Requirements for an asylum residence permit

Last updated: 12/06/2026, 07:34

Do you want to apply for asylum in the Netherlands? In that case, the IND will assess whether you meet the criteria and whether you will be granted asylum. You can only apply for asylum if you are in the Netherlands.

You can only apply for asylum if you are in the Netherlands

Are you not in the Netherlands, but in another country? Then you cannot apply for asylum in the Netherlands. You must be in the Netherlands to apply for asylum. Nor can you apply for asylum online.

You can get an asylum residence permit for these reasons

You can get an asylum residence permit in Dutch if:

For good reason, you fear persecution in your country of origin because of your ethnicity, religion, citizenship, political opinion or because you belong to a social group that is discriminated against.
You are at risk of facing the death penalty, torture or some other form of inhumane treatment in your country of origin.
For good reason, you fear becoming a victim of violence from an armed struggle, such as war, in your country of origin.

This is agreed upon in international treaties. For example, in the

Refugee Convention

. The Netherlands has signed these treaties. These treaties state how refugees should be treated. In the Netherlands, the

Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND)

assesses whether you can be granted asylum because of the above reasons.

Only for 1 of the 3 reasons above can you get a residence permit asylum in the Netherlands. Not for any other reason, such as because you are sick or because you would like to work in the Netherlands.

There are two different types of asylum permits in the Netherlands

Does the IND consider you eligible for asylum? If so, you can be granted an asylum residence permit. There are two types of asylum residence permits in the Netherlands. You can be granted a residence permit

as a refugee

as a beneficiary of subsidiary protection

. The IND decides whether you will be granted a temporary asylum residence permit and, if so, which type. It is important that you are granted asylum for the right reasons. Read about the difference between these two asylum permits here:

Asylum permit as a refugee
This permit is given to you if the IND finds that you have a personal risk of persecution in your country of origin. Due to your race or citizenship), religion, political opinion or because you belong to a certain social group. For example, because you are an
LGBTQIA+ individual
.
Asylum permit as a beneficiary of subsidiary protection
You will be granted this permit if the IND considers that your country of origin is dangerous for anyone from there due to war or violence. Or if you are personally at risk of the death penalty, torture or another form of inhumane treatment in your own country.

Has the IND decided to grant you an asylum residence permit? The letter you receive from the IND will state whether this is a permit as a refugee or as a person granted subsidiary protection. Both permits are valid for 3 years.

It is important to get asylum for the right reason

The difference in residence permit does not seem important because you have the same rights in the Netherlands during your stay. However, it is important because it sometimes affects how long and why you are allowed to stay in the Netherlands. And if you want to bring your family to the Netherlands, the type of asylum residence permit you have is also important.

If the war and violence in your country of origin have ended, you may lose your asylum status as a beneficiary of subsidiary protection. However, according to the IND, you are still at risk if you have asylum status as a refugee. Even if the situation in your country has improved. This is because the country is still dangerous for you due to your citizenship, race, political opinion or because you belong to a particular religious or social group. You can therefore remain in the Netherlands for as long as your residence permit is valid.

You should therefore make sure that, when applying for asylum, you explain clearly and in detail why you fled.

The IND can revoke your residence permit in the following cases

Do you have an asylum residence permit as a refugee, but are you no longer personally at risk in your country of origin? If so, the IND can revoke your asylum residence permit. For example, if your country of origin is once again safe for your religious or social group. Or if people of your citizenship or ethnicity are no longer being persecuted.

Do you have an asylum residence permit as a beneficiary of subsidiary protection, but has your country of origin become safe again? If so, the IND can revoke your asylum residence permit. For example, because the war in your country of origin has ended.

How to apply for asylum in the Netherlands

Do you want to apply for asylum? Then read how to apply for the asylum procedure in ter Apel here.

Registering in Ter Apel

On this page you can read about applying for asylum in the Netherlands. You then report to the application centre in the village of Ter Apel. Here you can apply for asylum with the IND and the Dutch police will register your application.

More information

How long does the asylum procedure take in the Netherlands?

Under the standard asylum procedure, the IND has six months to decide on your asylum application. Under the accelerated asylum procedure, the IND must reach a decision within three months. Both timeframes may be extended in certain cases. Read here to find out why this is the case and what the waiting times are:

This is how long the asylum procedure takes

How long does the asylum procedure take and what are the waiting times? You can read more about this on this page.