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Persons journeying in connection with family reunification to IND in Zevenaar and no longer to Ter Apel
Last update: 6 March 2023
From 6 March 2023 all family members journeying in connection with family reunification can apply after their arrival in the Netherlands at the IND in Zevenaar. This will reduce the burden on the application centre in Ter Apel. Each week about 200 to 300 family members of permit holders apply there. This change, that was made in close cooperation with the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) will immediately relieve the pressure on Ter Apel.
Before their departure to the Netherlands, family members journeying in connection with family reunification receive an entry visa. After applying at the IND in Zevenaar they receive their residence document. For the rest they only have to register after arrival in the Personal Records Database (BRP).
Pilot journeying in connection with family reunification in Zevenaar
The wish has existed for a longer time not to have persons journeying in connection with family reunification go to Ter Apel. That is why a pilot was started in 2021 in Zevenaar with persons travelling in connection with family reunification who do not need to be accommodated in an asylum seekers’ centre because they can live with their families in the Netherlands. Based on experiences with this group, the IND in Zevenaar has been equipped to handle the process of all persons journeying in connection with family reunification.
By appointment only
To ensure quick outflow, application in Zevenaar is only possible by appointment. As soon as the flight ticket to the Netherlands has been booked, an appointment can be made online. Then the IND immediately starts preparing for the appointment.
The COA arranges the initial reception of the family members journeying in connection with family reunification. Three hotels are available for this, in Zevenaar and in Duiven. After going through the IND process, the persons journeying in connection with family reunification are transferred to a COA reception centre elsewhere in the Nederlands or to family with a suitable place to stay.