Starting in early October, the IND will process asylum applications submitted before 12 June in a different manner

Since the start of the

From 1 October, the IND will adopt a different approach to deciding on asylum applications submitted before 12 June 2026. The order in which applications are processed will depend on whether an applicant has already had one or more interviews with the IND. Priority will be given to those who have already had 1 interview (‘

Starting in late August 2026, the IND will send out invitations for appointments in Utrecht every 3 months. Not everyone who has already had one interview with the IND will receive an invitation right away. There are many people who have already had one interview with the IND, and not all of them can come to Utrecht at the same time. So do not worry if you have not received an invitation yet.

Everyone who receives an invitation will have an appointment in Utrecht 6 weeks later. The first appointments will take place starting 5 October. The appointments in Utrecht will be held at the IND office located at Atoomweg 100. During these appointments, the IND will gather more information in order to make decisions on the asylum applications.

If you have already had a second interview with the IND, you do not need to go to Utrecht

Appointments in Utrecht are now only for people who have had one interview with the IND. If you have already had two interviews with the IND and are simply waiting for the IND's decision, you will not be invited to an appointment in Utrecht. The IND will already have sufficient information to make a decision. The IND hopes to reach a decision on your asylum application by March 2027. You will not receive a letter about this in advance. You will automatically receive the decision by post. Please contact your lawyer immediately upon receipt.

The IND will send out invitations for initial interviews later this year

If you have not had an interview with the IND at all yet, you will be given an appointment for an initial interview later this year. You will then receive information from the IND about the next steps in your asylum procedure.

In the invitation, the IND may ask you to bring documents that you have not yet submitted. The IND may also ask you to explain once again in Utrecht why you are applying for asylum. This is because the reason for your application may have changed. For example, because you are Syrian and Bashar Al Assad was still in power when you applied for asylum in the Netherlands.

The IND may also want to have a brief conversation with you and record it to determine where you are from. The IND in Utrecht may also take a passport photo of you and collect your fingerprints if they do not already have them.

So, in Utrecht, you will not have an interview with an IND representative about the substance of your asylum application. That will happen later, during your second interview with the IND. The appointment in Utrecht is intended solely to gather all the information needed to make a decision.

It is advisable to contact your lawyer straight away if you receive an invitation to an appointment in Utrecht. Your lawyer can help you prepare for the appointment and answer any questions you may have. For example, about the documents you need to bring with you from the IND.  

It is not certain that you will have a 2nd interview with the IND after your appointment in Utrecht. It is also possible that the IND will make a decision on your asylum application right away. In that case, the IND will have determined that it has all the information it needs to make a decision.

If you do end up having a 2nd interview with the IND, you will receive a new invitation for it. This means the IND has determined that a 2nd interview is still necessary in order to make a decision. This 2nd interview will take place approximately 6 weeks after the appointment in Utrecht.