Authorisation for Temporary Stay (MVV)

If an applicant wishes to stay in the Netherlands for longer than three months a regular Schengen visa cannot be issued; the applicant will have to apply for an authorisation for temporary stay (MVV) instead. MVVs are national visas, which are issued to aliens from outside the Netherlands who meet the conditions for a residence permit (VTV). An MVV is valid for the Netherlands only, for a maximum period of six months. After arriving in the Netherlands, the holder should report to the head of the local police within three days to apply for a VTV, which will be granted unless circumstances have changed in such a way that the applicant no longer meets the relevant conditions.

As of 15 March 2006, certain foreign nationals wishing to settle in the Netherlands for a prolonged period who require an authorisation for temporary residence will have to take the civic integration examination abroad. This applies to foreign nationals who wish to form a family with someone in the Netherlands or to be reunited with family members already living in the Netherlands. Religious leaders coming to the Netherlands for employment, such as imams or preachers, will also have to take the civic integration examination abroad.

Taking the civic integration examination abroad is one of the steps that need to be completed before an authorisation for temporary stay (mvv) can be issued. Only those in possession of an mvv are able to apply for a residence permit.

Distinction between application procedure and advisory procedure

An MVV application procedure is the procedure by which the applicant takes the initiative to seek an authorisation for temporary stay by lodging an MVV application with the embassy. The advisory procedure is the procedure by which a referee in the Netherlands takes the initiative to seek an authorisation for temporary stay by lodging an advisory application with the IND. If this advisory application is approved, the alien concerned (the applicant) then lodges an application at the relevant mission. The procedure for dealing with this application is largely identical to that employed when there has been no prior advisory application.

Application procedure

After having succesfully taken the civic integration exam an appointment can be made at the Consular Section of the Netherlands Embassy and the application can be submitted. An application procedure begins when an applicant submits a duly filled out application form, two recently taken passport size photographs, a passport valid for at least 6 more months, and relevant documents, in person, at least 12 weeks before the intended trip to the Netherlands.

The additional documents that are required depend on the purpose of stay as indicated by the applicant.

The MVV-application will be forwarded by the Netherlands Embassy to the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) of the Ministry of Justice in The Hague, the Netherlands.

The processing of the MVV-application will take approximately three months. After an advice has been received from the IND, the applicant will be informed accordingly by the Embassy.

Advisory procedure

An advisory procedure begins when the referee in the Netherlands submits a request for advice (accompanied by the necessary documentation) to the IND. The mission is not involved until a later stage. The application is made in writing to the IND. The IND checks whether the application is correct and complete and, if necessary, gives the referee two weeks to rectify any omissions. Once this has been done, the IND checks whether the referee fulfils the conditions relevant to the case. In the case of a positive outcome, the referee receives a letter stating that the person wishing to be granted authorisation for temporary stay must lodge an application at the mission in his country of origin or country of long-term residence.

The mission receives electronic notification that the authorisation for temporary stay can be issued to the applicant, provided that he fulfils the relevant conditions. The application procedure can then start.

MVV applications lodged in writing

Written submitted applications will be registered by the embassy. The embassy will send the applicant a written request, copied to the person who lodged the application in writing (if different from the applicant), asking him to present himself in person at the mission within a reasonable period of time (as a rule, two weeks will be a reasonable period of time, but a longer period may be allowed if the distance to be travelled or the poor state of postal services makes this necessary) to pay the visa fee and fulfil the other conditions specified in the information sheets.

If the applicant has not presented himself in person within the time allowed for him to do so or if other essential conditions of validity have not been met, the IND will declare the application invalid. If the IND feels that the application is sufficiently complete, it will take a decision on it. The embassy is not mandated to take independent decisions on the validity of MVV applications.

Legalisation: always in advance

If the applicant is required to produce documents which have been legalised there is no point in lodging the application until the relevant documents have been legalised.

More information

Would you like to know more about the admission of foreign nationals or the authorisation for temporary stay? Contact the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND). Questions can be put to the IND by telephone, letter, or email.

Telephone

The IND can be contacted on 0900 1234561 ( 0.10 p.m., weekdays between 09.00 and 17.00). When calling from abroad you can use +31 20 889 30 45 (this number cannot be used if you are telephoning from within the Netherlands).

Letter or email

Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst

afdeling Publieksvoorlichting

Postbus 3211

2280 GE Rijswijk

The Netherlands

E-mail: [email protected]

Internet: www.ind.nl