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Counter where refugees apply in Ter Apel
Source: IND

Registering in Ter Apel

Last updated: 2/9/2024, 3:15 PM
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In order to apply for asylum in the Netherlands, report to the application centre in the village of Ter Apel. Here you apply for asylum with the IND and the Dutch police register your application.

Register with the IND

After your arrival in Ter Apel, you must register with the

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Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND)
. The IND asks:

  • Your name

  • Your date of birth

  • Your country of origin

  • Which family members are travelling with you

  • What language you speak

  • Why you fled

You will receive a letter from the IND. This letter states the date you applied.

The interview with the police

When your turn comes, you can go to the police (

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Department of Aliens Police, Identification and Human Trafficking, AVIM
) with the letter from the IND. You will then have an interview with the police. The police ask:

  • Your name

  • Your date of birth

  • Your place of birth

  • Whether you have relatives in the Netherlands

  • What language you speak

  • Why you fled

The police take pictures of you and take your fingerprints. The police record your information, photos and fingerprints in a Dutch national system: the

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Basisvoorziening Vreemdelingen (BVV)
.

  • You get a number in this system. This is called '

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    V-nummer
    '.

  • You will also receive a card with your passport photo, personal information and your 'V-nummer' on it. This card is called the

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    W-document
    . If you received a W-document before 22 June 2023, it is valid for 12 months. If you received a W-document on or after 22 June 2023, it is valid for 18 months.

  • You sign your asylum application at the police station. This is called the

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    M35H form
    .

The police will also search your clothing and luggage. The police might confiscate your phone or other items to search. If the police seize your items, you will get a confirmation of this on paper. Look after this piece of paper carefully. You can pick up these things later with the paper.

Report to VluchtelingenWerk if you have not already been to the police

Sometimes there is time between your registration with the IND and the interview with the police. If you have not been to the police and also do not have an appointment to go to the police in Ter Apel or Budel, then visit

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VluchtelingenWerk
. They have an office at your reception centre. VWN staff can inform the police that you are still waiting to be registered and that they should register you. 

Sometimes there are not enough places in reception centres

Also, sometimes there are not enough places in the reception centre in Ter Apel. Therefore, sometimes during your application process you will be taken to a

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temporary reception centre
nearby. As the situation is now, you will stay there for several weeks. When it is your turn, you will be taken to either Ter Apel or Budel to complete your application process.

The application in Ter Apel may take a long time

Bear in mind that it can take a long time for the IND and the police to register you. The IND and the police are very busy. Both organisations do not have enough staff to process the number of asylum applications, and therefore the application process can take a long time.

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The asylum procedure