zakelijk visum

Business Visa

A business visa is meant for foreign nationals who are not planning to take up residence, or who are not going to perform regular work, but only plan to stay in the Netherlands for a short period to do business. However, if a foreign national has the objective of residing in the Netherlands for more then three months, he needs to have a temporary residence permit and/or a residence permit (after entering the Netherlands). Similarly, a work permit is required, regardless of the length of time, if the work being done is usual day-to-day business. A business visa can be used for activities concerning the initial set-up of a company.

Business visa, work and residence permit

If a foreigner has a business visa, he does not need a work permit or residence permit as long as he is conducting business in the Netherlands (business meetings, conducting a market survey, hiring office space etc.) for no longer than three months in the Netherlands. A work permit is required when a foreign person is performing regular work, regardless of the length of period. This includes the three-month period of a business visa, also known as the 'free period' ('vrije termijn' in Dutch). If the foreign person is going to stay for longer than three months, regardless of the kind of activities, the normal rules apply and a work permit is required.

Time frames and Schengen area

A Schengen-country visa would do away with the need to apply for a separate Dutch visa. The Schengen area consists of the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Portugal, Spain, Austria, Luxembourg, Italy, Greece, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Iceland and Sweden. A Dutch visa is, however, possible if the foreign individual just wants to enter the Netherlands.

Foreign nationals who hold a Schengen visa can travel in the Schengen area for a period varying from one day up to a maximum of 90 days (three months) within a 12-month period. However, a foreign national can never stay more than 90 days within six months. If the foreigner has stayed in the Netherlands/Schengen area for a total of 90 days within six months (broken or unbroken), he must leave the Schengen area.

Both single-entrance visas and multiple-entrance visas are obtainable. A single-entrance visa is valid from one day up to 90 days, and the foreign national can only enter the Schengen area once. A multiple-entrance visa is valid for a maximum of 12 months and allows its bearer to travel in and out of the Schengen area without having to apply for a visa each time. Within these 12 months, one is allowed to be in the Schengen area up to a maximum of 90 days within the first 6 months (broken or unbroken) and up to a maximum total of 90 days in the second 6 months (broken or unbroken). Inbetween these first and second six-month periods, one has to leave the Schengen area for three months. If the visa has expired and the foreigner remains in the Schengen area he may well encounter problems when he tries to apply for a new visa.

Nationals that do not need a visa

However, there are many countries from whose citizens the Netherlands does not require a visa for a short business stay and allows such citizens to enter the Netherlands on their (valid) passport alone. Foreign nationals from the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland do not need a business visa or to report themselves to the Aliens Police if they plan to do business in the Netherlands for less then three months. The EEA includes all EU members, Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland. Citizens from Canada, Japan, Israel, Hong Kong SAR, Singapore, Switzerland and the United States are also exempted. For any other nationality, check http://www.ind.nl for the complete list of countries in the Appendix of the folder 'Visa for short stay in the Netherlands' in the Procedures section.

Please be aware that although these foreigners do not need a business visa, the period for which they are allowed to stay in the Schengen area is the same as for foreigners that do need a visa. The maximum period of stay is 90 days within six months. If this period has expired, one can get in trouble with customs when trying to enter the Schengen area again.

Note: Though all due care was taken in compiling these texts, certain information may nevertheless be inaccurate or outdated. REWIN is not liable for the consequences of any activities undertaken on the basis of these texts.