# Is There a Netherlands eVisa for Indians? Online Form vs VFS Visit > There is no Netherlands eVisa for Indian passport holders. Here is exactly which steps of the Dutch Schengen visa happen online and which need a visit to one of 12 VFS centres. _Published: 2026-10-20 · Reading time: 5 min · Words: 1075_ ## TL;DR The Netherlands does not issue an eVisa to Indians. The Schengen application form, the VFS appointment and status tracking are online, but every applicant, including babies, must attend a VFS Global centre in person to submit the printed form, give fingerprints and pay the EUR 90 visa fee and INR 1890 service fee. ## Key takeaways - There is no Netherlands eVisa and no visa on arrival for Indian passport holders. - Online: the Schengen form at consular.mfaservices.nl, the VFS appointment booking and status tracking. - In person: submission of the printed, signed form (handwritten forms are not accepted), fingerprints, digital photo and fee payment. - Every applicant, including babies and children, needs a separate appointment; only Orange Carpet applicants and official passport holders can walk in. - Fees: EUR 90 visa fee (EUR 45 for ages 6-11) plus the INR 1890 VFS service fee; average processing 18 to 21 calendar days, up to 45. **No. There is no Netherlands eVisa for Indians. According to NetherlandsWorldwide and VFS Global, you fill in the Schengen application form online at consular.mfaservices.nl and book your VFS appointment online, but you must submit the printed, signed form in person with fingerprints at one of 12 VFS centres in India. The fee is EUR 90.** ## Article This explainer uses NetherlandsWorldwide (the Dutch government's information service abroad), VFS Global India and the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND), as published on the official sources, checked on 2026-10-15. ### Why can't Indians get a Netherlands eVisa? India is on the EU list of countries whose nationals need a visa, so Indian passport holders need a Schengen visa issued before travel. The Netherlands does not issue that visa electronically, and there is no visa on arrival. Online forms exist, which is where the confusion comes from, but the visa itself is still applied for in person. One narrow exception applies to transit. India is not on the EU common airport-transit-visa list or the Netherlands' national list, so an Indian changing planes inside the international transit area of a Dutch airport does not need an airport transit visa. Leaving the transit area needs a Schengen visa. ### Which parts of the Dutch Schengen application are online? StepOnline or in personWhereFill in the Schengen visa application formOnline, then printed and signedconsular.mfaservices.nlBook the appointmentOnlineVFS Global Netherlands India websiteHand in documents, give fingerprints and photoIn personAny of the 12 VFS centresPay the visa fee and VFS service feeIn personAt the VFS centreTrack the applicationOnlineVFS website, with your receipt reference numberCollect the passportIn person or by courierVFS centre, or courier chosen at submissionSo the honest answer to the second half of the question is: the paperwork starts online and the status check ends online, but the decisive step happens at the counter. ### What happens at the VFS visit? - Bring the printed online form. It must be the completed and signed online form with its unique code; handwritten forms are not accepted. - Bring the checklist and every document on it. For tourism that includes your cover letter, accommodation proof, bank statements for the past 3 months stamped and signed (or Indian ITRs for the last 2 years), a return travel reservation (a paid ticket is not required) and insurance of at least EUR 30,000. - Give biometrics. Fingerprints and a digital photo are taken at the appointment, so you do not need to bring a printed photo. - Pay at the counter. The visa fee is EUR 90 (EUR 45 for children aged 6 to 11, free under 6), payable by card or in cash in Indian rupees. The VFS service fee is INR 1890 including GST, by cash, card or UPI. All fees are non-refundable. Book under the correct visa category. If the category is wrong, you cannot submit on the day and you lose the VFS service fee. ### Who can skip the appointment? Almost nobody. Every applicant, including babies and children, needs their own appointment and must attend in person. NetherlandsWorldwide asks you to book it yourself rather than through an intermediary. Only two groups can walk in: - Orange Carpet applicants (applicants whose company is registered with the Netherlands Embassy for Orange Carpet; ask your contact person there which documents you need): Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow and Mumbai 9-10 AM; New Delhi 8.30-9.30 AM; Pune 8-9 AM. - Official passport holders: at all Netherlands VFS centres between 09:00 and 10:00 on working days. The 12 centres are Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Cochin, Hyderabad, Jalandhar, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, New Delhi and Pune. Schengen applicants living in India may use any of them. ### Can you follow the application online after the visit? Yes, and this is the most useful online part. Your VFS receipt carries a reference number that starts with the city letters and 'NL' (for example DENL/... for New Delhi). Use it on the VFS website. NetherlandsWorldwide and the embassy cannot give status updates, and processing cannot be sped up. NetherlandsWorldwide currently gives an average of 18 to 21 calendar days from the day its Consular Services Organisation receives your documents and passport, rising to 45 calendar days in some cases; VFS India's page still states an average of 25 calendar days. Contact VFS if you have heard nothing after 45 days. You can apply up to 6 months before travel and at least 15 days before it. For context, European Commission data show 20.7% of Schengen applications lodged at Dutch consulates in India were not issued in 2025 (20,156 of 97,650). That is a past figure for all applicants, not a forecast for yours. ### Is anything fully online for long stays? Partly, but not for you as the applicant. For study, work or family stays, the Dutch sponsor applies to the IND: the educational institution, the employer (a recognised sponsor for highly skilled migrants) or the family member in the Netherlands. After a positive decision you still visit in person to collect the MVV sticker at the embassy in New Delhi or the consulate-general in Bangalore or Mumbai. Book within 3 months of the decision; the passport with the MVV is ready in up to 10 working days. Optional DTDC courier return costs INR 850. Before you start, check our Netherlands visa guide for Indians for the full checklist and fees. Yatra For Fun's India office in Gurugram prepares flight reservations, hotel bookings, travel itineraries and cover letters for Schengen files, with packages from INR 1,000 (flight reservation) to INR 3,000 (reservation, hotel, itinerary and cover letter). WhatsApp +91 95230 91018 or use our contact page. See the itinerary service for multi-country trips. ### Frequently asked questions #### Do I need to upload documents online for a Netherlands visa? No. The online step is the application form at consular.mfaservices.nl. Supporting documents are brought on paper to the VFS appointment along with the printed checklist. #### Can I apply for a Netherlands visa from India if I live in Dubai? No. Schengen visas are applied for in the country where you legally live. Indian residents of the UAE apply through VFS Global in Abu Dhabi or Dubai; the India centres accept applicants living in India, Afghanistan or Bhutan. #### What can I do if my Netherlands visa is refused? The refusal letter states the reasons. You can object in writing to the IND within four weeks of the date on the decision, or submit a new application with the missing documents, paying the visa fee and VFS service charge again. #### Do I need to bring a photo to the VFS appointment? No. When you apply through VFS Global, a digital photo and fingerprints are taken at the appointment, so a printed photo is not required. ## FAQ ### Do I need to upload documents online for a Netherlands visa? No. The online step is the application form at consular.mfaservices.nl. Supporting documents are brought on paper to the VFS appointment along with the printed checklist. ### Can I apply for a Netherlands visa from India if I live in Dubai? No. Schengen visas are applied for in the country where you legally live. Indian residents of the UAE apply through VFS Global in Abu Dhabi or Dubai; the India centres accept applicants living in India, Afghanistan or Bhutan. ### What can I do if my Netherlands visa is refused? The refusal letter states the reasons. You can object in writing to the IND within four weeks of the date on the decision, or submit a new application with the missing documents, paying the visa fee and VFS service charge again. ### Do I need to bring a photo to the VFS appointment? No. When you apply through VFS Global, a digital photo and fingerprints are taken at the appointment, so a printed photo is not required. ## Sources 1. [Applying for a Schengen visa for the Netherlands in India (steps, appointment, collection)](https://www.netherlandsworldwide.nl/visa-the-netherlands/schengen-visa/apply-india) — NetherlandsWorldwide 2. [VFS Netherlands India - Book an appointment](https://visa.vfsglobal.com/ind/en/nld/book-an-appointment) — VFS Global 3. [NetherlandsWorldwide - How long does it take to get a visa for the Netherlands? (average processing times)](https://www.netherlandsworldwide.nl/visa-the-netherlands/waiting-time-after-visa-application) — NetherlandsWorldwide 4. [NetherlandsWorldwide - Tracking the status of a visa application](https://www.netherlandsworldwide.nl/visa-the-netherlands/visa-application-status) — NetherlandsWorldwide