The IND office building in Ter Apel.
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You cannot apply for asylum in the Netherlands if you are abroad

Last updated: 25/09/2024, 11:27

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

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

You must physically be in the Netherlands to apply for asylum. You apply for asylum at the application centre in the village of Ter Apel.

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.

Are you arriving by plane at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam? Then you do not apply for asylum in Ter Apel, you apply for asylum at the airport in the Netherlands.

Arrival at Schiphol Airport

On this page you can read more about applying for asylum at Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands.

Requirements for an asylum residence permit

You can apply for asylum in the Netherlands under certain conditions. The Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) assesses whether you meet those conditions. After that, the IND will also determine whether you will get an asylum a or b residence permit.

The Netherlands may decide that another European country should process your asylum application

During your registration in Ter Apel or at Schiphol Airport, the police will ask questions about your identity and family members. The police also check whether you were previously registered in another European country. If so, this country will probably have to process your asylum application. 

The Dublin procedure

The Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) may decide that another European country should process your asylum application. You will then enter the Dublin procedure. Read more here about how the Dublin procedure works.

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