
Welcome to the Netherlands
Welcome to the Netherlands

Current information
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RefugeeHelp: the online starting point for you
Welcome to RefugeeHelp! You will find information here for all refugees in the Netherlands. RefugeeHelp replaces the ForRefugees website and is the online platform for information about your situation.

Only medical urgency speeds up reunification with family in earthquake zone
Do you have family members in the earthquake zone in Turkey and Syria? If so, you may want to apply for family reunification. There is (almost) no possibility to speed up that process. You can read more about it on this page.

What you need to know if the earthquake makes you want to go to Turkey or Syria
If you have relatives in the earthquake area in Turkey or Syria and want to go there, this may have negative consequences for your asylum application in the Netherlands. Read below what you need to consider.

Family members allowed to enter Netherlands immediately after reunification approval
If family reunification is approved, family members no longer have to wait to come to the Netherlands. The Council of State ruled that on Wednesday.

Court ruling: asylum shelter must improve
The shelter of refugees must be more humane. The court has decided this. VluchtelingenWerk (VWN) filed a lawsuit against the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) and the Dutch State. VluchtelingenWerk did so because some 18,000 asylum seekers have been sheltered in poor circumstances.

Christmas and New Year's Eve: this is how it is celebrated
December is a holiday month in the Netherlands. The holidays of Christmas and New Year's Eve are celebrated then. Most people in the Netherlands celebrate these holidays with family and friends. You can read in this article about how these holidays are celebrated. You can also read what you can notice about the holidays.

Fireworks in the Netherlands
On December 31, the Dutch celebrate the turn of the year with fireworks. This is what we call New Year's Eve in the Netherlands. On the night of December 31 to January 1, there are fireworks shows throughout the Netherlands. In most municipalities you may also set off fireworks yourself between 18:00 and 02:00.