Dutch Consulate Chicago – 5 Easy Steps to Apply for Netherlands Schengen Visa

The whole of the Netherlands has something to offer its visitors. In the north, the West Frisian Islands and the Frisian lakes offer opportunities for getting out and about to explore the beautiful surroundings. In the east, there is Hoge Veluwe National Park – the largest park in this Schengen country – and medieval cities like Zutphen and Zwolle. From vibrant cities to and charming towns and a whole host of art, music and culture events, you can’t really go wrong! In this article learn more about how to apply for Netherlands visa at the Dutch consulate in Chicago, Illinois, Netherlands visa appointment booking, Processing time at the Netherlands visa application center, flight itinerary for Netherlands visa, hotel bookings for Netherlands visa, Schengen travel insurance for Netherlands visa application, and Netherlands Visa Application Process at the Chicago consulate.

Netherlands Schengen Visa

In 2017, there were 621,431 Netherlands Schengen visa applications received worldwide. 62,778 applications were rejected. In the same year, the Consulate General of the Netherlands in Chicago received 767 applications and they rejected 15.

Applying for Netherlands Schengen Visa from the United States         

If you are a US citizen, you do NOT need a visa to go to the Netherlands as long as your stay does not exceed 90 days. If you are a non-US citizen, you DO need to apply for a visa for the Netherlands. However, you must live in the US permanently and be able to prove your legal residence status. If you are in the US on a temporary basis, for example, on business, you must apply for a Netherlands visa from your own country.

You have to make sure you apply at the right Dutch embassy and consulate. The Dutch consulate in Chicago no longer deals with visa applications. They have been outsourced to VFS Global, so if you live in Chicago, Houston, Miami, New York, San Francisco, or Washington, you need to apply through the VFS Global Visa Application Center located in these areas.

If you live in the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos, Puerto Rico or any other other neighboring islands, you should submit your application to VFS Global in Miami.

If you live in Chicago, your application will be received by VFS Global in Chicago and subsequently processed by the Regional Support Office of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Washington.

Types of Schengen Visas Offered at VFS Global 

There are several types offered by VFS Global and the one you apply for will depend on the duration and reason for your visit to the Netherlands:

1. Short-stay Schengen visa – for stays up to 90 days for tourist, business, visiting family/friends, sports, cultural, or study. Schengen visas are issued as single, double, or multiple entry
2. Short-stay Caribbean visa – for travel to other destinations that form part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean, i.e. Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, St Eustatius, and St Maarten
3. Long-stay visa (MVV) – for stays over 90 days for employment, study, medical etc
4. Airport Transit visa – for transiting through the international zone of the airport while you wait for a connecting flight to your final destination

The official website for the Netherlands has all you need to know about living, working, traveling and doing business in the country and lots of information about visas, so it’s a good idea to spend some time looking at this before you do anything else.

Schengen Visa Application Process at VFS Global

The process is different depending on which type of visa you are applying for:

1. Short-term Schengen, Caribbean, and Airport Transit visas – your visa application will be submitted to Visa Application Center at VFS Global
2. Long-term (MVV) visa – visa applications can be submitted at the Netherlands Embassy in Washington or at the consulates-general in Miami, New York or San Francisco. However, please note if you did the civic integration exam in Washington, you must submit your application at the embassy in Washington. If you didn’t do the civic integration exam in Washington, you can choose to submit your application at either the embassy or at one of the consulates-general. Check here to find out whether you need to do the civic integration exam

Visa applications are generally processed within 15 days, but it could take as many as 30-60 days, so don’t apply too late. You can apply up to 90 days ahead of schedule, so leave plenty of time for your application to be processed.

Here are a few steps to help you apply for your Netherlands visa.

Step 1: Complete your application

Go to the website of Netherlands and you and click on: “Applying for a short-stay Schengen visa”:

Key in your country:

Scroll down to: “What do I need to do” and click on the “Visa application form” link:

You’ll be directed to the Consular Services Portal. Click on the type of visa you wish to apply for:

On the next page, read the instructions and click on: “Start advisor:”

Then, key in the requested information and click on: “Check advice”:

Next, click on: “Start application”:

Then, you’ll be able to complete your application:

Once you have completed your application, print it off as you will need to sign it.

Please be aware that you can only use this application portal if your main destination is the Netherlands or you are transiting through a Dutch airport. If you are not, you need to download the application form in order to complete it.

For long-stay (MVV) visas, you can find the application form by going to the website of the Netherlands and you.

Scroll down to: “Applying for a residence permit and MVV”. Then, expand the overview regarding applying at an embassy or consulate:

You’ll find the MVV issue form link where you can download the application for completion and signing:

Step 2: Make an appointment 

Making appointments with the embassy or visa application center is generally free and can be done yourself. However, If you are running short of time or not sure which consulate to apply to or have no idea on how to get this done yourself then not to worry, we will make the appointment for you for a small service fee!

Booking a visa appointment using our services is pretty simple! All you have to do is follow the 3 simple steps below:

1. Visit the link to schedule the visa appointment
2. Submit the appointment details, visa you are applying for, consulate you need the appointment for, the country you need the appointment IN and make the payment
3. Receive appointment confirmation in email

You can make an appointment your self by following the below steps:

Remember, all short-stay visa applications will be dealt with by one of VFS Global’s visa application centers. So if you live in Chicago, you can hand your application into the Chicago office. In order to do this, you must make an appointment.

1. Go to VFS Global’s website and click on the “Schedule an appointment” tab
2. You will be directed to the appointment booking system where you will need to log in
3. Or, create a new account
4. Once you’ve done that, you can book a suitable appointment.
5. If you are applying for a long-stay (MVV) visa, you must make an appointment on the website of Netherlands and you. Scroll down, to where it says: “How to apply for an MVV in the USA”. Click on the link to make an appointment via the online appointment system
6. On the next page, click on: “Schedule an appointment”
7. Then, choose the embassy or consulate you wish to deal with
8. Then, find the category of MVV visa you are applying for
9. On the next page, you can input your personal details and make an appointment

At the end of this step, you’ll get an email confirming the date and time of your appointment. Print it off because you need to take it with you when you attend your appointment.

Step 3: Prepare your documents

You need to make sure you provide all the necessary documents for your visa application. The embassy or VFS will not accept incomplete applications. Take the time to peruse the website of Netherlands and you AND/OR VFS Global to familiarize yourself with the requirements.

In addition, whether you are applying for a short-stay or long-stay visa, you need to provide originals and photocopies of all your documents, so don’t forget to do this either.

Documents include:

1. Application form for a short-stay visa or long stay-MVV visa
2. Passport with at least 3 months left after your trip and issued within the last 10 years. Plus, there must be 2 free pages
3. Previously issued visas with entry/exit stamps and previous passports (if applicable)
   
4. Valid US residence card or US visa including re-entry to the United States
5. Work permit
6. Return flight booking
7. Passport photo issued within the last 6 months. Please see the guidelines for acceptable photographs.
8. Proof of reason for traveling to the Netherlands
9. Hotel booking with a full travel itinerary
10. Proof of financial sufficiency – Bank statements for the last 3 months
    
11. Employer’s letter confirming the duration and purpose of trip, position, and salary
12. Evidence of enrollment in an educational institution in the Netherlands and the US
13. Schengen Travel insurance to cover a minimum of €30,000 for medical costs, hospital care, emergency treatment, and repatriation
14. Birth and/or marriage certificate
15. Consent of parents including their ID (minors)
16. Sponsorship evidence
    
17. Evidence of participation in any type of event
18. Employment contract, pay slips, letter of invitation from the host with identification documents
    

If you’re planning to obtain your flight reservation for visa without paying for the ticket, all you have to do is follow the 3 simple steps below:

1. Visit the Visa Reservation website to choose the right package
2. Submit the travel details and make the payment online
3. Receive flight itinerary in email

Step 4: Attend your appointment

On the day of your appointment, you should arrive at the office early. If you are late, you may have to make a new appointment which could delay things for you. Remember to take all the required documents and dress smartly.

The visa staff will examine your application and supporting documents. If they need any further information from you, they may question you further. If they do this, simply answer honestly and politely.

Typical questions include:

1. Is this your first time traveling to the Schengen area?
2. Are you meeting anyone else there?
3. Do you plan to work in the Netherlands?
4. What do you do in the US?
5. Do you have any children?

Don’t jeopardize your Schengen visa interview at the last minute. Use this comprehensive and thorough visa interview guide to crack the visa interview!

You will also pay the fee for your visa. You can pay by Visa, Mastercard or debit card only. VFS Global also charge a service fee of $33 on top of the visa fee. Plus, if you wish to have your passport mailed back to you by UPS courier from VFS Global the charge will be $30 per passport. These fees are not refunded even if your application is rejected.

Netherlands Visa Fee

If this is your first time applying for a visa, you will have to provide a scan of your fingerprints and a photograph. This biometric data is stored on the Visa Information System (VIS). If you have previously applied for a visa, the data can be reused as long as it is within a 5 year period.

Step 5: Receive your visa

After you have submitted your application, you have the opportunity to track its progress. For short-stay visas, go to VFS Global’s website and click on: “Track your application”:

Then, enter your reference number and last name and click on: “Submit” and you’ll be able to find out the status of your application:

To track the progress of your MVV visa application, go to the website of the Netherlands and you. Go to their website and click on: “Check the status of your application”:

Key in your country and language:

Then, key in your unique tracking number and click on: “Submit”:

Once a decision about your visa application has been reached, you have 2 options:

1. Collect your passport from the office where you submitted your application
2. Have your passport returned to you via courier or by UPS, FedEx or DHL

If your visa application has been approved, you will find your Netherlands visa in your passport. If it has been rejected it would have been for a specific reason.

Common rejection reasons include:

1. Damaged passport – if your passport has been damaged in any way, such as loose or missing pages, you must obtain a new one before applying for your visa
2. Invitation letter not included – if your visa application requires you to include an invitation letter because you are staying with a host in the Netherlands, you must provide it
3. Documents provided are in a foreign language – any documents that you have which are in a foreign language must be translated into English
4. Insufficient funds – you must be able to afford your trip to the Netherlands and the documents you provide must prove this

Contact details for VFS Global in Chicago

Address: 142 E Ontario St. , Suite # 1700, Chicago, IL 60611

Email: Netherlands.usa@vfshelpline.com

Telephone: +1 347 329 2738

Call center: Monday to Friday, 8.00 am to 5.00 pm. It is not possible to book appointments by email or phone

Hours: Monday to Friday, 8.00 am to 3.00 pm (Application submissions); Monday to Friday, 3.00 pm to 4.00 pm (Passport collection)

Conclusion

There are just 5 steps to apply for your Netherlands visa:

1. Complete your application
2. Make an appointment
3. Prepare your documents
4. Attend your appointment
5. Receive your visa

Once you get to the end, you’ll, hopefully, have your visa and you can start to prepare for your awesome trip to the Netherlands!

At Visa Reservation, we strive to simplify the visa process by providing free visa consultations, cover letter templates and no objection letter templates for our clients from US, UK, Canada, Philippines, India, China, UAE, Europe, Nigeria and globally. We also offer flight itinerary for visa, travel medical insurance, hotel reservations for visa , Book Visa Appointment, Travel Guides, Visa Interview Guides and many more. To learn more about how we can help you with our visa services, please feel free to contact us today.

See Also

How To Apply for Netherlands Schengen Visa at Dutch Consulate in Houston, Texas
How To Apply for Netherlands Schengen Visa at Dutch Consulate in Miami, Florida
How To Apply for Netherlands Schengen Visa at Dutch Consulate in NYC, New York
How to apply for Netherlands Schengen Visa at the Dutch Consulate in Washington DC
How To Apply for Netherlands Schengen Visa at Dutch Consulate in San Francisco, California

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