Netherlands Schengen Visa From Pakistan: €90 Fee at VFS, 18 to 21 Days
Apply for a Netherlands Schengen visa in Pakistan at VFS Islamabad, Karachi or Lahore: €90 fee in rupees, 18 to 21 days, objection within 4 weeks. Full steps.
To visit the Netherlands from Pakistan, you apply for a Schengen visa at a VFS Global centre in Islamabad, Karachi or Lahore. The visa fee is €90 for an adult, paid in rupees, plus a VFS service charge, and the Dutch government gives an average processing time of 18 to 21 calendar days. In busy periods it can take up to 45 days.
The Dutch rules are set out on NetherlandsWorldwide, the Dutch government's service for people abroad. We read its Schengen visa page for Pakistan and its consular fees for Pakistan on 20 October 2026. The steps below follow those pages.
Pakistanis apply at VFS Global in Islamabad, Karachi or Lahore
The Netherlands takes Schengen visa applications in Pakistan only through VFS Global centres in Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore. You can apply there if you live in Pakistan or Afghanistan. Appointments are booked only on the VFS system, and the Dutch page calls any other route a scam.
The visa covers stays of up to 90 days for a holiday, business or a family visit. If you are visiting more than one Schengen country, apply to the country where you will spend the most time, or to your main destination. The Dutch page has a separate check for that.
One extra detail: the Dutch centres in Pakistan also accept Schengen visa applications for Finland. If Finland is your main destination, check Finland's own rules first, because the Dutch page tells you to.
The Dutch Schengen visa fee is €90, paid in rupees
The Dutch fee table for Pakistan lists €90 for the normal Schengen visa, €45 for a child aged 6 to 11, and nothing for a child under 6. You pay in cash in Pakistani rupees at the exchange rate on the day, and VFS adds its own service charge.
| Applicant | Visa fee |
|---|---|
| Adult, normal fee | €90 |
| Child aged 6 to 11 | €45 |
| Child under 6 | Free |
| Airport transit visa, adult | €90 |
| VFS Global service charge | Always extra, set by VFS |
The same table also lists a "high fee" of €120 for a Schengen visa, without saying which applicants it applies to. The page says the €35 low fee is only for Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus. Ask VFS which fee applies to you before you pay.
Some family members of EU, EEA or Swiss citizens can get free visa facilitation. If you are travelling with, or to visit, such a family member, check that route before paying the normal fee.
Book your own VFS appointment, at least 15 days before travel
You can apply up to 6 months before your trip and at least 15 calendar days before you travel. Each person needs a separate appointment, and every applicant must attend in person, even children under 18. Book it yourself rather than through an agent.
- Fill in the Schengen visa form online on the Dutch consular site, then print and sign it.
- Collect every document on the VFS checklist for your main purpose of travel.
- Book an appointment for each person on the VFS Global system for Pakistan.
- Attend in person with your passport, documents and the checklist.
- Give fingerprints, answer questions about your trip and pay the fees.
- Keep the VFS reference number to track your application online.
Complete the application form yourself. The online form gives you a unique code, and a form without that code, or someone else's form, can cause problems with your file. Agents who fill forms in bulk are exactly where this goes wrong.
Fingerprints are not needed for children under 12. You also skip them if your fingerprints were taken for a Schengen visa in the past 59 months. Children under 12 must still come to the appointment.
Expect 18 to 21 days, and up to 45 in busy periods
The Dutch government gives an average of 18 to 21 calendar days for a Schengen visa. It can rise to 45 days when volumes are high, when your file needs a closer look, or when you are asked for more documents. The clock starts when the Dutch office receives your passport.
Some Schengen countries ask to be consulted on applicants of certain nationalities. That check can take up to 7 days and sits inside the 45 days. Your details are also checked against the Schengen Information System and stored in the Visa Information System.
When processing ends you get an email, but it does not say whether you got the visa. You then collect your passport or have it sent to you. To collect it, bring valid ID and the VFS proof of payment. Someone else can collect it with their ID, the proof of payment and a signed letter from you.
Check the visa sticker as soon as you get it. If your name or the dates are wrong, contact the Dutch embassy in Islamabad straight away. A mistake can stop you boarding or get you refused at the border.
Once you travel, the 90 days in any 180 rule applies across the whole Schengen area. You can count your remaining days with the Schengen days left tool.
A refusal can be challenged within 4 weeks, or you can reapply
A refused applicant gets a letter giving the reasons. You have four weeks from the date at the bottom of that decision to lodge an objection with the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service, the IND. You can also apply again, but you pay the visa fee again.
| Option | Time limit | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Objection to the IND | 4 weeks from the decision date | Not stated on the page we read |
| New application | Any time | Full visa fee again |
Read the refusal reasons closely before you choose. If the problem was a missing or wrong document, a new application with the right papers can be faster than an objection. If you think the decision itself is wrong, the objection is the route.
For the general Schengen picture, including which country to apply to, see the Schengen visa from Pakistan. Before you fly, the checks at the airport are in the FIA travellers' visa check.
Common questions
Where do I apply for a Netherlands visa in Pakistan?
At the VFS Global centre in Islamabad, Karachi or Lahore. Book the appointment only on the VFS system.
How much is the Netherlands visa fee in Pakistan?
€90 for an adult, €45 for a child aged 6 to 11, and free under 6. You pay in rupees, and VFS adds a service charge.
How long does a Netherlands Schengen visa take from Pakistan?
The average is 18 to 21 calendar days. In some cases it takes up to 45 days.
How early can I apply?
Up to 6 months before your trip, and no later than 15 calendar days before you travel.
Can someone submit my application for me?
No. You must attend the VFS appointment in person, even if you are under 18.
What can I do if my Dutch visa is refused?
Lodge an objection with the IND within four weeks of the decision date, or make a new application and pay the fee again.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
We read the NetherlandsWorldwide pages for applying for a Schengen visa in Pakistan, consular fees for Pakistan for 2026, processing times, and objecting to a refused application on 20 October 2026. We could not confirm the VFS service charge in rupees, which the Dutch page does not list, or which applicants pay the €120 high fee shown in the fee table. We also did not read the VFS document checklist, which sits on the VFS site.
About the author
Global Affairs & Political Economy Writer
Muhammad Hatim is a book lover who started writing because he enjoys it. At Pakistan Era he writes about international relations, geopolitics and the global economy, with a particular interest in South Asia and the forces behind current events.
