How to get a return visa in NL

A return visa, in Dutch a terugkeervisum and often shortened to TKV, is a sticker in your passport that lets you return to the Netherlands when your residence document is not available to travel on. The most common reason is that the IND is holding or has not yet issued it, but the current IND list is much wider than that and includes replacement after a lost, stolen or damaged document, a change of residence purpose, and several EU-law routes. It is issued at an IND desk, in person, by appointment.

Answer two questions first, because either can make this unnecessary. Do you still hold a valid residence permit for the whole period you will be away? If so you normally travel on that and need no return visa. Are you a national of a country whose citizens do not need a Schengen visa? The IND states that visa-exempt people awaiting a first residence application, or whose permit has expired, can travel back to the Netherlands within their visa-exempt term. Airlines and border officers make their own checks, so if there is any doubt about your document, take the question to the IND before you book rather than at the gate.

The IND publishes the situations in which you can apply. These are the ones that come up most for people already living here.

• You are waiting on an IND application or a new document

  The IND names several: an application to have your rights under EU law verified, a Chavez application, a first residence application for a child born in the Netherlands, an extension of a residence permit, renewal of a permanent residence document, a change of residence purpose, and a first application for a permanent regular residence permit. Each of these can support a return visa application.

• Your residence document was lost, stolen, damaged or wrong

  The IND lists replacement after a lost or stolen residence document, and replacement of a document that is damaged or carries the wrong details, as situations in which a return visa can be applied for. You are travelling while the replacement is produced.

• You are visa-exempt and have no valid permit right now

  The IND states that people who do not need a visa and are waiting for a decision on a first residence application, or whose residence permit has expired, can travel back to the Netherlands within their visa-exempt term without a return visa. That is the rule; it does not stop a carrier from querying your documents, so check your own position with the IND before travelling if anything is unclear.

• None of the listed situations fits, but you must travel

  The IND also allows an application where there is an urgent reason to travel abroad in other circumstances. Explain the reason when you make the appointment, and expect to evidence it.

1. 1

   Check whether you need one at all

   Two things make a return visa unnecessary. If you hold a valid residence permit that covers the whole period you will be away, you travel on that. If you are a national of a country whose citizens do not need a Schengen visa, the IND states that you can travel back to the Netherlands within your visa-exempt term while you are waiting for a decision on a first residence application, or when your residence permit has expired.

   Do this: Compare your residence document's expiry date with your travel dates, and check whether your nationality is visa-exempt for the Schengen area.

   Documents needed

   • Your passport
   • Your residence document, if you have one

   Processing time

   15 minutes

   Common mistake: The rule and the check-in desk are two different things. If your documents are unusual, put the question to the IND before you book rather than discovering the problem at the airport.

   Official source

   IND · Travelling with a residence permit and a return visa
2. 2

   Find your situation on the IND list

   The IND publishes the situations in which a return visa can be applied for, and it is wider than waiting on a decision. It includes applications to have your rights under EU law verified, Chavez applications, a first residence application for a child born in the Netherlands, an extension of a residence permit, renewal of a permanent residence document, a change of residence purpose, a first application for a permanent regular residence permit, replacement after a lost or stolen document, replacement of a damaged document or one with the wrong details, certain EU-law objection and appeal cases, and other situations where there is an urgent reason to travel abroad.

   Do this: Match your own procedure to the IND list and note which entry you are relying on, because you will be asked at the desk.

   Documents needed

   • Your IND confirmation of receipt or case reference

   Processing time

   10 minutes

   Common mistake: If you are relying on the urgent reason entry rather than a named procedure, expect to evidence the reason.

   Official source

   IND · Appointment for a return visa, with the situations in which you can apply
3. 3

   Check the fee, and whether you owe one

   The fee is €197. The IND charges €57 instead for Turkish nationals and their family members with rights under the EC-Turkey Association Agreement. It also publishes situations in which no fee is due at all, including travel to the Netherlands on a valid provisional residence permit, applications to have rights under EU law verified, Chavez applications, an extension valid for less than a month, holders of a diplomatic passport, and family members of EU, EEA or Swiss nationals.

   Do this: Read the current fee list against your own situation, and arrange a debit card for the payment.

   Documents needed

   • A debit card, or cash

   Cost

   €197 IND fee for a return visa (2026)

   Processing time

   Paid at the desk during the appointment

   Common mistake: Payment by credit card is not possible. The IND prefers debit card or contactless and also accepts cash.

   Official source

   IND · Fees: costs of an application
4. 4

   Book the appointment before you book the flight

   A return visa is issued in person at an IND desk, so the appointment is the constraint. Book it first and let the travel dates follow. Take the evidence of the procedure you are relying on, because the desk is checking that your situation is one of the listed ones.

   Do this: Make an IND appointment for a return visa and take your passport, your evidence and your payment card to it.

   Documents needed

   • Your passport, with a free page
   • Proof of the pending application or procedure
   • Your payment card

   Processing time

   Set by the appointment availability, so allow more time than you think

   Common mistake: Booking non-refundable flights before the appointment is confirmed. The IND issues the visa at the desk, and it cannot be brought forward because you have a ticket.

   Official source

   IND · Appointment for a return visa
5. 5

   Travel inside the validity, and plan the return

   A return visa is normally single-entry and valid for up to 3 months. The IND publishes longer validity for specific cases, including certain study-related situations and the renewal of a permanent residence document. It can be used to travel through other Schengen countries on the outbound and the return journey, but it is permission to return to the Netherlands rather than a general permission to spend time in Schengen.

   Do this: Check the dates written on the visa, put the return date in your calendar and plan to arrive back before it expires.

   Documents needed

   • The passport with the return visa in it

   Processing time

   Normally up to 3 months from issue, single entry

   Common mistake: Single entry means one use. A trip that leaves Schengen again in the middle can leave you unable to come back on the same visa.

   Official source

   IND · Travelling with a residence permit and a return visa

• Your passport, valid and with a free page
• Proof of the application or procedure you are relying on, such as the IND confirmation of receipt
• Your residence document, if you still have it
• Evidence of the reason for travelling, where you are applying on urgent grounds
• A debit card or cash for the fee, because credit cards are not accepted

• €197 is the IND fee for a return visa (2026).
• The IND charges €57 instead for Turkish nationals and their family members with rights under the EC-Turkey Association Agreement (2026).
• The IND also lists situations in which no fee is due, including travel to the Netherlands on a valid provisional residence permit (MVV), applications to have rights under EU law verified, Chavez applications, an extension valid for less than a month, holders of a diplomatic passport, and family members of EU, EEA or Swiss nationals. Check the current list against your own situation rather than assuming you must pay.
• The preferred payment is by debit card or contactless. Cash is accepted. Payment by credit card is not possible.

A return visa is normally single-entry and valid for up to 3 months. The IND publishes longer validity in specific cases, including certain study-related situations and the renewal of a permanent residence document. You can travel through other Schengen countries on a return visa, on the outbound and the return journey, but it is permission to come back to the Netherlands rather than a general permission to spend time elsewhere in Schengen.

Requirements depend on your situation. Check the latest requirements with the relevant authority.

• Believing a return visa is only for people waiting on an IND decision. The current IND list is much wider, and includes replacement documents, changes of purpose and several EU-law routes.
• Turning up with a credit card. The IND states that payment by credit card is not possible; debit or contactless is preferred and cash is accepted.
• Treating it as a multiple-entry travel document. It is normally single-entry, so a trip with a stop outside Schengen in the middle can leave you unable to use it a second time.
• Reading it as a Schengen holiday visa. It lets you transit other Schengen countries to get home, not to stay in them.
• Booking flights before the appointment. The visa is issued at an IND desk, and the constraint is the appointment slot, not the visa.
• Paying without checking the exemption list. Several routes are free, and the free cases are published.

• Put the expiry date of the return visa in your calendar and plan the return before it, since it is valid for a limited period from issue.
• Check whether the procedure you are waiting on needs anything from you while you are away, because a request for information does not pause for your holiday.
• If your residence document is being replaced, ask when it is expected so you can collect it after you return.
• Tell the municipality if your address changes, so IND post reaches you.