How to get a Netherlands visa from Rwanda

• Rwandans who intend to visit the Netherlands for vacation, sightseeing or other leisure activities are eligible to apply for a short-stay tourist visa. The tourist visa also permits you to visit friends and relatives residing in the Netherlands.
• If you are visiting friend or relative in the Netherlands, you need to obtain a letter of invitation from them showing their home address and telephone number.
• Without a host in the Netherlands, you should submit a cover letter stating the purpose of your visit, places you intend to visit while in the Netherlands and how long you intend to stay in the country.
• A visa application form must be fully completed and signed before submission. You are advised to crosscheck for any errors and adhere strictly to the submission guideline so as not to delay the processing of your visa application.
• The tourist visa also allows its holder to attend social and cultural events, as well as festivals, in the Netherlands.
• As proof that you intend to return to your country of origin, you are required to tender a roundtrip flight ticket showing entry and exit dates to/from the Netherlands as well as the flight numbers.
  
• If you are employed, you must provide proof of your employment by submitting your employment contract (signed by both you and your employer), your bank account statements of the last six months and your income tax return.
• You must also provide a leave letter from your employer excusing you from work for the entire duration you intend to stay in the Netherlands.
  
• You must provide proof that you can cater to your financial needs for the entire duration of your stay in the Netherlands [that means comfortably spending at least €34 per day by sending copies of your bank account statements from the last six months. You can also submit a sponsorship letter if someone else intends to sponsor your trip.
• The tourist visa does not permit its holder to work in the Netherlands or to receive payment for any services rendered.
• Minors should provide the original copy of their birth certificate. If they are travelling with one parent, a document of consent allowing the child to travel to the Netherlands with one parent, signed by the other parent, must be presented.

• The business visa is issued to foreign nationals who intend to travel to the Netherlands for business purposes. This is a short-stay visa and it permits a stay of no longer than 90 days within a 180-day period.
• The business visa permits you to attended business meetings, trade fairs and to take part in conferences in the Netherlands.
• 2 passport-size photographs should be sent along with your duly completed and signed visa application form. The passport photos should be taken against a white background and must not be older than six months.
• The passport used for your visa application must contain at least two blank pages (for entry/exit stamps) and have a validity of not less than three months beyond the date you intend to leave the Netherlands.
• You are also required to obtain a letter of invitation from the partner company/organisation in the Netherlands. This letter must state the purpose of your visit and who will take care of your expenses (your company or the partner company) while in the Netherlands.
• If there exist previous trade relations between your company and the partner company in the Netherlands, you are required to provide proof of this. This could be bills of lading, customs clearance, receipts of payment or any similar documents.
• You are required to submit a letter of introduction from your company explaining its commercial activities, your position in the company, the purpose of your travel and who is financing it.
• Please note that as a business traveller, you are not allowed to seek public funds while in the country nor can you receive payment for any services rendered while you are there.
  
• You should submit your visa application in person as your biometric data will be collected at the point of submission.
• You are required to provide proof of a hotel reservation for the entire duration of your stay in the Netherlands.
• A copy of your return flight ticket to your country of origin should also be submitted as proof that you intend to return to your country of origin once your visa expires.

• Foreign citizens who intend to travel to the Netherlands for the purpose of studying for more than three months require a long-stay student visa.
• You must have received an offer of admission from an educational institution in the Netherlands before you can apply for the student visa.
• You can apply for the student visa at the Netherlands embassy or consulate in your country or the Dutch institution can apply on your behalf through the Dutch immigration and Naturalization Service (IND).
• You must also apply for a residence permit which will allow you to live in the Netherlands for the duration of your studies in the country. This permit is of two types:
• Provisional Residence Permit (MVV) - this is also known as ‘Machtiging tot Voorlopig Verblifj’ (MVV) in Dutch. It is an entry visa that allows you to enter the Netherlands at any point within the following six months. This is to show that you are not a tourist in the country. Students are advised to apply for the MVV at least 3 months before their intended arrival date in the Netherlands.
• Residence Permit - if you have been accepted into a Dutch institution and offered an MVV, your host institution is obliged to apply for a residence permit on your behalf. This will be done within 5 days of your arrival.
• If you are the recipient of a scholarship, student aid or similar grant, you are required to provide documents supporting this, showing your name, the monthly amount you are entitled to and the period during which you will receive the fund.
  
• You are required to provide your academic transcripts to prove that you satisfy the conditions for access to higher education in the Netherlands.
  
• As proof that you can cater to your financial needs in the Netherlands and spend around 850 euros per month, you are required to submit your bank statements of the last 3 months.
• Proof of a travel medical insurance with a minimum coverage of 30,000 euros for the entire Schengen Area must be provided by each applicant.
• You should note that your student visa can be withdrawn if you do not maintain sufficient progress in regards to your academic performance (at least 50 per cent of the required credits each academic year).

Every non-EU national must have a valid work permit in order to work in the Netherlands. Usually, the employer will help you secure the permit so you should reach out to your employer to find out more.