You apply in Ter Apel
In order to apply for asylum in the Netherlands, report to the application centre in the village of Ter Apel. Here you apply for asylum with the IND and the Dutch police register your application.
Register with the IND
After your arrival in Ter Apel, you must register with the
Your name
Your date of birth
Your country of origin
Which family members are travelling with you
What language you speak
Why you fled
You will receive a letter from the IND. This letter states the date you applied.
The interview with the police
When your turn comes, you can go to the police (
Your name
Your date of birth
Your place of birth
Whether you have relatives in the Netherlands
What language you speak
Why you fled
The police take pictures of you and take your fingerprints. The police record your information, photos and fingerprints in a Dutch national system: the
You get a number in this system. This is called '
You will also receive a card with your passport photo, personal information and your 'V-nummer' on it. This card is called the
You sign your asylum application at the police station. This is called the
The police will also search your clothing and luggage. The police might confiscate your phone or other items to search. If the police seize your items, you will get a confirmation of this on paper. Look after this piece of paper carefully. You can pick up these things later with the paper.
This is how to submit documents to the IND during the asylum procedure
Report to VluchtelingenWerk if you have not already been to the police
Sometimes there is time between your registration with the IND and the interview with the police. If you have not been to the police and also do not have an appointment to go to the police in Ter Apel or Budel, then visit
Sometimes there are not enough places in reception centres
Also, sometimes there are not enough places in the reception centre in Ter Apel. Therefore, sometimes during your application process you will be taken to a
The application in Ter Apel may take a long time
Bear in mind that it can take a long time for the IND and the police to register you. The IND and the police are very busy. Both organisations do not have enough staff to process the number of asylum applications, and therefore the application process can take a long time.
The remainder of the steps in this series on the asylum process do not apply to you if:
You come from a country that the Dutch government says is safe:
The IND handles your asylum application in an accelerated procedure
The IND handles your asylum application in the Dublin procedure