Registering in Ter Apel

Last updated: 5/30/2023, 12:06 PM

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If you want to apply for asylum in the Netherlands, you have to go to the registration centre in the village of Ter Apel. Here you apply for asylum and talk to the Dutch police.

There is not enough space in the reception centre in Ter Apel

This is due to crowding and long waiting times. Therefore, sometimes during your application process, you will be taken to a

temporary reception centre

nearby. You will stay here for a few days to weeks. You will be taken back to Ter Apel or to Budel to complete your application process.

Register with the IND

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

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. You can submit documents to the IND, such as your identity documents or documents that support your refugee story. If you submit documents to the IND, you will receive a confirmation of this on paper. If you do not yet have any documents with you, you can submit them later.

The interview with the police

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

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 will take pictures of you and take your fingerprints. The police search your clothing and luggage. The police might confiscate your phone to search. The police register your data, photos and fingerprints in a national system: the undefined

Basisvoorziening Vreemdelingen (BVV)

. You are given a number in this system. This is called a undefined

V-nummer

undefined. You will also receive a letter with your passport photo, personal data and your undefinedV-nummerundefined. This letter is called the

W-document

. At the police, you sign your asylum application. This is called the

M35H form

Please note: If you are not yet registered with the police, and have you been waiting in a temporary reception centre for a long time, this is because the IND cannot keep up with the number of asylum applications due to staff shortages. The IND asks you to be patient until the backlog is cleared.