Amsterdam Visa

Before you book a trip to Amsterdam, check the entry rules for the Netherlands. They apply to holidays and business trips alike. For most visitors from North America, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and much of Latin America, there's still no visa needed for a short trip. But the process at the border changed in 2026, and another change is coming.

The short answer

The Netherlands is part of the Schengen area. If you're from a visa-exempt country, you can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the whole Schengen area without a visa. Since April 2026, your fingerprints and photo are taken at the border under the new Entry/Exit System (EES). The ETIAS travel authorization is not required yet. Everyone else needs a short-stay Schengen visa, applied for before you travel.

Do you need a visa?

It depends only on your nationality, and the list has changed over the years. The old version of this page listed Bolivia as visa-free, for example, and Bolivian citizens now need a Schengen visa. Rather than trust a list on a travel site, use the Dutch government's own checker: Do I need a visa for the Netherlands? on NetherlandsWorldwide. Answer a few questions about your nationality and purpose, and it tells you what you need.

Two things people often miss:

• The 90 days are for the whole Schengen area, not per country. The Schengen area covers most EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. A week in Amsterdam, two weeks in France and a month in Spain all count against the same 90 days. The UK and Ireland are not in Schengen, so time there doesn't count.
• It's a rolling window. On any day you're in Schengen, look back 180 days: you can't have spent more than 90 of them inside the area. Count carefully if you're doing a long trip with several Schengen stretches.

The Caribbean parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, such as Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire, have their own entry rules. NetherlandsWorldwide has a separate checker for those.

What you need at the border

According to the EU's Your Europe site, if you're not an EU citizen your passport must be:

• valid for at least 3 months after the date you plan to leave the EU, and
• issued within the last 10 years.

That second rule catches people out: a passport issued more than 10 years ago can be refused even if it hasn't expired. Border officers can also ask where you're staying, how long, what your return or onward ticket is, and if you have enough money for the trip, so keep your bookings handy.

The Entry/Exit System (EES)

According to the European Commission, the EES has been fully running at all Schengen borders since 10 April 2026. It replaces passport stamps. The first time you enter, a border officer (or a self-service kiosk, where there is one) records your passport details, your fingerprints and a facial photo, and the system logs every entry and exit after that. That's how the 90-day rule is now counted, automatically.

It applies to non-EU citizens on short stays, whether or not they need a visa. It costs nothing. The Commission says you can speed things up by pre-registering in the official Travel to Europe app within 72 hours before you arrive. At Schiphol, expect the first entry to take longer than you're used to.

ETIAS: not yet

ETIAS is a travel authorization that visa-exempt travelers will have to get online before flying to Europe, much like the US ESTA or the UK's ETA. It is not in operation yet. The EU had been targeting the last quarter of 2026, but in July 2026 it removed that date from its official site, and reports since then point to a start in 2027. The EU has said it will announce the date several months ahead, and that there will be a transition period when it starts.

When it does launch, the fee is expected to be €20, and an approval will be valid for three years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. Until then, ignore any website that offers to "apply for ETIAS" for you. The only official information is on the EU's Travel to Europe site.

If you need a visa

If the checker says you need one, you'll apply for a short-stay Schengen visa, normally in the country where you live. NetherlandsWorldwide explains how and where, country by country. If the Netherlands is your main destination, or your first stop when no destination is main, you apply to the Netherlands. Apply well ahead: appointment slots at visa centers fill up before the summer.

Staying longer than 90 days, to study, work or live, is a different process, usually a long-stay visa (MVV) and a residence permit from the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND).

Visa FAQ

Can I extend my 90 days?

Visa-exempt visitors generally can't just extend their stay. Plan your Schengen days carefully, and spend the overflow in the UK, Ireland or elsewhere outside the area. NetherlandsWorldwide covers the limited cases in which a Schengen visa can be extended.

I'm connecting at Schiphol. Do I need a visa?

If you stay airside and don't enter the Netherlands, most travelers don't, but some nationalities need an airport transit visa. The NetherlandsWorldwide checker covers transit as well. If you want to use a long layover to see the city, you'll go through passport control, so the normal entry rules apply. See our Schiphol layover guide.

Where's my embassy in the Netherlands?

Most embassies are in The Hague, not Amsterdam. We have pages on the Australian and Canadian missions.

Once the paperwork is sorted, start with our first-time visitor guide and the things you should know about Amsterdam. If Amsterdam is one stop on a longer trip, our RTW and multi-stop trips page has sample routes from AirTreks.