Tourist Visa to the Netherlands

There's a little pressure about this entry. Pressure in the sense to give justice to how I applied for my first visa to the Netherlands three years ago. But I will give it a try and if any of you readers has questions, feel free to message me.

Yes, I started my introduction with a disclaimer but here it goes. If you ever plan to travel for a holiday or to visit friends or family members in Europe, one needs to secure a travel visa - the Schengen Visa. The first time I applied for a Schengen Visa was in 2009, when I visited my aunt and her family in Sweden. 

It was an invitation visa but I got denied because I didn't say my Swedish uncle's complete name but then I reapplied as an independent tourist and got approved. I was then approved a month long of stay but had the chance to extend my stay to six months but back then Sweden was not that strict with visa extensions, so you can also opt to extend for up to a year but I didn't. Now, here's a brief summary of my experience in applying for a Schengen Visa to The Netherlands. There are only two basic types of visas to the Netherlands. One allows you to stay for only 90 days and the other allows you to be a resident but with a condition to pass an exam. 

Types of Visa

Fast forward to today, my first application for a tourist visa to the Netherlands was in 2016. For Philippine passport holders, visa to the Netherlands could either be Short Stay Visa (tourist, airport transit, business, family members of EU/ Eea and Swiss nationals, visiting family or friends, Filipino Diplomatic and official passport holders, seafarer, return visa) and MVV (long term visa/ temporary residence permit). Most visa applications are tourist visa, this is for travelling in the Netherlands without a sponsor but we will focus on visiting family or friends since my application was with sponsor (my husband).

A short stay visa allows a Philippine passport holder 90 days of travel around Holland. Depending on your stamp, one can either have a multiple entry or single entry. A multiple entry allows one to travel within the Schengen states - in and out of Holland for 90 days while a single entry means, you can only travel to Holland once within the 90 days period. With this type of visa, an applicant can be given just 90 days visa validity or also 2 years or 3 years validity. My first application was just 90 days then the second time I applied, it was 90 days but with a visa validity of two years. Thus, I had the chance to travel to Holland, twice in a year. The short stay visa is applicable to those intending to travel as tourists, business and to visit family and friends.

An MVV or long term visa, is another type of visa which allows a Philippine and other passport holder a longer stay than 90 days and be a resident of the Netherlands, but with a condition of taking and passing the Basisexamen Inburgering in your country of origin before submitting applications and getting a visa. A Basisexamen Inburgering is a three part exam which tests one's knowledge on the Dutch language, reading / listening and Dutch Society. MVV is applicable to those are married to Dutch nationals and to those who wish to live in Holland permanently, for work, for study or to be with their partners (registered partner).

As of writing, VFS Global is the agent handling all tourist related visa application for the Netherlands. Below are links on where you can check about the visa information and requirements.

http://www.vfsglobal.com/netherlands/philippines/visa_types.html

http://www.vfsglobal.com/netherlands/philippines/pdf/Tourist-visa-check-list-1.pdf

http://www.vfsglobal.com/netherlands/philippines/pdf/visiting-family-or-friends-visa-1.pdf

Please note that requirements vary on which visa type you are applying for. Since I applied for a Short Stay Visa to visit family or friends, this entry is more focused on visa application with a sponsor. Sponsors could either be family members (parents, children, spouse, relatives) or friends (boyfriends/ girlfriends). And unlike other Schengen states, Holland does not allow visa extensions not unless it is a matter of health and legal matters.

Short Term Visa (visiting a family or friend) requirements

The first time I applied for a Schengen Visa to the Netherlands was as a tourists with a purpose of visiting a family or friend. Friend, being Martijn my then boyfriend. Applying for an independent tourist visa without sponsor is also very much doable but since I was going to stay for 90 days with Martijn, an invitation from a sponsor was more convenient since I was also unemployed. Here are a lists of what I submitted for my application.

1. Filled out application form. Download form from link.

https://consular.mfaservices.nl/assets/documents/pdf/forms/schengen_visa_application_form_english.pdf

2. A Philippine Passport which is valid for 3-6 months from time of travel to and from a Schengen State.

-Photocopy of your Passport ID page.

-Photocopy of previously issued visas and stamps.

-Photocopy of personal details of previous passport with issued visas (old expired passport with previously issued visas.

What I did here was photocopy all my old passports with travel stamps and visas. But if this is not your first time to apply for a Schengen Visa to Holland, you only need to submit your current passport and the previous one for reference.

3. Evidence of legal residence. For this one, I submitted a photocopy of my Driver's Licensed ID and Postal ID, since both identity cards bear my physical home address.

4. Passport Photo that meets the Dutch standard.

https://www.government.nl/documents/leaflets/2015/01/21/photomatrix-guidelines-2007

Click on the link for reference. During my application, I had a total of 4 different studio passport photos because I was so conscious with how I looked on each and the OC in me always wants it to be close to perfect but let's admit it some of us are not photogenic. The only thing they want is for it to be a decent photo with white background and no teeth showing out.

5. Proof of travel.
-Travel itinerary, which is your travel ticket which is not yet purchased - just reserved. You can reserved tickets from travel agencies and just pay a certain amount. Click on the link below to purchase one online. This is where I purchased mine the time I applied for a visa. The second time I had it reserved from a travel agent.

http://www.dreameurotrip.com/how-to-book-roundtrip-flight-itinerary-flight-reservation-for-visa-application/

-A complete proof of sponsorship. Since, Martijn did the invitation, he had to fill up a sponsorship application form and had it stamped in his local city hall. Download form on link.

https://ind.nl/Formulieren/1310.pdf

-A copy of your sponsor's employment contract which is valid for 12 months from date of visa application.

-Your sponsor's recent payslips in the last 3 months or other proof of income (bank statements and the like). The payment slips you submit should be recent. Say you're submitting requirements this month January, payslips should be from December, November and October.

-Bank Statement (if you are paying for your accommodation and travel). I opted to submit this requirement to also back up my application - because I am OC like that.

-Documents proving that you will return to your home country. With this one, since I am not employed, I submitted a copy of a property that I own such as house, car and other properties you have. If you have a work, you can submit certificate of employment and if you have a child/ren, you can also submit their birth and school documents as proofs.

6. Proof of Relationship. One of the most important requirement when with a sponsor. What I did was submit documents such as photos of me and Martijn traveling. Stamps from his passport when he came to visit me in the Philippines. Photocopies of letters, cards and packages that he sent me amd vice versa. If you're married, you can submit your marriage contract and other paper documents proving your relationship, same goes if you're applying for this visa to visit relatives.

7. Proof of Health Insurance. You can purchase travel insurance from different travel agencies. You can also opt to purchase it online. I usually go for Standard Insurance. The insurance should cover 30,000 euro. Be specific when you get your travel insurance. Usually they know which one you have to get but state that it's for a Schengen Country. It costs around 6200 pesos for a 90 day travel health insurance. Click on link for more info.
https://my.standardinsuranceonline.com/products-travel.html

8. Payment. Visa Payment is 5190 pesos for tourist visa which is payable at the VFS Global upon submission of application.

Once you have gathered all your requirements, you can now schedule your appointment online to submit your application at the VFS Global in Makati. Click on link to schedule an appointment. Upon submission of requirements, you will be ask some questions about why you're applying and who you're staying with. You will then leave your passport and have your biometrics (finger scanning). When you have completed everything, you will be receiving an email from the agent stating that your visa has started its processing. 

http://www.vfsglobal.com/netherlands/philippines/schedule_an_appointment.html 

Processing Time

Processing time is 3-4 weeks but usually it only takes 2 weeks. Your visa will be processed in Malaysia. And passport with visa stamp is delivered to you or you can also pick it up. During requirement submission, they will ask if you will pick up the passport or have it delivered.

And that's about it, it is quite a long read and I don't know if I have covered everything but I am hoping that I was. There are some who prefers to know the process from someone who has already done it. This entry shows the lists of requirements that I submitted and the flow of what  I did for a Tourist Visa with a sponsor application. Every now and then websites for this processes may be updated, so it is important to visit only legit pages for reference. All the best with your visa applications and don't be shy to ask me questions about any thing visa related, I would gladly help.

Sharing a photo of a street from the village where my husband and I live. This was taken a few days after I arrived in Holland, to inspire you readers to explore and don't be scared to take chances.

Dutch Tourist Visa to Taking the Basic Integration Exam

I haven't written in a while but I felt the need to do a few entries before the year ends. I've recently found myself answering questions on expat.com about my visa processing and marriage in Holland. Surprisingly, there are a handful of individuals who wants to move to Holland permanently but were - like me worried about taking the first steps especially taking the Basic Integration Exam. 

As previously included in my entry, in order for an individual to stay longer than 90 days in Holland, one must take the Basic Integration Exam which will test your Dutch Language Skills, Listening/ Reading Skills and Knowledge on Dutch Society. And that's just what I did a few weeks ago. Finally faced my fears and now, just waiting for the results which will be out some time in January.

The Dutch visa is a bit complicated but easy. They only have two types of visa once you decide to apply in the Dutch Embassy in Manila Philippines. The usual is the Tourist Visa which allows one to stay for 90 days and the MVV Visa (long stay/ temporary residence permit visa) which allows one to stay longer than 90 days in Holland. 

My first visa application was three years ago, I opted for the Tourist Visa since it was my first time visiting Martijn and the second option required me to take the Basic Integration Exam. I submitted all my requirements at the Embassy of the Netherlands in Manila Philippines. But as of late, they have already moved the processing via VFS Global. For more information about the visa application and processing, you can check http://www.vfsglobal.com/netherlands/philippines/visa_types.html 

With my first application, I was granted a 90 days visa. When I came back to the Philippines, I reapplied for my next visit and was granted a 2 year visa but was still allowed only 90 days each visit. Since, I got married the last time I went there, we decided to finally go for the MVV and thus taking the exam a few weeks ago.

The exam itself was not as dreadful as I've expected but studying and learning a new language was overwhelming. The first time I had a one on one lesson was last year with my now mother in law. Then I started receiving self study books and dictionaries from my in laws 'til early this year, my husband decided to buy me the Naar Nederland Kit, which helped a lot in letting me understand the Dutch language better.

Learning and understanding a new language is not easy. Having to undergo an exam to prove you can speak is not easy as well but in my personal point of view, this system is a win win for both the country and the person applying for the visa. It is always better when you can understand the language and the system of a country where you want to migrate than having zero knowledge on their lifestyles and culture.

With the exam over and done, I can say the hardest part would be speaking. Although, some of the Dutch words are relatable to English - its the sentence construction that makes it a little tricky. Up to this day, I still find it hard to construct sentences that I don't often use on a daily basis. If everything pushes through with my application, once I live in Holland, I have the option of going to school for a formal language training/ course.

To prepare yourself for the Basic Integration Exam, it is important to be open minded on committing various mistakes in terms of speaking, sentence construction and getting familiar with the Dutch culture along the way. For us, Filipinos it's easier to learn the pronunciation of some words since most of us can speak English. Also today's social media platforms provides a lot of online materials for you to learn basic Dutch. YouTube has a lot of channels that caters to this but I would really suggest for you to get a hold of the Naar Nederland self study kit. It basically is the foundation of where most of the exam content are from. The kit is consists of booklets, cds and online access to their website where you can do an online self study which your partner can check for on your progress. The website also provides practice exams, so you'll have a little idea on how it will be. For more information, you can check https://www.naarnederland.nl/en/category/homeen

The exam itself is not as hard as one would expect if you have studied enough. The Basic Integration Exam is consists of Speaking, Listening/Reading and Knowledge on Dutch Society. Among all three parts, I find the Knowledge on Dutch Society easiest since I am a visual learner. I'm a little bit concern with my Listening/Reading as well as with the Speaking part but whatever the result may be, I am glad to have been able to undergo this step to be with my husband. I would also suggest speaking with your partner once in a while in Dutch. I learned some parts on my own since I'm not comfortable with having a coach but for the practice exam on speaking, my husband did a few one on one lesson with me which helped a lot because he got to correct my sentence construction.

To get an exam schedule, one must register and pay for the Basic Integration Exam on the Naar Nederland website. Payment is only possible if you have a Dutch Bank Account. For this part, your partner can pay on your behalf online. Payment for the exam is 150 euro. Once, you have the payment confirmation, you can then email the Embassy of the Netherlands to schedule an appointment with your payment confirmation attached. Once you get a response, the embassy will provide you details on your confirmed appointment as well as things you need to bring with you. Upon completing the exam, you have to wait for 8 weeks to get the results before applying for the MVV. In the event that you fail on any parts of the exam, you only have to retake the part where you failed and not the entire exam and payment will be by parts.

All in all, don't be scared. I still get a butterflies thinking about it but I have faith, that all will work in my favor. The waiting time is a bit long but at least I get to spend time with my family here. You should have any further questions, you can find me on expat.com under the name smderoos or you can also send me a message here or via my facebook page seasonsofscarletbynikkaantonio. I hope this entry helped a little, if not I hope I've given justice on what I really wanted to say about my experience. All the best, must you plan to take a step in permanently living in Holland.

Sharing a photo of a windmill near our place in Holland. This was taken the day I first arrived there. A little something to remind me of how far I've come in terms of being part of the Dutch culture.