New laws and regulations on asylum and family reunification

On 12 June 2026, new European asylum rules will come into effect: the European Pact on Migration and Asylum. The European rules have been elaborated in a Dutch legislative proposal. This proposal is called (in Dutch): de Uitvoerings- en implementatiewet Asiel- en migratiepact 2026. On 26 May 2026, the Senate voted in favor of this law. This means that the new rules will take effect as of 12 June. 

On 21 April, the Senate already voted in favor of the Two-status system introduction Act. This has implications for asylum family reunification. It is currently unclear when this Act will come into effect. It is expected that tis will also be on 12 June.  

All measures below are included in these laws. 

The rules for family reunification are changing. When exactly this will be is not yet clear. From that moment, you can apply for family reunification for:

• Your biological or adopted children under 18 years of age.
• Your partner, to whom you are legally married.

You will no longer be able to apply for family reunification for the following family members:

• Your partner to whom you are not legally married.
• Your foster child.
• Your adult children. 

Only in rare situations are they entitled to a residence permit for family members under Article 8 ECHR. This is a more stringent assessment than for family reunification. Did you apply for family reunification for these family members before the law takes effect? Then the IND will assess whether they are entitled to a residence permit under Article 8 ECHR. You do not need to make a new application for this.  

Did you come to the Netherlands without parents, and did you apply for asylum before you turned 18? Then you will be able to apply for family reunification for:

• Your parents. 
• Your siblings under 18 years of age, if you apply for family reunification for your parent(s) at the same time.

Reason for your asylum residence permit (Two-status system)

You can get an asylum residence permit for 2 reasons: 

• Refugee (a): you are personally at risk of persecution in your country. For example, because of your origin, religion or political affiliation. 
• Subsidiary protection (b): you are at risk in your country because the general situation is unsafe. For example, because of violence or war. 

We call this your status. 

Requirements for subsidiary protection

The rules for family reunification are currently still the same for both statuses. But when the law takes effect, three additional requirements will apply if you have subsidiary protection (b):

• After you receive your asylum residence permit, you must wait 2 years before applying for family reunification.
• You must have sufficient independent, long-term income. This means your income is high enough and you receive it for a long enough period. And that you pay taxes and contributions on the income.
• You must have housing.

Check your status in your decision

Have you received a decision from the IND stating that you are granted an asylum residence permit? If so, you can find your status in that decision. On the first page of the decision, you will find the grounds on which you were granted the residence permit. This is described in one of the following ways:

• You are granted an asylum residence permit under Article 29, paragraph 1(a), of the Aliens Act (Vw) (in Dutch: U krijgt een verblijfsvergunning asiel op grond van artikel 29, eerste lid, aanhef en onder a, Vw)

 This means that you are recognised as a refugee. 

• You are granted an asylum residence permit under Article 29, paragraph 1(b), of the Aliens Act (Vw). (in Dutch: U krijgt een verblijfsvergunning asiel op grond van artikel 29, eerste lid, aanhef en onder b, Vw) 

This means that you have subsidiary protection.

In My IND, you can view this decision until about one month after you have received your residence permit. Can you no longer view your decision? Then call the asylum family reunification information line.

On 12 June 2026, the asylum procedure is changing. This is due to new European rules. The aim is to decide more quickly whether you can stay in the Netherlands. This is being done with the following changes: 

• There will be only one interview with the IND on the reasons you want asylum. There will no longer be an application interview.
• There will no longer be a compulsory medical examination. This will only still be done if there is reason for it.  
• You will no longer receive an intended decision (in Dutch: voornemen) to which you can respond. You will receive a final decision on your application immediately. If you disagree with the decision, you can appeal to the court. 
• The IND can give you information about the asylum procedure. This is called legal information. For example, if you have questions about your rights. 
• You will be given a lawyer shortly before your asylum interview.
• The IND records your asylum interview, and your lawyer can listen back to the interview.
• If you fail to show up for your appointments during the asylum procedure, the IND can take a negative decision on your asylum application sooner. 
• You will be informed as standard within 6 months whether you are allowed to stay in the Netherlands. In the accelerated procedure, this is 3 months. You follow this procedure, for example, if you come from a safe country. 

Have you been granted an asylum residence permit? From 12 June, the following is changing: 

• An asylum residence permit is currently valid for 5 years. This will be 3 years. You must therefore apply for a new residence document (card) every 3 years. If on 12 June 2026 you hold a temporary asylum residence permit, you keep this residence document until it is no longer valid. You then apply for the renewal of your asylum residence document.
• There is no longer a permanent asylum residence permit. If on 12 June 2026 you hold a permanent asylum residence permit, you keep this residence permit. You will still be able to renew your document. 

Applied for permanent asylum residence permit 

Have you already applied for a permanent asylum residence permit? And have you not yet received a decision by 12 June? The IND will assess your application as a renewal of your asylum residence document. You will receive a letter from us. You will receive a refund of the application fees for the permanent residence permit. Is your asylum residence permit valid for longer than 3 months? Then we will not renew your document yet.

There are a number of reasons why we cannot make a decision before 12 June. For example:

• You do not meet the requirement that you have resided in the Netherlands with a residence permit for at least 5 years by 12 June.
• The application fees have not yet been paid.
• Your application is not complete. We have sent you a letter. You still have to respond to that letter.
• You have received an intended decision because we plan not to grant you permanent asylum.

When not to apply for a permanent asylum residence permit

Do you not meet all the requirements for a permanent asylum residence permit on June 12? For example, because you have not yet resided in the Netherlands for 5 years with an asylum residence permit before 12 June? Then the IND cannot decide on your application before 12 June. For this reason, it no longer makes sense to apply for this residence permit. 

Residence permit for long-term EU residents

Have you lived in the Netherlands for at least 5 years with a valid residence permit? And do you currently have an asylum residence permit? Then you may be entitled to a residence permit for long-term EU residents.

From 12 June, the IND will assess second or following asylum applications more strictly. Are you submitting new information that clearly increases the likelihood of you being granted a residence permit? Only in that case will the IND assess your application.