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Source: Karolina Grabowska
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This is what you can do if the IND is late in deciding your asylum case

Last updated: 18/02/2025, 23:38

The IND must decide on your asylum application in time. If the IND does not decide on time, you can officially ask the IND to make a decision within 2 weeks. This is called "notice of default".

The IND now has 15 months to decide on your asylum application

The law states that the

Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND)
has 6 months to decide on your asylum application. But for several years, the IND has been unable to do so within that time. So the Dutch government has decided to give the IND an extra 9 months. So now the IND may take 15 months to decide on your asylum application.

Sometimes the IND can also extend this period by 2x3 months. It is only unclear in which cases this can and cannot be done.

Once you sign the asylum application, the 15-month period begins to run

The 15 months the IND officially has starts from the day you sign your asylum application at the

Department of Aliens Police, Identification and Human Trafficking (AVIM)
. You will then receive a letter from them with the date you applied for asylum. Most of that 15 months is spent waiting for the 2nd interview with the IND
. You usually have the first interview with the IND within a month of applying for asylum. But between the 1st interview with the IND and the 2nd interview is currently more than a year. Only upon the 2nd interview with the IND does the asylum procedure officially start.

Ask the IND officially to make a decision within 2 weeks if they are late

Does the IND fail to decide on your asylum application within 15 months? Then you and your lawyer can declare the IND 'in default'. You officially inform the IND that they do not comply with the rule to decide within 15 months. And you ask them to make a decision within 2 weeks.

You do this as follows:

  1. Ask your lawyer to support you in this and fill out the IND form

    . The IND will process the notice of default only if it is received by post or fax. Send your printed and completed form by registered mail to:  Immigration and Naturalisation Service   PO Box 14   9560 AA TER APEL  or to fax number: 088 043 29 51

2. Make sure you have completed all fields. Is your application not complete? Then the IND can reject your application. Make sure that your application is complete at the moment you send your application to the IND.

This is what happens if the IND makes a decision within 2 weeks

If the IND responds to your "notice of default" and still makes a decision on your asylum application within 2 weeks, the asylum procedure is complete. You have received a decision. Your asylum application is approved or rejected. Read more about the follow-up here:RefugeeHelp - The IND makes a decision. Will you get a residence permit asylum or not?

If the IND still doesn not make a decision you can go to court

After your notice of default, does the IND still not make a decision within 2 weeks? Then you can go to court. This is called 'going to appeal'. Ask your lawyer for help with this too. You can appeal as follows:

  1. To start proceedings, you and your lawyer file a notice of appeal with the court. A notice of appeal is a document you use to start proceedings against the government.

  2. Sometimes you have to come to court with your lawyer, but usually not. The court often decides these types of cases by looking only at the documents. The court asks the IND to send all the documents of the case and explain why they have not made a decision yet. You then do not have to go to court. If you do have to go to court, you will get a letter about this from the court.

The court will make a decision no later than 8 weeks after receiving your notice of appeal. If the court needs more time, the court will inform you. The ruling will be sent to your address.

This is what happens if the court decides you are right

If the court decides that you are right, the IND must make a quick decision on your application. Usually the court gives the IND additional time to do this. If the IND also fails to make a decision within that period, the court can impose a fine on the IND. By doing so, the court hopes to force the IND to make a quick decision after all.


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The information you will find on this platform comes from the human rights organisation VluchtelingenWerk Nederland, in cooperation with its partners.
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