EU Directive 2004/38/EC. Includes Chavez-Vilchez route for parents of Dutch minor children.
View guideNetherlands Seafarer Visa — Blue Carpet Programme (Schengen Type C)
Facilitated Schengen visa for Indian seafarers joining a ship in a Dutch port under the Blue Carpet Programme. Priority processing, multi-entry visas, 9-month advance application window. Complete documents and invitation requirements.
View guideNetherlands Cultural, Sports, Religious & Film Crews Visa (Schengen Type C)
Apply for a Netherlands Schengen visa to attend cultural events, sports competitions, religious gatherings, or as a film crew member. Only for travellers not paid by a Dutch entity. Complete documents, fees, and process.
View guideNetherlands Orange Carpet Visa (Facilitated Business — Schengen Type C)
Fast-track business Schengen visa for employees of companies registered with the Netherlands Embassy in India as Orange Carpet eligible. Walk-in submission, priority processing, simplified documentation.
View guideSource & Disclaimer
Data on this page is sourced from the official VFS Global The Netherlands website and Embassy of The Netherlands. Last verified 2026-04-24. Always verify with the official embassy before applying — fees and requirements change without notice.
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