A woman on her phone in a reception centre

This is where you stay during the asylum process

Last updated: 4/9/2024, 3:46 PM

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During the asylum procedure, you stay in different reception centres of the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA). Sometimes there is not enough space in normal reception centres. You may have to stay in a temporary reception centre.

During your registration you will stay at the reception centre in Ter Apel

This is called the central reception centre. There is only one central reception centre in the Netherlands. At the moment there is often not enough space at the central reception centre in Ter Apel. Therefore, during registration you are sometimes taken to a

temporary reception centre

in Zoutkamp. You will be brought back to Ter Apel or Budel to complete your registration.

Your stay after the application

After you report to the police (

Department of Aliens Police, Identification and Human Trafficking, AVIM

), you will be taken to a reception centre at another place in the Netherlands. This is where you will stay during the asylum procedure.

COA

will arrange transportation to the

Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND)

if necessary. You may be moved between different reception centres in the Netherlands.

Due to crowding, there is not enough space in the normal reception centres. Therefore, sometimes you are taken to a temporary reception centre. There are fewer facilities in the temporary reception centre than in a normal reception centre. You may change temporary reception centres.

Your stay after the asylum procedure

After the asylum procedure, you go to an

asylum seekers' centre (AZC)

. You go to an AZC if:

You have received a residence permit and are waiting for housing. You are entitled to a reception centre until the municipality has found a home for you.
You are in the Extended Asylum Procedure (VA).
The IND has rejected your asylum application. You may stay in an AZC for another 28 days.

Please note: If you are between 13 and 18 years old and do not have any parents or guardians with you in the Netherlands, you go to a special reception centre for children. If you are younger than 13 and do not have any parents or guardians with you in the Netherlands, you will go to a foster family.

Nidos

will arrange a foster family for you.

Here is what you can do if you are unhappy with the reception centre

On this page you can read about what you can do if you are dissatisfied with COA's reception centre. For example, you can talk to COA or the municipality, complain or protest.

These organisations are present in the reception centre

In the reception centre, the

COA

Trigion

Asylum Seeker Healthcare (GZA)

and

VluchtelingenWerk Nederland (VWN)

are usually present. Sometimes the same organisations are not present in temporary reception centres as in a normal reception centre.

MyCoa