Netherlands entry requirements, by passport
Netherlands visa requirements at a glance: 51 of the 81 passports VisaRadar tracks can enter Netherlands without arranging a visa beforehand — visa-free, with a visa on arrival, or with an electronic travel authorization. The other 30 must obtain a visa before they travel.
Which passport do you hold?
We'll take you straight to the entry requirements for Netherlands for your nationality.
What we've verified for Netherlands
Beyond the yes/no matrix, we've checked these against an official primary source (last checked 2026-08-23). The specifics depend on your nationality — open your passport's row in the table for the detail that applies to you.
- Typical processing time
- Required documents (4)
- Required vaccinations
- Health-insurance rules
- Customs limits (cash, alcohol, tobacco)
- Overstay penalties
- Airport transit rules
Sources: ind.nl/en/entry-ban (Immigration and Naturalisation Service — entry ban and overstay penalties, verified via direct fetch); douane.nl/en/themes/travel-and-holiday (Dutch Customs — cash and tobacco limits, verified via direct fetch for tobacco; alcohol limits via government.nl/douane.nl cited by search, consistent with the harmonized EU regime); travel-europe.europa.eu/etias (ETIAS "not operational" status, same basis as data/destinations/spain.yml) (checked 23 August 2026).
The Netherlands is part of both the Schengen Area and the European Union, applying the standard limit of 90 days within any 180-day period to visa-exempt passports. The Caribbean municipalities of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba, while part of the Netherlands, are not part of the Schengen Area or the EU customs union — this page refers to the European Netherlands.
This table summarizes the exact entry mechanism for every passport we track — the difference between entering visa-free, with an electronic authorization, with an e-Visa, or with a traditional visa is explained in visa, e-Visa, and electronic authorization: what's the difference. How we verify every row before publishing it is on methodology.
Base entry rules refreshed 2026-09-17. Published: .
| Passport | Requirement | Max. stay |
|---|---|---|
| Free movement | ||
| Austria | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Belgium | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Bulgaria | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Croatia | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Czech Republic | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Denmark | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Finland | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| France | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Germany | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Greece | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Hungary | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Iceland | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Ireland | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Italy | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Malta | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Norway | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Poland | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Portugal | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Romania | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Spain | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Sweden | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Switzerland | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Visa-free | ||
| Argentina | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Australia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Brazil | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Canada | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Chile | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Colombia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Costa Rica | Visa-free | 90 days |
| El Salvador | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Georgia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Guatemala | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Honduras | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Israel | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Japan | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Malaysia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Mexico | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Moldova | Visa-free | 90 days |
| New Zealand | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Nicaragua | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Panama | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Paraguay | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Peru | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Singapore | Visa-free | 90 days |
| South Korea | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Ukraine | Visa-free | 90 days |
| United Arab Emirates | Visa-free | 90 days |
| United Kingdom | Visa-free | 90 days |
| United States | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Uruguay | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Venezuela | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Visa required | ||
| Algeria | Visa required | — |
| Bangladesh | Visa required | — |
| Bolivia | Visa required | — |
| Cape Verde | Visa required | — |
| China | Visa required | — |
| Cuba | Visa required | — |
| Dominican Republic | Visa required | — |
| Ecuador | Visa required | — |
| Egypt | Visa required | — |
| Equatorial Guinea | Visa required | — |
| Gambia | Visa required | — |
| Ghana | Visa required | — |
| India | Visa required | — |
| Indonesia | Visa required | — |
| Jordan | Visa required | — |
| Kenya | Visa required | — |
| Mali | Visa required | — |
| Morocco | Visa required | — |
| Nigeria | Visa required | — |
| Pakistan | Visa required | — |
| Philippines | Visa required | — |
| Russia | Visa required | — |
| Saudi Arabia | Visa required | — |
| Senegal | Visa required | — |
| South Africa | Visa required | — |
| Sri Lanka | Visa required | — |
| Thailand | Visa required | — |
| Tunisia | Visa required | — |
| Turkey | Visa required | — |
| Vietnam | Visa required | — |
* EU/EEA/Switzerland free movement: no stay limit for tourism; after 90 days of residence you must register with the destination country's local authorities.
Staying in Netherlands? Work out your Schengen 90/180-day limit with our calculator →
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The Caribbean parts of the Kingdom (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, St Eustatius and St Maarten): what changes
The Caribbean parts of the Kingdom have their own short-stay visa, and that Caribbean visa is not valid for travel to the European part of the Netherlands or to any other Schengen country. The other way round, a multiple-entry Schengen visa or a residence permit from a Schengen country exempts you from the Caribbean visa, which means a single-entry Schengen visa is not enough for the islands.
Source: netherlandsworldwide.nl/caribbean-visa y /caribbean-visa/short-stay (comprobado 18/09/2026)
Do you need a different visa for Amsterdam, Rotterdam, or The Hague?
No. Netherlands sets the requirements, so entering through Amsterdam asks for the same as entering through Rotterdam or The Hague. If you're arriving overland or through a small border post, check that separately: some countries apply their own rules to specific crossings.
With one exception, explained above: the rules for The Caribbean parts of the Kingdom (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, St Eustatius and St Maarten) are not the rules for the rest of Netherlands.
What does change is where you file the application when a visa is needed, and that depends on the country you live in rather than the city you're travelling to.
What draws travelers to Netherlands
The Netherlands is small and superbly linked by train, so almost everything is done from a single base. Amsterdam is the centre: the 17th-century canal ring, a World Heritage site, and the great museums — the Rijksmuseum, the Anne Frank House, the Van Gogh. Within an hour lie The Hague (seat of government and of the Mauritshuis, with Vermeer), Rotterdam and its contemporary architecture, Utrecht, Delft and Haarlem. Outside the cities, the windmills of Kinderdijk — also World Heritage — and, in spring, the tulip fields and the Keukenhof gardens. The country has 13 UNESCO World Heritage sites. Three or four days are enough for Amsterdam and a couple of day trips. Spring (with the April tulips) and summer are the best seasons; winter is grey and windy.
Sources for this section: holland.com / nbtc.nl (Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions, NBTC); UNESCO World Heritage List (whc.unesco.org, 13 sites in the Netherlands); UK FCDO travel advice for the Netherlands. Accessed 31 August 2026.
Things to see and do in Netherlands
Tours, skip-the-line tickets and day trips, most with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Seeing the featured activities here needs advertising cookies. In the meantime, you can open them directly:
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Where can Netherlands passport holders travel visa-free? →
Informational only. Always verify requirements with the official embassy or consulate before you travel.