The Royal Netherlands Marechaussee can issue an entry ban when a person breaks immigration laws or breaches their visa conditions. An entry ban means that you are no longer allowed to travel to the Netherlands or any other countries in the EU or EEA (except Ireland) or Switzerland.
When you can be given an entry ban
You can only be given an entry ban to the Netherlands if you have had a return decision and do not have the nationality of one of the EU or EEA countries or Switzerland.
The Marechaussee might apply an entry ban if:
- you have received a return decision. And you have not left the Netherlands, other EU or EEA country or Switzerland in time;
- you have received a departure deadline of 0 days. And no exception from imposing (giving) an entry ban has been granted;
- you overstay. You have overstayed in the following situations:
- your visa is no longer valid, and you have not left the Schengen Area in time;
- you remain longer than the visa-exempt period. The visa-exempt period is the maximum amount of time during which you are allowed to be in the Schengen Area without a visa. This is 90 days out of a period of 180 days;
- you are in the visa-exempt period, but you no longer fulfil the general rules of the visa-exempt period. For example, because you do not have enough means.
Consequences of entry ban to the Netherlands
If you have an entry ban and you travel to the Netherlands or stay in the Netherlands, you can get a prison sentence of up to 6 months or a high fine. The Dutch government can transport you across the border. Even if your prison sentence has ended.
Recording of entry ban
The entry ban will be recorded in an information system. This is called a signal. Other countries can see that you have an entry ban. The decision states in which system you will be recorded. There are 2 systems:
- Implementation & Detection (in Dutch: Executie & Signalering or E&S): This is an information system of the Dutch police and the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee. Only the Dutch police and the Marechaussee can look into the E&S.
- Schengen Information System (SIS): all border guards of Schengen countries can look into the SIS.
Do you no longer have an entry ban? Then we will delete the record from the information systems.
Find out more on the Immigration and Naturalisation Service's website.