Netherlands visa guideThe Netherlands business visa is a Schengen short-stay visa (type C) for business and official visits: meetings, conferences, training sessions, trade fairs and inspections. It covers up to 90 days in any 180-day period and cannot be used for work paid by a Dutch entity. You apply in person at VFS Global, which has centres in Chandigarh, Jalandhar and New Delhi.
The file rests on an invitation from the Dutch company or organisation and a cover letter from your employer, both giving your details, the length and place of the stay and the reason for it. Decisions take 18 to 21 calendar days on average per NetherlandsWorldwide, 25 per VFS India, and up to 45.
Earliest slot we saw · Manually checked
Manually checked by LifesetRecent — verify before relying on it
Last manually checked: 13 November 2026 at 10:44 AM IST. Availability can change at any time.
- Mumbai
- 16 Nov
- New Delhi
- 16 Nov
Tourist / short-stay appointments only. A manual observation of the portal at the time above, not a real-time feed. Slots move hour to hour and we never hold or sell them. All Netherlands centres & earliest dates
Do Indians need a visa for a business trip to the Netherlands, and which one?
Yes. VFS's Netherlands page puts the test plainly: a business visa is required if, during any portion of your visit, you intend to conduct business or commercial activities such as meetings, conferences or training. It is a Schengen short-stay visa, type C, valid for up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area.
It can only be issued to travellers who are not being paid for work by an entity in the Netherlands. A buyer from Ludhiana meeting suppliers in Rotterdam, an engineer attending a factory acceptance test in Eindhoven, or a doctor presenting at a congress in Amsterdam all fit. Someone placed with a Dutch client and paid locally does not.
Applications are processed by the Consular Services Organisation of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the ministry decides how long the visa is valid and for how many entries. You cannot request multiple entries yourself. If your trip involves entering the Schengen area two or more times, state it on the form and back it with reservations or invitations, because the ministry bases the decision on your plans and your travel history.
Netherlands business visa in brief
- Visa
- Schengen type C, business and official visit
- Stay
- Up to 90 days in any 180-day period
- Not allowedThat needs a work permit
- Paid work for a Dutch entity
- Core papers
- Dutch invitation plus employer cover letter
- Frequent travellersFor registered companies
- Orange Carpet Visa Facility
NetherlandsWorldwide and VFS Global Netherlands India, checked 14 Oct 2026
Where do applicants from Punjab apply?
At VFS Global. The Netherlands has visa application centres in Chandigarh and Jalandhar, which between them cover most of Punjab, and in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and seven other cities. All of them work Monday to Friday, and every file ends up with the same processing unit of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
You go in person. At the counter you hand over the documents on your checklist with your passport, give fingerprints, answer questions about the trip, pay, and choose whether the passport will be collected or couriered. Fingerprints are not taken again if they were captured for a Schengen visa in the past 59 months.
Two practical warnings for busy professionals:
- Fill in your own form. The online form generates a unique code. NetherlandsWorldwide warns against using someone else's form, and VFS says handwritten forms are not accepted. An office assistant can help, but the form must be yours.
- Plan the appointment around travel. You hand in your passport at the appointment and get it back only when the application is complete, so you cannot travel abroad in between. Our Netherlands appointment availability page shows how dates are opening.
Which documents depend on your situation?
The Dutch checklist for business trips from India asks for two letters that must say the same things.
Invitation from the Dutch company or organisation
It must give your personal details, the duration of your stay, where you will be staying, and the reason for the visit, for example meetings, conferences, training sessions or business events. If the Dutch side pays your costs, the invitation must say so.
Cover letter from your employer in India
The same four points: who you are, how long you will stay, where, and why. Put it on letterhead with the signatory's name and position.
Your own cover letter
Separately, the checklist asks for a cover letter giving the reason for the visit, the duration, the names of fellow travellers, and your transport and accommodation.
What else you add depends on who you are:
Employee
- What the Dutch checklist expects
- Employment contract, a recent employer letter approving the leave, payslips for the past 3 months
Company owner or self-employed
- What the Dutch checklist expects
- Company registration certificate with the GST number, business account statements, and an income tax return with a verified barcode
Visiting a trade fair or congress with no invitation
- What the Dutch checklist expects
- Proof of trade relations such as contracts, paid invoices, orders, annual accounts or an extract from the commercial register, plus your admission ticket
Official delegation
- What the Dutch checklist expects
- An official invitation from the intergovernmental organisation and a note verbale or letter from the government body sending you
For money, the checklist accepts personal bank statements for the past 3 months, stamped and signed by the bank, or Indian income tax returns for the last 2 tax years. Give both if you have them; the EU's harmonised list for India asks for both. Hotels must be booked for the entire stay, with proof of accommodation for every Schengen country on the itinerary.
More on drafting company letters is in our guides to business visitor visas from India and conference visas for Indian doctors.
How much is the Netherlands business visa fee for Indians?
A business applicant pays the same Schengen fee as anyone else: €90 for an adult, €45 for a child aged 6 to 11, nothing under 6. VFS adds a service charge of ₹1,890 per application, GST included, as listed on its Netherlands fee tab on 14 October 2026. Payment is in rupees, by cash, card or UPI. VFS states that all fees are non-refundable, so a refusal costs the full amount. Our filing fee is shown at the top of this page.
How long does it take, and when should you apply?
NetherlandsWorldwide currently gives an average of 18 to 21 calendar days for a Schengen visa. VFS's India page, for business visas too, gives an average of 25 calendar days. Both put the maximum at 45 days, which applies when volumes are high, more scrutiny is needed or you are asked for more documents. The count starts when the ministry's Consular Services Organisation has your documents and passport.
You may apply up to 6 months before the trip and no later than 15 days before it. For a fixed event, such as a trade fair opening or a board meeting, count back at least 45 days from departure and add the time it takes to get the Dutch invitation signed. When processing ends you receive an email that does not reveal the decision; the answer is in the returned passport.
Why do Netherlands business visas get refused for Indian applicants?
The refusal comes on the EU's standard form with numbered reasons. These are the weak points in Indian business files.
Letters that do not match (reasons 2 and 10)
The purpose and conditions of the stay were not justified, or not reliable. If the Dutch invitation says three days of meetings in Utrecht and your employer's letter says a week of training in Amsterdam, the officer sees two different trips. Both letters must agree on identity, duration, place and reason.
Who pays is left unsaid (reason 3)
If the Dutch company covers costs, the checklist says the invitation must state it. Without that sentence, the officer looks only at your own statements and ITRs, and judges the trip on those.
A trade fair visit with nothing to show
A fair ticket alone shows interest, not business. Without an invitation, the checklist wants evidence of trade relations: contracts, paid invoices, orders, annual accounts or a commercial register extract.
Applying to the Netherlands for a trip centred elsewhere
NetherlandsWorldwide's own example: a one-day conference in the Netherlands and a two-day conference in France means applying to France. Apply to the wrong country and the application is rejected.
Ties to India left unproven (reason 13)
Business seniority does not answer the return question by itself. Add the employment contract, leave approval and payslips, or the GST registration, business statements and ITR for an owner.
Our Schengen refusal reasons page explains every ground. If you are refused, you can object to the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) within four weeks of the date on the decision, or reapply; for a trip soon, NetherlandsWorldwide says a new application is the better option.
Tips for a stronger file
- Name the counterparts. An invitation that names the people you will meet, the address and the agenda is far easier to verify than "business discussions".
- Show the trade. Even with an invitation, a recent purchase order or invoice between the two companies supports the purpose.
- Insurance in your name. The policy schedule must name you, cover all Schengen countries for the whole stay and carry at least €30,000 of medical cover including repatriation. VFS also points to an approved list of insurers in India; buying from that list satisfies both.
- Flights. A reservation in your name is enough; you do not need a paid ticket.
- Multiple trips. If you expect several visits, put every planned entry on the form with supporting invitations.
- Check the sticker at VFS. Mistakes in your name or dates can stop you boarding. Point them out at the counter immediately.
Can your company use the Orange Carpet facility?
Possibly, if your company sends people to the Netherlands regularly. The Orange Carpet Visa Facility lets registered companies' staff apply with fewer documents and priority processing, and after the first application they need not appear in person again within 59 months.
To register, the company must avoid activities on the Dutch FMO exclusion list, sign up to the OECD corporate governance principles and the UN guiding principles on business and human rights, and have the Netherlands as its primary business destination. It must also be a Dutch company with a subsidiary in India, an Indian company with a Dutch subsidiary, or an Indian company with a long-term, substantial partnership with a Dutch organisation. The embassy decides whether local conditions are met. The facility does not cover partners or children, who apply in the normal way, for example as tourists via our Netherlands tourist visa guide.
What counts as business, and what needs a work permit?
Meetings, negotiations, conferences, training sessions, trade fairs and inspections are business activity. Being paid for work by an entity in the Netherlands is not, and VFS states that paid work in the Netherlands needs a work permit. The EU Delegation to India makes the same point for all Schengen visas: they do not grant the right to work. If a Dutch client wants you on site doing productive work for weeks, ask who pays you and under which permit before you file a business visa. For more on the country, see the Netherlands country page.
Official sources
- Checklist: Applying for a Schengen visa in India for a business trip or official visit, NetherlandsWorldwide
- Applying for a Schengen visa for the Netherlands in India, NetherlandsWorldwide
- How long does it take to get a visa for the Netherlands?, NetherlandsWorldwide
- Can I register my company for the Orange Carpet Visa Facility?, NetherlandsWorldwide
- Can I apply for a multiple-entry visa?, NetherlandsWorldwide
- Visiting two or more Schengen countries, NetherlandsWorldwide
- I have not been granted a visa. What should I do?, NetherlandsWorldwide
- Consular fees in India, NetherlandsWorldwide
- VFS Global Netherlands India: business and official visit
- VFS Global Netherlands India: visa application centres
- European Union adopts more favourable Schengen visa rules for Indians, EU Delegation to India
