Visa Application
The visa application issue in this webpage is relevant (applicable) only for the regular conference participants who have an accepted presentation (oral or poster) during the conference. The fundamental part of assistance towards obtaining visa is to confirm by signed statement, issued by chair of Organising Committee, that an applicant for visa:
(i) has an accepted presentation (oral, poster) at the conference (listing title of presentation), and that
(ii) the applicant registered for his/her attendance at the conference and paid the registration fee.
Note for participants who do NOT have an accepted oral or poster presentation
LuWQ2022 is a conference open to all. It is not a conference based on invitation, participants do not need an invitation. Therefore we cannot send you any invitation!
You can register and pay the registration fee. Conference Secretariat sends you confirmation of your registration and receipt of payment of your registration fee. Use that confirmation, among other documents, to apply for visa. However, make sure that you read in advance on LuWQ2022 website the cancellation conditions regarding refund of the paid fee, which is important and relevant if you do NOT obtain the visa!
The cancellation conditions for refunding part of the paid registration fee are on the webpage 'Cancellations and Changes':
- cancellation costs before May 12, 2022 = EUR 100
- cancellation costs between May 12 and July 11, 2022 = EUR 250
- cancellation after July 11, 2022 = No refund of fee
- all bank charges are at the expense of the participant
- refunds will be processed after the conference
We urgently advice you to apply for visa in time, preferably at least three months before departure.
Information for participants who have an accepted oral or poster presentation
Do I need a visa to enter the Netherlands?
All conference participants travelling to the Netherlands must present a passport (or approved identity card for EU citizens). Some countries require a visa to enter the country. Participants are encouraged to apply for visas early (at least three months before departure), and to ensure all requested documentation is submitted with the application for the visa (Short-stay Schengen visa?). Applications must be submitted in person at the representation of the Netherlands in the respective countries or at a Schengen partner representation, the latter if the Netherlands does not have representation in that country. Participants are urged to contact their nearest Netherlands’ embassy or consulate as early as possible to determine where their application should be made and how long the visa issuing process will take.
Where can I get information?
We suggest that you search for the Netherlands Embassy or Consulate in your country and contact them. They will inform you about the visa you would need.
Most probably you will need a Short-stay Schengen visa. You will find information about this type of visa at:
https://www.netherlandsworldwide.nl/travel/visas-for-the-netherlands/short-stay-schengen-visa
Can LuWQ2022 organisers issue a Conference Invitation Letter?
(here referred to as Visa Application Support Letter)
1..
One of the documents that you may need is a Conference Invitation Letter, which the organisers refer to as Visa Application Support Letter. This Letter can help as it underlines the purpose of the participants travel to Maastricht to LuWQ2022, in case of doubts on the side of visa issuing authority.
The LuWQ2022 Visa Application Support Letter does not guarantee that you will receive a visa. The Letter will only state the conference title, conference dates and location, the payment confirmation of registration fees and that you are 'yes/no' a presenter at the conference.
Please send to the organisers your First Name, FAMILY NAME, Address, Date of Birth, Nationality, Number of passport, Date of passport issue, and Passport expiry date. This information will be included in the Visa Application Support Letter.
2..
If you need a Visa Application Support Letter, the conference organisers can provide this letter once:
(a) you have registered for the conference and
(b) after the payment of your registration fee has been received.
Once you meet these two requirements, please send an e-mail to the conference organisers (karel.kovar@rivm.nl; dico.fraters@rivm.nl), with your full name and the address of the embassy (consulate) where you are going to apply for visa. Let us also know whether you have an oral or poster presentation (or both) and the ID number of your abstract(s). Your request will be processed as soon as possible, and the conference invitation letter (scan) for your visa application will be e-mailed to you.
We regret that no mailing services (postal or courier, etc.) for Visa Application Support Letters can be made.
What if my visa application is denied?
[ Obviously … items 3, 4 and 5 apply only to participants who present their work (oral, poster) at LuWQ2022 ]
3.. IMPORTANT
In case the visa application, for whatever reason, is denied by the Netherlands' Embassy the visa applicant usually receives an official statement that his/her application is denied (without indication of the reason). If you want to be sure that you receive such official statement, please require (e.g. already when applying for visa) that – in case your visa is denied – you indeed receive such official statement. As is outlined below, if your visa application is denied, you will need this official statement as essential requirement (condition) for the refund of (the remainder of) your registration fee by the organisers!
4..
If your visa application is denied please send immediately an e-mail to the conference organisers (webpage Contact Organising Committee). Please inform us at which consulate (country, city) you have applied for visa and attach to the e-mail a high quality scan in colour of the official statement that your application is denied (see 3 above), together with the scan of the passport data sheet, i.e. the passport page with your personal information (name, photo, passport issued at, issued by, issued when, expiry date). Please make sure that also the passport number is clearly visible.
5..
On the condition that the required documents (see 4 above) are emailed to the conference organisers the latest 3 weeks before the start of the conference (this is end Monday 22 August 2022), the registration fee will be fully refunded. However the organisers reserve the right not to refund the registration fee in case of inadequate or false information sent to them. Once again, we urgently advice you to apply for visa in time, preferably at least three months before your planned departure.
Please keep the LuWQ2022 organisers informed
Please keep the conference organisers informed about the progress in obtaining your visa. As the visa applicants have an accepted oral or poster presentation, LuWQ2022 organisers must know by end Monday 22 August 2022 whether visa applicants will actually attend the conference to make their presentation. Please mark 22 August in your calendar, to remind yourself to inform us by this date whether you ‘yes’ or ‘no’ received the visa. We need to know to finalise the conference programme.
IMPORTANT – If we do not receive from you any information about your visa by end Monday 22 August 2022, we will assume that you have not received the visa and therefore will not attend the conference. In that case, your planned presentation will be omitted from the conference programme and from the Volume of Abstracts.