“I have traveled a lot, but just book a flight ticket and travel the world about traveling: that does not exist in India,” says Priya Kini (27). She is an industrial designer in Bangalore and was recently assigned a Schengen visa for her trip to Europe, together with her mother. European countries pursue a joint visa policy. With a Schengen visa you can travel between the participating countries. “Every time I have to prove that I am worth putting money in your economy. It feels so unfair that the place where you were born determines whether you are received with open arms or not.”
With a Dutch passport you travel without obstacles to a large part of the world: you can travel visa -free to 188 of 227 destinations (countries, territorial areas or dwarf states). For short visits to, for example, Egypt or Indonesia you can buy a visa upon arrival in the country. For travel to the United Kingdom or Sri Lanka, no visa is required, but a travel permission (Electronic Travel Authorization, ETA) that you can request online.
Conversely, citizens from countries in Africa and large parts of Asia travel less freely. Less than half of the nationalities can visit the Netherlands without a visa. With a passport from India you can visa -free to 58 destinations, Moroccan citizens travel visa -free to 73 destinations. This is apparent from the Henley Passport Indexa well -known ranking for the strength of passports. The list is based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and compiled by Henley & Partners, a company that mediates in obtaining residence permits and passports through investments.
To trust
Visa are an important tool in diplomatic relationships. Only citizens automatically have the right to enter their own country. All other nationalities depend on agreements between countries or groups of countries such as the EU. “By allowing visa -free travel, countries show: our relationship is good and we trust each other,” says Evelyn Ersanilli, associate professor of political science at the University of Amsterdam.
“Reciprocity is the starting point for visa exemption,” says Huub Verbaats, researcher European migration policy at Clingendael, research institute in the field of international relations. About sixty countries with which the EU has good political and economic relations have been exempt from visa obligation by the European Commission. Forbelled: “An American who comes here can simply report to the border.”
Suppose you are a single man or woman without young children, then you almost certainly fall outside the boat
“There are objective criteria for which visa applications are tested, the EU has laid down in the 2010 Visa Code,” says Verbaats. “Based on those criteria, the risk of migration is estimated, among other things.” If a visa application is rejected, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this is mainly because insufficient information has been provided, the bond with the country of origin has not been sufficiently demonstrated or because return to the country of origin is not plausible.
For a successful visa application you must be able to prove that you have sufficient economic and social bond with your country of origin. Lawyer Hans van Oort: “Suppose you are a single man or woman without young children, then you almost certainly fall outside the boat. Even though your intentions are sincere, it is almost impossible to demonstrate social bonds with your country.” Van Oort assists people who object to a rejected visa application. “You can’t say: for residents from one country it is more difficult to get a visa than for residents of another country. It’s about the personal situation.” An exception to this is war or another unsafe situation in the country of origin.
Second -one
A visa application must be substantiated very meticulously. Industrial designer Kini from India also adds payslips from her parents to her application. “Even though I earn my own money and I have savings. I also have to show how long I have been working for my company and that I have enough vacation days. It sometimes feels like we are being treated as second -class citizens.”
The visa provision sometimes involves more than just complying with the criteria. “It is a subtle game, applying for a visa can also be made difficult,” says political scientist Ersanilli of the UvA. For example, people have to travel far to a visa agency and the number of appointment moments can be limited. “The American consulate in the Netherlands simply did not deal with applications for a few months.” Most Dutch people can request a travel authorization (ESTA) for the US online, people with non-European nationality are affected by this.
Applying for Visa is always hassle and it causes a lot of stress
Razane Boustany (33) was unable to make an appointment for a visa application for the US. She also tried this in Belgium and France. She has a Lebanese passport and lives in the Netherlands. Because of this she had to cancel a study trip. “In one year I had to cancel three trips due to failed visa applications,” she says. Her visa for Senegal was only approved after the planned departure date and due to war in Lebanon, she did not get a work visa for the United Arab Emirates.
“I would organize events abroad. I could have met people there and share my knowledge,” says Boustany. She notices that many people have no idea what it’s like to travel without a European passport. “Applying for visas is always hassle and it causes a lot of stress. In addition, it takes a lot of time and money, and you have no guarantee of success.”