An entry ban prevents you from travelling to the Netherlands, other EU/EEA countries and Switzerland. Read which countries belong to the EU/EEA. You are not allowed to stay in these countries either. The IND, the Aliens Police (AVIM), Seaport Police or Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (border police) can impose an entry ban on you.
In the following situations an entry ban can be imposed:
Are you staying in the Netherlands with a short stay visa or during your permit-exempt term? Are you unable to leave the Netherlands due to circumstances beyond your own control? Please, call or write us. There are some cases in which you can get an extension of your visa or permit-exempt term.
The entry ban is imposed in a decision. Being imposed means receiving. The decision states the length of the entry ban. It also states for which countries the entry ban applies. In the event of an entry ban your personal details are usually registered in the Schengen Information System (SIS) with the note 'refuse entry'. This applies to all Schengen countries. Read which countries belong to the Schengen area.
The entry ban comes into force once you have actually left the Netherlands and the EU/EEA countries or Switzerland. You are breaking the law if you do not comply with the entry ban.
It depends on your situation how long an entry ban lasts:
An entry ban may be part of another decision. For example, part of the rejection of an application for a residence permit. If you can apply for review of the other decision, you can also apply for review of the entry ban. The entry ban decision states whether you can wait for the application for review or appeal in the Netherlands.
An entry ban can also be issued against you separately. This means the entry ban is not part of another decision. You can then appeal directly to the Aliens Division (Vreemdelingenkamer) of the court of The Hague. You are not allowed to wait for this decision in the Netherlands.
The Dutch government enters an alert of your entry ban. This means that your entry ban and personal data are registered in an information system. In most cases this is the Schengen Information System (SIS). Governments of all the EU/EEA countries and Switzerland are affiliated to the SIS. Because of an entry ban you do not have access to the countries in the Schengen area. Read which countries belong to the Schengen area.
N.B. Has another EU/EEA country or Switzerland imposed an entry ban on you? Then you must request the other country to lift the entry ban.
As a minimum the following documents have to be included in the request to lift the entry ban:
Please send your request to:
Immigration and Naturalisation Service
Title and Identity
P.O. Box 10
9560 AA TER APEL
A return decision (terugkeerbesluit or TKB) is a written declaration or court ruling. It states that you are not (no longer) lawfully resident in the Netherlands. This also means that you will have to leave the Netherlands, the territory of EU (except Ireland), EEA and Switzerland. This is called an obligation to return. Read which countries belong to the EU/EEA. A return decision cannot be imposed on an
EU/EEA or Swiss citizen.
The return decision states the time frame within which you have to leave the Netherlands, the territory of EU (except Ireland), EEA and Switzerland. The departure period is determined on a case-by-case basis. The standard period is 4 weeks (28 days). A period of 0 days is also possible. This is an immediate obligation to leave the country combined with an entry ban.
Do you have a temporary residence permit in the Netherlands that has expired? Or has your application been rejected? You then no longer have lawful residence in the Netherlands. You have to leave the Netherlands, the territory of EU (except Ireland), EEA and Switzerland as soon as possible. If you fail to do so yourself, the AVIM (Aliens Police) or the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee can then impose a return decision.
The following situations form an exception to this rule:
Your application for a residence permit has been rejected. This decision is given in the form of a letter: the formal decision. This decision is also a return decision.
You are given a certain time frame within which you have to leave the Netherlands, the territory of EU (except Ireland), EEA and Switzerland: the departure period. The departure period is established on a case-by-case basis. The standard period is 28 days (4 weeks). It may also be that you are not given a departure period (a so-called 0-day period). If this is the case, you have to leave the Netherlands, the territory of EU (except Ireland), EEA and Switzerland immediately.
A pronouncement of undesirability is an administrative measure. The purpose of this is to ban someone from the Netherlands who is no longer allowed to stay in the Netherlands. In most cases a pronouncement of undesirability is imposed on someone who has committed a crime.
When assessing whether you will be pronounced undesirable the IND balances all interests concerned. The national interest (public order and national security) and your own personal and (possibly) family interests are considered.
The pronouncement of undesirability is imposed by the IND. This is done as a decision. This decision is issued to you by the police. This will be accompanied by a leaflet with information about the pronouncement of undesirability. If it is not possible to issue the decision in person, your pronouncement of undesirability will then in any event be published in the Government Gazette.
The pronouncement of undesirability has immediate effect. If you are pronounced undesirable, you have to leave the Netherlands immediately (personal obligation to leave the country). Afterwards you are no longer allowed to enter or stay in the Netherlands.
If, however, you still remain in the Netherlands or enter the Netherlands when you have been pronounced undesirable, you are breaking the law. You can then be sentenced to imprisonment for a maximum period of 6 months. After having served the prison sentence, you can be expelled from the Netherlands. You do not have access to the Netherlands as long as your pronouncement of undesirability is in effect.
You can appeal against a pronouncement of undesirability. You are not allowed to wait for this decision in the Netherlands. If you have officially been pronounced undesirable and have left the Netherlands, then you can submit a written request after a certain period of time to have the pronouncement of undesirability lifted after a certain period of time.
As a minimum the following documents have to be included in the request to lift the pronouncement of undesirability:
Please send your request to:
Immigration and Naturalisation Service
Title and Identity
P.O. Box 10
9560 AA TER APEL
Public order is peace and order on the street and in public spaces. The government organises and controls this peace and order in society. Someone who is a danger to the public order is someone who disrupts this order, for example, someone who commits an offence. The IND therefore checks whether an individual has any registered convictions. We also check whether that person is currently a serious threat to society.