The border procedure: seeking asylum when you arrive at an airport or port
You will have a 1st interview with the IND during the asylum procedure at Schiphol Airport
The closed reception centre at Schiphol also houses an office of the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND). You will have the interviews with them about your asylum application. During the 1st interview, the IND will ask questions about you and about your flight to the Netherlands. And the IND checks whether your details are correct.
The IND asks this during the interview
During the interview, the
There is an interpreter who speaks your language at the interview with the IND
The IND employee asks the questions in Dutch. The interpreter translates them for you. The interpreter also translates your answers into Dutch. The interpreter is independent, does not work for the IND and has no influence on the decision about your asylum application. As interpreters are very busy, you might get an interpreter who speaks a different dialect. Tell me immediately if the interpreter and you cannot understand each other properly. It is important that no misunderstandings arise because the interpreter and you do not understand each other well.
This is what you need to know to prepare
Your 1st interview with the IND is alone, without a lawyer. You will only get a lawyer just before the 2nd interview.
It is very important that you say the same thing in the 2nd interview with the IND as you did in the 1st interview. For example, about your family members. Be honest about your family members during the interview. If you later want to apply for family reunification, the IND will check if you talked about your family members during the interview.
During all spoken interviews with the IND, you are allowed to take notes. You can make a timeline to remember important dates. If you cannot remember a date, be honest with the IND. During the interview with the IND, you can hand in documents that support your story.
This is how to submit documents to the IND during the asylum procedure
You may end up in a shorter procedure
Does the IND think you come from a
The IND handles your asylum application in an accelerated procedure
Does the IND think you have previously applied for asylum in another European country? Or that you have a residence permit for another EU country? Then the IND will process your application for asylum in the
The IND handles your asylum application in the Dublin procedure