Asylum

Protection for people who are entitled to it

Asylum is meant for people who flee from persecution or violence in their own country. This could be because of their nationality, ethnicity, religion or political beliefs. Or because they belong to a certain group. The Netherlands also provides protection if asylum seekers are afraid of inhuman treatment in their own country, or if they are affected by war. Every asylum seeker who reports in the Netherlands goes through the asylum procedure. Every application is decided on a case by case basis.

This is how we work

Screening

With the introduction of the European Pact on Asylum and Migration (on 12 June 2026), the IND has become a screening authority. Anyone wanting to apply for asylum and is already in the Netherlands after having crossed the border illegally, and has not yet undergone screening, will from 12 June 2026 go through the Reception and Preparation for Asylum Applications (OVA) phase at the IND in Ter Apel. The tasks assigned to the IND under the Screening Regulation to identify asylum applicants are part of the OVA phase. For asylum seekers who report themselves at the external border at Schiphol, these tasks are carried out by the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (KMar). During this stage, at the start of the asylum procedure, the IND establishes someone’s identity and carries out the initial security checks. Under the Screening Regulation, the IND consults European databases to identify any security risks. If necessary, these issues are discussed in more detail during the asylum interview.

Interview

What if someone comes from a safe country? Or has already been given protection in another country? Then the asylum application will be rejected. The application will also be rejected if someone has a pending asylum application in another EU country. If the asylum application can continue, the applicant will be given time to rest and  prepare. The COA provides accommodation. The asylum seeker will receive information from the Dutch Council for Refugees (in Dutch: Vluchtelingenwerk Nederland) and can prepare for the asylum interview (together with a lawyer)

Decision

After this, a detailed interview takes place with an IND staff member. We investigate whether the asylum seeker’s story is true: is it credible? We then make a report of this interview. The lawyer can supplement the report. Finally, the IND decides whether the applicant will receive a residence permit or not. Or whether more time is needed for a decision

Taking great care

The IND´s interview and decision staff assess the asylum applications. We do this with the possible greatest care. The decisions we take have a huge impact on people’s lives. That is why every applicant gets the attention they deserve.

Well-trained staff

We give our new staff a year’s training. In this period, they are given intensive guidance. They often get a lot of practical experience following and learning how to assess applications. They also gain a lot of knowledge about countries of origin and processes and practice bringing up difficult situations for discussion. Experienced staff members also regularly take extra courses and training.

Attention paid to complex cases

Working carefully is not the only important thing for us. We also want to decide as quickly as possible. We understand that it is not good to leave people in uncertainty about their application for an unnecessarily long time.
Partly for this reason we have so called decisive action teams. They help our interview and decision staff to take decisions in complex situations. In addition, we have specially trained coordinators for cases involving, for example, conversion or an LGBTI background.