Arrival by land

Ter Apel is a village in the province of Groningen. Groningen is located in the northern part of the Netherlands. The address of the application centre is:

Ter Apelervenen 3

9561 MC 

Ter Apel

From the point you arrived in the Netherlands, you must register in Ter Apel within 48 hours. If you do not do this, the

Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND)

You travel first by train and then by bus. For public transportation, you have to buy a ticket. You can buy a ticket for the train at the train station. For the bus, you can buy a ticket from the bus driver.

Please note: If you travel without a ticket, you may be fined. The fine is about €50. For the train you can buy a ticket for 1st or 2nd class. The class where you can sit with your ticket is stated on the compartment.

If you donundefinedt have any money for a ticket, you can get a free ticket for one day from the police. For this you need to go to a police station nearby. Tell the police that you are a refugee and want to seek asylum in Ter Apel. Going to the police can be scary if you are fleeing. However, the Dutch police are not allowed to tell the authorities in your country that you are requesting asylum in the Netherlands.

The police day ticket allows you to travel in 2nd class on the train. The outside of the train shows which compartment is 2nd class. You can be fined if you sit in 1st class with a 2nd class ticket.

You must check in and out on the train or bus using your day ticket.

• On the train, you must check in on the platform. Hold your ticket against the card reader of the gate in front of the platform. This is how you check in and open the gate. You will hear one beeping sound.

• On the bus, you must check in when you board. Hold your card against the card reader near the door. You will hear one beeping sound. This is how you check in.

You have to check out in the same way at the end of your trip. You will hear two beeping sounds. If you donundefinedt check in or out, you may be fined. If you cannot manage on your own, ask a member of staff at the station or the bus driver for help.