Legal Aid & Registration

Have you just arrived in the Netherlands and are you looking for information about legal procedures? Below you will find information about asylum procedures in the Netherlands, applying for a visa, legal assistance and assistance with returning to your own country.

  • Temporary protection

    Refugees from Ukraine are subject to special rules: the Temporary Protection. They do not have to apply for asylum immediately if they come from Ukraine. They go through the following steps:

    1. Registering in the Personal Records Database (BRP) of the municipality of Apeldoorn
    2. Register at Immigration (IND).
    3. Walk through if necessary asylum procedure.

    Note: Only share your information with authorities, not intermediaries. Be careful when approached by other individuals asking for your personal information.

     

    Who is covered by temporary protection?

    Refugees from Ukraine are subject to special rules, namely the Temporary Protection Directive. You can register with the Municipality of Apeldoorn. The Directive gives the right to care, healthcare and education for minors in the Netherlands. And it gives the opportunity to work. The special rules for refugees from Ukraine apply to the following groups:

    1. Ukrainians who traveled from Ukraine after November 26, 2021.
    2. Ukrainians who can prove that they were already in the Netherlands before 27 November 2021 and not in another EU country.
    3. People of other nationalities who were refugees recognized by Ukraine on February 23, 2022.
    4. People of other nationalities who had a valid Ukrainian residence permit on February 23, 2022.
    5. The partners, minor children and dependent family members of persons covered by the scheme.

    This is evident from the website of the IND.

  • Register BRP

    Here you will find information about how to register with the Personal Records Database (BRP). How this should be done depends on your situation:

    • Registration BRP for Ukrainians
    • BRP registration for refugees with a different nationality
    • Registration BRP without proof of identification

     

    What is the BRP?

    Your personal data is stored in the Personal Records Database (BRP). You register in the BRP with the municipality where you are staying.

    BSN

    Everyone who registers in the BRP for the first time is given a citizen service number (BSN). You need this, for example, when you go to work. When you start working, you pass on your citizen service number (BSN) to your employer.

    DigiD

    When you have received a citizen service number (BSN), you can apply for a DigiD. With a DigiD you can show who you are online. You need this if you want to arrange online business with the government. More information about applying for a DigiD can be found on the DigiD website. DigiD.

  • Please note: it is temporarily not possible to make an appointment with the IND.

    The Temporary Protection Directive (2001/55 EC) entitles the Netherlands to shelter and medical care. And education for minor children. It also gives the opportunity to work. Refugees from Ukraine must register in the Municipal Personal Records Database (BRP) after arrival. After that, they must make an appointment with the IND as soon as possible to collect a proof of residence. This allows them to stay in the Netherlands until 4 March 2023. This proof can be collected until 31 October 2022 at the latest. The IND has temporarily stopped issuing the stickers. Read more about this in the following document

    View the latest news about the IND appointment planner here

    Only a few regions will be served at short notice and you can book a time slot until August 1. New dates and locations are occasionally added to the online appointment planner. Keep an eye on the planner for new time slots. Don’t live near a pick-up location? Or can’t you find a date that suits you? Then try to make an appointment at a later time.

     

    Do not travel to other regions

    To avoid disappointment, it is important that you do not travel to another region to collect proof of residence. This is not the intention. Only make an appointment in your own region. Is there no location in your region for collecting proof of residence? Then wait until a location is available in your region. The IND aims to enable everyone to collect proof of residence before 1 September 2022.

    Get proof of residence

    The IND will start issuing proof of residence from 4 July to refugees from Ukraine who are registered in the BRP and who fall under Temporary Protection. This is done step by step, which means that it is not possible for everyone to immediately collect proof of residence from 4 July.

     

    Forms of evidence

    There are different forms of proof of residence:

    • Sticker in the passport: All Ukrainian women and Ukrainian men aged 60 years or older (on February 24, 2022) who have a passport will receive a sticker in their passport.
    • Sticker on a loose paper: Ukrainian men under the age of 60 (on February 24, 2022), Ukrainians with an identity document or statement from the Ukrainian embassy, ​​or persons with a passport that expires before March 4, 2023 will receive a sticker on a loose paper.
    • Pass: Persons who do not have a passport, identity card, or declaration from the Ukrainian embassy, ​​but who are covered by the Temporary Protection Directive, and Ukrainian children aged 14 or older without an identity card will receive a pass. Please note: you cannot travel with the pass.

     

    Length of stay

    Refugees who have proof of residence may stay in the Netherlands for the duration of the protection measure. This is currently until March 4, 2023. This can be a maximum of three years, so until March 4, 2025. The asylum application of refugees from Ukraine will not be processed further as long as they fall under the special rules. When the temporary protection ends, refugees can choose to persevere their asylum application. In the meantime, they are entitled to shelter, work, care and education.

    Een initiatief van:
    Navara
  • Asylum procedure

    Different rules apply to refugees from Ukraine than to refugees from other countries. Refugees from Ukraine, for example, do not have to go to the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) in Ter Apel. Refugees from Ukraine must register in the municipality where they reside. They can go to emergency reception locations specially set up for them or they can stay temporarily with acquaintances and host families. After they have been registered in the BRP, refugees can make an appointment with the IND to submit an asylum application. This gives them proof of the fact that they fall under the special rules for refugees from Ukraine (Temporary Protection). Make an appointment via this website potaal.refugeepass.nl. This means that they do make an asylum application, but it is not examined individually. When the temporary protection ends, it is still possible for refugees from Ukraine to have their asylum application processed.

  • Return

    Some refugees from Ukraine want to return to their homeland. Due to the security situation in Ukraine, we cannot advise on this. It is still unclear whether (temporary) return may have consequences for a possible future stay in the Netherlands.

    Flowchart return Ukrainian refugees

    Would you like more information about returning to Ukraine or about traveling on to another country within or outside the European Union? To this end, the national government has a developed a  flowchart with relevant information. This flowchart is only available in Dutch and is primarily intended for municipalities and other organizations involved.

    What does the Return & Departure Service do?

    The Return & Departure Service (DT&V) supports the return of refugees from Ukraine. This also applies to refugees from Ukraine with a different nationality. This support consists of information and advice, support in arranging (replacement) travel documents and assistance with transport to Ukraine. Usually this concerns transport to a direct neighboring country of Ukraine, such as flights to Warsaw or Krakow in Poland. From there trains and buses run to Ukraine. Local aid organizations in Poland can help with transit.

  • Passport

    Apply for a passport

    If you want to apply for a passport, you must do so at the consular service of the Ukrainian embassy in the Netherlands. For this you have to make an appointment with the  embassy. For more information, see the pinned post (in Ukrainian) at the top of the  Facebook-page of the Ukrainian embassy.

    Extend passport

    You can also renew your passport at the Ukrainian embassy. For that you go to the visiting hours of the embassy. This service is free. For more information, see the pinned post (in Ukrainian) at the top of the  Facebook-page.

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