{"id":24286,"date":"2025-08-25T10:31:50","date_gmt":"2025-08-25T07:01:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/blog\/netherlands-airport-transit-visa\/"},"modified":"2026-08-29T05:11:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T01:41:49","slug":"netherlands-airport-transit-visa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/blog\/netherlands-airport-transit-visa\/","title":{"rendered":"The Netherlands Airport Transit Visa: A Complete Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Visa rules change every year, and transit and airport visa requirements change with them. Many nationalities have been released from them entirely. Others still need a transit visa to pass through certain countries, even when they have no intention of entering the country at all.<\/p>\n<p>If you are flying through a Dutch airport on your way somewhere else and your final destination is outside the Schengen area, you may need a <span style=\"background-color: #d0f0c0;\">Netherlands airport transit visa<\/span> (ATV). This article covers the process, the documents, the conditions and how to apply.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>What is the Netherlands airport transit visa?<\/h2>\n<p>The <span style=\"background-color: #d0f0c0;\">Netherlands Airport Transit Visa (ATV)<\/span> covers a <strong>short<\/strong> stop at a Dutch airport and allows the holder to remain in the <strong>international transit area<\/strong> until their onward flight. It is a category of Schengen visa, and it is issued only to passengers who are <strong>stopping<\/strong> at a Dutch international airport and will not leave the transit area.<\/p>\n<div class=\"test\">A Netherlands transit visa does not allow you to enter the country or leave the airport transit area.<\/div>\n<blockquote>\n<div>Recommended reading: <a href=\"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/blog\/best-cities-in-the-netherlands\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the best cities in the Netherlands<\/a> to live, study and work in, on the Aval Visa site.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2>Who needs a Netherlands airport transit visa?<\/h2>\n<p>You need one if all of the following apply:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Your route passes through a Dutch airport<\/li>\n<li>You hold a passport from a country whose nationals require a visa to transit the Schengen area<\/li>\n<li>Your journey has two legs, for example to Amsterdam and then on from Amsterdam to a destination outside the Schengen area such as the United States or Canada<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If that describes your trip, apply for a Netherlands airport transit visa before you travel.<\/p>\n<h2>Which airports does the transit visa cover?<\/h2>\n<p>Passengers transiting through:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS)<\/li>\n<li>Eindhoven Airport (on the routes where transit applies)<\/li>\n<li>Rotterdam The Hague Airport (less common, depending on the route)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>need a Netherlands airport transit visa. Up-to-date information and announcements are published on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.netherlandsworldwide.nl\/visa-the-netherlands\/visa-required-transit-netherlands?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dutch government website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Which nationalities need a Netherlands transit visa?<\/h2>\n<p>Under the Schengen rules, an airport transit visa is required from nationals of <span style=\"background-color: #d0f0c0;\">Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Sri Lanka<\/span>. The Netherlands adds further nationalities of its own, including Sudan. Check the current list before you book your ticket. The full rules are published under <a href=\"https:\/\/english.marechaussee.nl\/topics\/visa\/transit-at-a-dutch-airport?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">transit at a Dutch airport<\/a> on the government website.<\/p>\n<h2>Documents required for a Netherlands <b>airport<\/b> <b>transit<\/b> <b>visa<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>With the rules covered, here is what you need to assemble. Every applicant passing through the transit area on the way to a second destination has to prepare and submit:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A completed Schengen visa application form, transit version<\/li>\n<li>A passport valid for at least 3 months beyond your return date<\/li>\n<li>Flight tickets confirming the transit stop in the Netherlands and the onward leg to your destination<\/li>\n<li>A visa for your final destination, where one is required<\/li>\n<li>A biometric photograph<\/li>\n<li>Payment of the transit visa fee<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-23289 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Netherlnd-transit-VISA-scaled-1.webp\" alt=\"Netherlands airport transit visa\" width=\"1200\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Netherlnd-transit-VISA-scaled-1.webp 1200w, https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Netherlnd-transit-VISA-scaled-1-300x90.webp 300w, https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Netherlnd-transit-VISA-scaled-1-1024x307.webp 1024w, https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Netherlnd-transit-VISA-scaled-1-768x230.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/h2>\n<h2>How to apply for a Netherlands airport transit visa<\/h2>\n<p>The process is not complicated. Once your final destination and travel dates are fixed, apply for the transit visa. Start by identifying <strong>which Schengen country you transit through<\/strong> and book an appointment with that country&#8217;s consulate. If your stop is in the Netherlands, book with the Dutch consulate and complete the Dutch visa application form in full.<\/p>\n<p>On the form, select <span style=\"background-color: #d0f0c0;\">airport transit<\/span> as the purpose of travel and state how many entries you need, whether one, two or three. Submit the application <strong>in person or online<\/strong> to the consulate and pay the visa fee, currently <span style=\"background-color: #d0f0c0;\">EUR 90<\/span> for adults, with a reduced fee for children. The fee is reviewed periodically, so confirm the current amount. A decision normally follows within <strong>15 calendar days<\/strong>, and a complete file avoids the most common reasons for refusal.<\/p>\n<div class=\"test\">The transit visa fee is not refundable, including where the application is refused.<\/div>\n<h2>Netherlands transit visa costs<\/h2>\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-810\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-810\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n\t<th class=\"column-1\">Applicant<\/th><th class=\"column-2\">Fee (EUR)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-striping row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Adult<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">EUR 90<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">6 to 12 years<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">EUR 45<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-4\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Under 6 years<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">Free<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<!-- #tablepress-810 from cache -->\n<h2>Where can you travel on a Netherlands transit visa?<\/h2>\n<p>An airport transit visa only permits you to pass through the transit area of the airport <span style=\"background-color: #d0f0c0;\">on a route out of the Schengen area<\/span>. You cannot enter the Netherlands or any other Schengen country with it, and you must depart on your onward flight. Destinations outside the Schengen area include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The United Kingdom<\/li>\n<li>The United States<\/li>\n<li>Canada<\/li>\n<li>Australia and New Zealand<\/li>\n<li>East Asian countries<\/li>\n<li>The Gulf states<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A few points are worth remembering. If your stop is <strong>long<\/strong>, or you want to spend two or three days in the Netherlands before the second leg, apply for a <span style=\"background-color: #d0f0c0;\">type C short-stay visa<\/span> instead. If your two flights are with different airlines, check whether you have to clear immigration and re-check your baggage, and read the airport&#8217;s own rules.<\/p>\n<div class=\"test\">Take transit visa rules seriously. Without the right visa you can be refused boarding.<\/div>\n<h2>Applying for a Dutch <b>airport<\/b> <b>transit<\/b> <b>visa<\/b> with Aval Visa<\/h2>\n<p>Whether you are travelling as a tourist or considering <a href=\"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/immigration-to-the-netherlands\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">moving to the Netherlands<\/a> to study, work or start a company, the team at <a href=\"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Aval Visa<\/a> will work with you at every stage.<\/p>\n<p>Complete the consultation form and we will review your situation, help you choose the right <span style=\"background-color: #d0f0c0;\">route to living in the Netherlands<\/span>, and take on the administration: forms, consulate appointments and document preparation. Contact our office for more information.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><strong> Do I need a visa to transit in the Netherlands?<\/strong> If you hold a passport from one of the listed nationalities, yes: an airport transit visa is required for any transit through a Dutch airport, whatever the length of the stop. If you need to leave the transit area or stay overnight, you need a short-stay Schengen visa instead.<\/li>\n<li><strong>How long is a transit visa valid?<\/strong> It is issued only for the period needed to pass through the Dutch airport.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Can I leave the airport on this visa?<\/strong> No. A transit visa is valid only for the transit area of the airport.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The steps, documents, fee and conditions for a Netherlands airport transit visa, so a long connection does not turn into a problem at the gate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":23286,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24286"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24286\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}