You will receive an invitation for the 1st interview with the

IND

V-nummers

W-document

You can also check online via MyCoa to see if there is post for you. If you type in your V-nummer there, you will see either a green or a red envelope. A green envelope means there is post for you. A red envelope means there is no post for you.

During the interview, the IND checks whether your information is correct. The IND will ask questions about you, your flight to the Netherlands and the reason(s) why you fled. The IND does not ask any further questions about the reasons during the interview. In a second interview you will get the chance to explain this in detail.

It is very important that you say the same thing in the 2nd interview with the IND as you did in the 1st interview. For example, about your family members. Be honest about your family members during the interview. If you later want to apply for family reunification, the IND will check if you already talked about family members during this interview.

During all spoken interviews with the IND, you are allowed to take notes. You can make a timeline to remember important dates. If you cannot remember a date, be honest with the IND. During the interview with the IND, you can hand in documents that support your story.

The IND employee asks the questions in Dutch. The interpreter translates them for you. The interpreter also translates your answers into Dutch. The interpreter comes from your country of origin, is independent, does not work for the IND and has no influence on the decision about your asylum application. As interpreters are very busy, you might get an interpreter who speaks a different dialect. Tell me immediately if the interpreter and you cannot understand each other properly. As it is important that no misunderstandings arise because the interpreter and you do not understand each other well.

You may ask during the application interview for an interpreter who speaks in your dialect and ask for an interpreter of your own gender.

You now wait an average of 18 weeks for your first interview with the IND.