Schengen visa question & answer: How long can your Thai girlfriend go to the Netherlands for the first time?

Dear editors,

How long can your Thai girlfriend go to the Netherlands for the first time? I made a request from June 1st arrival to July 12th departure (6 weeks). Now she got the passport back with the VISA that she can stay in the Netherlands for 30 days. And she must travel in the requested period.

I reported this to be wrong, but they said it's always the first time. Strange right???

It is a type c VISA multi.

With kind regards,

Andrew

Dear Andrew,

There is no special maximum for the first visit to the Netherlands. Of course, the maximum stay is limited to 90 days. It is therefore up to you how many days you apply, although the length of stay should not raise any doubts: applying for a visa for 60 or 90 days while supporting papers show that someone can get 'only' 30 days off from work can lead to a visa of is issued for a short period of time or is refused outright. I have unofficially heard that for reasons of efficiency it is useful to issue 2 types of visa as standard: 90 or 30 days and often of the 'multiple entry' type. But a different number of days of stay should of course still be possible if you request it and the length of stay does not raise any questions.

So if you are not satisfied with the issued visa, you can object to this, but this must be done 4 weeks after the visa has been issued. Your friend can write such an objection herself or - she must authorize you in writing - you can do this for her. You then write a notice of objection: a letter in which you state why you do not agree with the decision of the visa department, where possible provide arguments or evidence.

You could also choose to have the visa extended at the IND, which costs 30 euros. In practice, an extension of up to 90 days is problem-free, provided that all conditions continue to be met: the means requirement, sufficient validity of the passport, etc.

Since it concerns a multiple entry visa, there is a third option: leave the Schengen area on the 30th day, for example to Turkey (Thai people do not need a visa for a short stay in Turkey) and then come back. You don't mention how many months or years the visa is valid for, I suspect 6 months or 1 year? The multiple entry visa naturally expires as soon as the “valid until” date has passed.

Finally, you can of course be satisfied with this visa and next time apply for a visa of longer duration (90 days, for example).

By the way, who is “they” that says 30 days is common? I find it a remarkable answer because officially each application is assessed on its own merits, including the length of stay granted. For example, if you ask the embassy how/why to obtain a 'multiple entry visa', the answer is that this is viewed per application. Of course, that kite also applies to the length of stay issued. If the answer came from the external (optional) service provider was VFS I would file a complaint about it with the embassy. If it concerned the embassy itself, there may have been some miscommunication and it is meant that it often happens that 1st applicants come for a short time, but this of course depends entirely on the individual circumstances.

Know that the 'RSO Asia' back office, the department that makes the decisions and makes the visa stickers, is located in Kuala Lumpur. Personally, I prefer to forward questions I have directly to the RSO Asia: asiaconsular [at] minbuza [dot] nl. The advantage is that you have the answer in writing, which reduces the risk of miscommunication.

Whatever you choose, I wish you a pleasant stay in the Netherlands!

Regards,

Rob V