How to apply for a Netherlands Schengen visa from Ireland

Where you apply

Apply to the Netherlands if it is your main destination. VFS Global takes the applications at:

• VFS Global Dublin: Cunningham House, 130 Francis Street, Dublin D08 H48R. Submissions Monday to Friday 08:30 to 15:00; passport collection 15:00 to 16:00.

Book a separate appointment for each person, children included, and arrive 15 minutes early. VFS says that if you miss an appointment you can book a new one only 24 hours after the original time. Changes and cancellations go through VFS Global Ireland.

You normally hand the application in yourself. VFS says that from 16 November 2026 someone else may do it only if you are 12 or over and gave fingerprints for a Schengen, airport transit or entry visa in the past 59 months; they bring a letter of authorisation signed by you both, their own travel document and a copy, and all your documents.

Step by step

1. 1

   Fill in the online form

   On the Dutch government's Schengen visa application form. Only forms filled in online get a unique code, and handwritten forms are not accepted; print and sign it.
2. 2

   Book at VFS Global Dublin

   On the Netherlands' VFS page for Ireland. You can apply up to six months before the trip, and no later than 15 calendar days before it.
3. 3

   Gather the documents

   Against the VFS checklist for your main purpose, each document as an original and one copy.
4. 4

   Attend the appointment

   Hand in the form and documents, give fingerprints, and pay the visa fee and the VFS service charge. VFS can take your photo at the centre.
5. 5

   Track the decision

   With your track-and-trace code on the VFS site, not through the Embassy. You can collect the passport or have it sent to you; if you have heard nothing after 45 days, contact VFS Global.

Documents

The country's own checklist is the one that counts. The core of it:

• Passport issued within the last ten years, valid at least three months after you leave the Schengen Area, with two blank pages.
• Your Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card, valid beyond your return.
• The signed application form and a photo to the ICAO passport standard.
• Travel medical insurance with at least €30,000 cover, valid in every Schengen country for the whole trip.
• Recent bank statements, and a letter from your employer or proof of studies or self-employment.
• A flight reservation, and hotel bookings or an invitation letter.

On top of that, the VFS Global tourism checklist for Ireland asks for:

• An Irish re-entry visa or IRP valid at least one month beyond your departure from the Schengen Area. If yours is being renewed, the official Irish letter confirming the renewal was approved.
• A copy of every page of your passport, and proof of your current address in Ireland, such as bills or a lease.
• An Irish bank statement in your name and address showing the last three months' movements; a sponsor's letter must be certified by a notary.
• A signed employer letter on headed paper, with the signatory's name and position, the date, a phone number and the company's Irish registration number, and/or payslips for the last three months.
• Bookings you can cancel if the visa is refused, as the checklist advises.
• Every document as an original and one copy, in Dutch, English, French or Spanish or translated; only the passport is returned.

Fees and processing time

Visa fee, adults

€90

Children aged 6 to 11

€45

VFS service charge

€17.00 including taxes, per application (VFS Global, November 2026)

Processing

18 to 21 calendar days on average, up to 45 (VFS Global, October 2026)

VFS says every charge can be paid in cash or by card; NetherlandsWorldwide's fee page for Ireland says the visa fee is paid by card only, with no cash. Bring a card. Fees are not refunded.

Applications and refusals

In 2025, the consulates of the Netherlands in Ireland received 4,491 short-stay Schengen visa applications: 14.6% of all those lodged in Ireland, and the 4th most of any Schengen country. They refused 1.7% of the applications they decided; across every Schengen country in Ireland the rate was 3.1%, according to the European Commission's visa statistics.

Applications, 2025

4,491

Rank in Ireland

4th of 21 Schengen countries

Refused

1.7%

All Schengen countries in Ireland

3.1% refused

The Commission counts applications where they are lodged, not by nationality, so these are residents of Ireland of many nationalities. A refusal rate is an average over every applicant and says little about any one file; and the country you apply to is set by your main destination, not by its refusal rate.

What applicants reported

4 applicants in Ireland have reported their Netherlands visa to Visa Catcher's statistics. The median time from appointment to passport back was 17 days.

Reports

4

Appointment to passport back (median)

17 days; typically 17–17 days

Approved

100% of 4 with a known outcome

Validity granted (median)

1 year

Multiple entry

100%

See every Netherlands report from Ireland · how the statistics work

How often new dates appear

Dublin. Our monitors saw new Netherlands appointments appear in Dublin 25 times in the last 90 days, on 15 different days; the typical gap between two releases was about 15 hours. The latest release we saw was on 4 November at 08:42 Irish time. Over the past year (227 releases) they were spread across the week and the day, with no day or hour that stands out: new dates can appear at any time.

Getting the appointment

The form is the easy part. The hard part is a free date with VFS Global: when demand is high the calendar can stay empty, and new dates go quickly when they appear. In the last 90 days our monitors saw new dates appear in Dublin 25 times, typically about 15 hours apart.

These are the ways to get a date, including ours:

Each Netherlands route we track has its own page, and every route is on the Ireland appointment board page. For how the booking systems work, see how to book a Schengen visa appointment in Ireland.

• Netherlands visa appointment, Dublin

Questions

Where do I fill in the Netherlands visa form from Ireland?

On the Dutch government’s online form at consular.mfaservices.nl. Only forms filled in online get a unique code, and VFS Global does not accept handwritten forms. Print it, sign it and bring it to the appointment in Dublin.

My IRP is being renewed. Can I still apply for a Dutch visa?

The IRP must be valid at least one month beyond your departure from the Schengen Area. If it is valid for less and you are renewing it, VFS Global asks for the official letter from the Irish government confirming that the renewal has been approved.

How long does a Netherlands visa take from Ireland?

On average 18 to 21 calendar days, and up to 45, according to VFS Global. You can apply up to six months before the trip and no later than 15 calendar days before it.

Can someone else hand in my Dutch visa application in Dublin?

Under the rules VFS Global applies from 16 November 2026, only if you are 12 or over and gave fingerprints for a Schengen, airport transit or entry visa in the past 59 months. The person brings a letter of authorisation signed by you both, their own travel document and a copy, and all your documents.

What is the refusal rate for the Netherlands Schengen visas in Ireland?

In 2025, the consulates of the Netherlands in Ireland refused 1.7% of the short-stay visa applications they decided, against 3.1% across all Schengen countries in Ireland, according to the European Commission’s visa statistics. They received 4,491 applications, the 4th most of any Schengen country.

Sources

• NetherlandsWorldwide: applying for a Schengen visa for the Netherlands in Ireland
• NetherlandsWorldwide: consular fees in Ireland, 2026
• Government of the Netherlands: online Schengen visa application form
• VFS Global: Netherlands visa application centre in Ireland
• VFS Global Netherlands, Dublin: address, hours and service fee
• VFS Global Netherlands, Ireland: what happens at the visa application centre
• VFS Global Netherlands, Ireland: tourism visa, fees and processing time
• VFS Global Netherlands, Ireland: tourism checklist (PDF)
• VFS Global Netherlands, Ireland: processing time notice (13 October 2026)
• VFS Global Netherlands, Ireland: new rules for submission on your behalf from 16 November 2026 (26 October 2026)
• EU Visa Code, Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 (consolidated text of 28 June 2024)
• European Commission: visa policy and the short-stay visa fee
• European Commission: Schengen visa statistics for consulates, 2025 (2025-consulates-schengen-visa-statistics.xlsx)

Rules and fees are set by the consulates and their visa centres and can change; check the official pages above before you apply. Our coverage, prices and release statistics on this page are live. Visa Catcher is an independent appointment-tracking service, not affiliated with any visa centre, embassy, consulate or government.