Visa application

To attend the WCO Technology Conference & Exhibition 2022 in Maastricht you may need a visa for entering the Netherlands.
 
After you have registered for the WCO Technology Conference & Exhibition 2022 you will receive the invitation letter from the Customs Administration of the Netherlands. You will need this invitation letter for your visa application. 
 
Please check the website Visas for the Netherlands | Travel | Netherlandsworldwide.nl if you need to apply for a visa.
 
On the website  Applying for a short-stay Schengen visa | Travel | Netherlandsworldwide.nl you can find all information in case you have to apply for a visa. 
Please be aware that a visa application may take quite some time. Therefore, apply for a visa well in advance to your visit, especially in case in your country the embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is being represented by another Schengen country.
The Customs Administration of the Netherlands is in contact with the Immigration and Naturalisation Service of the Netherlands in order to facilitate your visa application. 

Summary of the application process

• You need a visa if you wish to stay in the Netherlands for a maximum of 90 days for business purposes. It depends on your nationality if you need a visa. 
• You need an invitation for the WCO Technology Conference & Exhibition 2022 for your visa application. This invitation letter will be sent to you after you have registered as participant for this WCO event. 
• You apply for a visa at the representation of the Netherlands in your own country.
•  You can submit the visa application no sooner than 6 months before you wish to travel to the Netherlands.
•  You (almost) always have to apply for a visa in person. 
•  You often have to submit the visa application through an external agency: the external service provider (EDV), such as VFS Global of TLS Contact. This agency accepts the application and forwards it to the representation of the Netherlands for the assessment.
•  You need a valid travel document, for example a passport. The travel document still has to be valid for 3 months after the end of the visa period. Passports older than 10 years will not be accepted.
•  The visa for the Netherlands will be valid for entering the Schengen area (26 EU-countries). Therefore, you do not need to fly directly to an airport in the Netherlands, you are also allowed to enter the Schengen area other Schengen-countries, like Belgium or Germany. 

Travel with a short stay visa

A valid 'single entry' visa allows you to enter the Schengen area once. You are allowed to stay in the Schengen area for 90 days in any 180 day period. During these 90 days you are allowed to travel to and stay in all Schengen countries. Are you travelling to the Schengen area via another country? Then you have to prove that the Netherlands is your final destination.

Coronavirus and rules for entering the Netherlands

Before travelling to the Netherlands, check what rules apply. The rules for entering the Netherlands depend on the country you are coming from. They are different from the visa requirements, e.g. PCR test. Check the website Travelling to the Netherlands from abroad | Coronavirus COVID-19 | Government.nl

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