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Submit a Woo request

By way of a WOO request you ask the IND to disclose certain information. WOO is the Dutch abbreviation of the Open Government Act (in Dutch: Wet open overheid or WOO). Find out what the WOO is and how you can submit a WOO request.

What is the WOO?

The WOO governs the right to information about what the government does. An important aim of the Open Government Act (WOO) is that the government discloses more information, allowing citizens to clearly see what the government does. The WOO sees to it that you can submit a WOO request to the IND. The WOO sets out the requirements that apply to a WOO request, and how the IND must handle WOO requests. The WOO replaces the Government Information (Public Access) Act (in Dutch: Wet openbaarheid van bestuur or WOB). You can find out on rijksoverheid.nl (only available in Dutch) which organisations come under the WOO.

WOO request

In a WOO request you ask to receive information from existing documents. Examples of documents include letters, reports, memos and email messages. The requested information must be about the work of the IND. Think for example of our policy and its implementation. Everyone can submit a WOO request.

Requirements

Your WOO request must meet these requirements:

  • Clear description of the information you want to receive.
  • The information you want can be found in existing documents.
  • The IND has the requested information.

Do not forget to place your contact details in the WOO request, such as your telephone number and your email address. Then the IND will be able to contact you quickly if necessary.

What does not qualify as a WOO request?

Not every request for information under the WOO is a WOO request. These requests are not WOO requests:

  • Statistics and numbers, for example of processes to obtain residence in the Netherlands.
  • Information that is already accessible by the public.
  • When the IND is going to decide on an request submitted for a residence permit.
  • How you can apply for a residence permit.

Process of submitting a WOO request

These are the steps in submitting a WOO request:

 

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  • 1. Submit request

  • 2. Costs of submitting a request

  • 3. Wait for decision

  • 4. Decision

Information made public after WOO request

Is the decision positive and you will receive the information you requested? Then the IND makes the information available to the public. This means that everyone can see the information. For example, after a WOO request in 2021, the IND made information reports and work instructions available to the public. The IND can enter the public information in the online information system Publicatieplatform UitvoeringsContent (PUC) of the Dutch Government.

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